Imagine this: you just spent two or three hours shaping your cake pops, dipping them in chocolate, and arranging them around a stand. Then, as soon as you move your sweet creations, they all fall apart like nothing.
It can be incredibly disheartening, but the good news is that this issue is avoidable.
With the right recipe, tools, and techniques, you can move your cake pops and ensure they stay in perfect condition until they arrive at their destination.
So, grab your spatula, and let’s find out how to transport your cake pops without ruining them!
How to Transport Cake Pops
Even though cake pops seem like fragile treats, they’re more sturdy than you think. They won’t fall apart the minute you move them.
Here are the steps you’ll need to take to ensure your cake pops stay safe in transit:
Step 1: Prepare a Sturdy Cake Pop Batter
Contrary to popular belief, transporting your cake pops doesn’t begin with packaging them. To ensure your cake pops can survive a car ride, you need to start with the batter.
Ideally, you should rely on a 2:1 ratio of cake to frosting. For example, if you use an entire box of cake mix, you need around half a cup of frosting. This should give you a batter that can hold its shape well at room temperature.
If you live in a particularly warm or humid area, you should reduce the amount of frosting you use by two or three tablespoons to create a thicker batter that can handle a bit of heat.
You should also choose your frosting wisely if you want it to stay put. There are several options you can choose from, but good old American buttercream is your best bet.
It’s stiff at room temperature, packs a powerful flavor punch, and adds a subtle fudginess to your dessert. What’s not to love?
Remember that adding too much icing won’t do you any good. It may melt and turn your pops into a sticky mess, so I recommend starting with a small amount and increasing gradually.
Once you get the perfect cake pop batter consistency, you can shape your desserts into tiny balls.
Step 2: Freeze Your Cake Pops
After shaping your pops, it’s a good idea to set them in the freezer before you move on to coating them. This will help the sweet treats hold their shape better as you dip them in chocolate.
On average, your cake pops should spend at least an hour in the freezer before you decorate them. You can also make them ahead of time and leave them in your fridge overnight.
That will allow them to cool down slowly, which should preserve the soft, chewy texture of your cake pops.
Step 3: Coat Your Cake Pops
The cake pop coating you choose will have a notable effect on how well they last.
For instance, regular chocolate isn’t that solid at room temperature. So, it may melt and soak into the pops if you keep them out of the fridge for long.
While a little extra chocolate never hurt anybody, this will make it tough to grab a cake pop and keep your fingers clean.
If you want a coating that will last for hours outside the fridge, I say opt for tempered chocolate or candy melts.
These will create a hard outer shell around your cake pops that can act like a protective layer. They’ll keep the air out and moisture in to stop the cake center from drying out.
Take a bit of time and carefully dip each one of your cake pops into your coating. Then, place them on a cooling rack to set.
It’s worth noting that it’s not a good idea to decorate your cake pops at this stage. Adding cute details and piping accents may make your desserts stand out, but they tend to be fragile and can snap off during transit.
To avoid watching all your hard decorating work go down the drain, it’s best to hold off on any intricate designs.
Step 4: Allow Your Cake Pops to Air Dry
You need to let your cake pop coating air dry for about an hour or two on your kitchen counter. That way, the outer shell will be completely set and ready for transport.
Some people like to pop their truffles in the fridge to speed up the drying process, but I don’t think that’s the best idea. The cold air in the fridge will cause condensation, leading to water droplets forming on your cake pops.
This will melt parts of your coating and leave you with streaky cake pops. In some cases, the excess moisture can cause your chocolate coating to bloom and develop white patches over the surface.
While the flavor should stay the same, the aesthetic appeal of your pop will take a hit.
I much prefer leaving the sweet treats to air-dry, even if it means having to wait a little while longer to enjoy them.
Step 5: Wrap Your Truffles
There are a few ways you can go about wrapping your cake pops. Some bakers like to cover each ball in plastic wrap.
However, this can be exceptionally labor intensive, especially if you plan on eating the entire batch of cake pops a couple of hours later. Not to mention, it’s not the most environmentally friendly option.
My advice? Use cupcake wrappers. It’ll only take a few minutes to wrap all your cake pops, and it’ll make eating the pops a breeze later on.
However, the chocolate coating needs to dry first, or else it’ll stick to the wrappers and leave you with mushy treats
Lastly, if you’re sending your cake pops to a distant location, you may want to consider covering them in bubble wrap. That can provide an extra layer of protection and insulation to keep the chocolate coating intact.
Step 6: Find a Container for Your Cake Pops
There are several containers you can use to transport your cake pops. These include:
- Cake pop boxes
- Plastic Tupperware
- Cupcake couriers
- Air-tight glass containers
- Large aluminum baking trays
You can even use a cardboard box if you don’t have any of the previous options on hand. However, you’ll need to cover the interior of the container with a layer of parchment paper.
Finally, wrap the box with string and secure it with tape to ensure all your sweet treats stay put.
Cake pops can last for about seven days at room temperature. That means you don’t have to worry about refrigerating your truffles while transporting them.
However, once you pack up the pops, you should keep the container sealed to stop bacteria and other microorganisms from contaminating them.
Final Thoughts
If you’re trying to figure out how to transport cake pops, the process couldn’t be simpler. Start by mixing up a batch of sturdy batter using a 2:1 ratio of cake to frosting.
After that, freeze your cake pops and coat them in tempered chocolate or candy melts. Once the outer shell is dry, place your truffles in cupcake wrappers and arrange them in an air-tight container. And just like that, you’re done!
Sarah is the founder of Baking Kneads, LLC, a blog sharing guides, tips, and recipes for those learning how to bake. Growing up as the daughter of a baker, she spent much of her childhood learning the basics in a local bakery.