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Pink Starbucks copycat vanilla birthday cake pops with white mini pearl sprinkles
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5 from 10 votes

Vanilla Cake Pops (Starbucks Copycat)

Delicious vanilla cake pops made from scratch using vanilla cake and frosting, covered in a pink candy coating - a copycat of the Starbucks birthday cake pops!
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Chill Time1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time2 hours 30 minutes
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Diet: Low Salt, Vegetarian
Servings: 15 cake pops
Calories: 213kcal
Author: Kachina

Equipment

Ingredients

Cake for filling:

  • 115 g unsalted butter (room temp.)
  • 115 g caster sugar (granulated sugar)
  • 2 eggs
  • 115 g plain flour ** (all-purpose)
  • 1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon milk (whole or semi-skimmed)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Buttercream for filling:

  • 60 g unsalted butter (room temp.)
  • 130 g icing sugar (powdered sugar)
  • 1 teaspoon milk (whole or semi-skimmed)
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Toppings and coating:

Instructions

Cake for filling:

  • Pre-heat oven: 180°C / 160°C (fan) / Gas Mark 4 / 350°F
  • Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and smooth, then beat in the egg until fully combined.
  • Sieve in the flour and baking powder, folding in gently. Then stir in the vanilla extract and milk until only just combined.
  • Pour the cake batter into a greased and lined 8-inch round cake tin and bake for 20-25mins until springy to touch and a skewer comes out clean.
  • Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 15mins before removing and transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling while you make the buttercream.

Buttercream for filling:

  • Beat the butter (either by hand, using an electric mixer or stand mixer) until pale, light and fluffy.
  • Sieve half of the icing sugar into the butter and beat until combined, then repeat this with the remaining half of the icing sugar.
  • Add in the milk and vanilla extract, mixing until only just smooth.

Cake pop filling:

  • Crumble up your cooled sponge into a large bowl, either using your hands or a fork.
  • Using a fork or spatula, thoroughly mix in the buttercream to the crumbled cake. Your cake pop filling should be able to hold together like a soft dough.
  • Scoop a walnut-sized amount of the filling mix (using a tablespoon or cookie scoop) and roll it in your hands to make a round ball. Place on a flat plate or tray lined with greaseproof paper.
  • Repeat the above step until you've used up all of your filling mix and refrigerate for 1hr.

Cake pop assembly:

  • In a narrow heatproof jug, mug or other container, slowly melt the candy melts in the microwave for 20secs at a time, stirring between bouts until smooth, then stir in the oil until you have a melted chocolate consistency.
  • Take 4 cake balls from the fridge and dip one end of a lollipop stick into the melted candy before pushing it halfway into a cake ball. Repeat for all 4 cake balls.
  • Holding the stick, dip a cake ball into the melted candy, covering it completely. Gently tap off any excess back into the container before topping with sprinkles and placing into a holder (e.g. cake pop stand or styrofoam block).
  • Repeat the above steps until you've turned all the cake balls into cake pops. Allow the candy coatings to set for 5-10mins at room temperature, then enjoy!

Notes

* If you don't have an 8-inch round cake tin, you can instead use a 6-inch round cake tin and bake your sponge for 25-30mins instead or use a 9-inch pan and bake for only 15-20mins.
** You can swap the plain flour in this recipe for self-raising flour of the same quantity and exclude the baking powder.

Nutrition

Calories: 213kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 50mg | Potassium: 22mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 325IU | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1mg