Halloween cake pops are a magical, hand-crafted treat perfect for celebrating the spooky season. Loved by both kids and adults, they’re rich and fudgy, portable, and surprisingly easy to whip up!
Table of Contents
- Why you’ll love this recipe:
- What is a cake pop?
- What you’ll need to make these Halloween treats:
- Key Equipment Notes:
- How to make cake pops:
- How to decorate Halloween cake pops:
- 1. How to decorate Frankensteins
- 2. How to decorate pumpkin cake pops
- 3. How to decorate witch fingers
- 4. How to decorate bat cake pops
- 5. How to decorate witch hat cake pops
- 6. How to decorate monster head cake pops
- Tips for Success:
- Make-Ahead Tips:
- Storing Tips:
- Halloween Cake Pops FAQs:
- More Cake Recipes:
- Halloween Cake Pops Recipe
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Pin ItWhy you’ll love this recipe:
These spooky and ghoulish cake pops are perfect for Halloween parties at home or school.
Halloween cake pops are fun and delicious bite-sized treats, and can be decorated in several ways, making them eye-catching and irresistible!
- Tasty – Halloween cake pops are indulgent without being overly sweet. You won’t be able to stop at just one!
- Time-saving recipe – This cake pop recipe starts with a box cake mix, so you can spend your time focusing on the adorable decorations!
- Beginner-friendly – You don’t need to be a professional baker to master the art of cake pop decorating. My step-by-step instructions (with photos) make the process super simple.
For more decorating ideas and tips, take a look at my easy cake pops and homemade chocolate cake pops (from scratch)!
What is a cake pop?
Cake pops are small, round cake balls made from crumbled cake mixed with frosting and attached to lollipop sticks. They’re coated with melted chocolate, almond bark, or candy melts, and decorated with various candies and sprinkles.
What you’ll need to make these Halloween treats:
- Food coloring – Dye your white or vanilla cake mix with orange and purple food coloring. I love making an orange cake for pumpkin cake pops, because the orange shows through the white coating, resulting in a beautiful, authentic pumpkin look.
- Almond bark or candy melts – For colored cake pops, like Frankensteins and Monster Heads, I recommend using colored candy melts mixed with shortening. For white or chocolate coating, use white and chocolate almond bark.
- Shortening is crucial when working with candy melts to thin it out for a nice and thin coating. Don’t skip the shortening especially when working with candy melts!
- Chocolate Oreo cookies – These need to be separated from the creamy filling and broken in half. They will get poked into the sides of the cake balls to form bat wings.
- Candy eyes – You can never have enough of them during Halloween!
- Pretzel sticks – Break these into 1-inch pieces and insert them into the sides of Frankenstein’s head. Twists won’t work!
- Edible marker – A black edible marker is used to draw the mouth and stitches onto the Frankensteins.
- Mini chocolate chips – These make the cutest little pumpkin stem!
- Almond slices – These are pressed onto the top of the witch fingers to form a fingernail.
- Mini stroop waffles – Use these to form the wide brim of a witch’s hat.
- Mini waffle cones – These attach to the mini waffles and become the pointy top of a witch’s hat.
- Food coloring spray – Black food coloring spray colors the mini witch hats black.
Almond Bark vs Candy Melts
In my experience, candy melts have thicker consistency than almond bark. That’s why I recommend adding shortening to candy melts.
Key Equipment Notes:
- Half sheet pan – The cake isn’t baked in cake pans like a traditional cake would be. Instead, the cake is baked on a rimmed baking sheet, cutting the baking time down to only 15 minutes!
- Large bowl – Any large mixing bowl will work.
- Baking sheet – The formed cake balls are placed on a second baking sheet while chilling in the refrigerator.
- Cake pop sticks – Make sure your sticks are sturdy and at least 6 inches long.
- Styrofoam or cake pop stand – This is a must-have! The cake pops need to stand upright while the candy coating hardens.
How to make cake pops:
- Make the cake pop mixture: Check out my easy cake pop recipe for step by step tutorial. I won’t go into details here on baking the cake, forming the balls, etc.
- Form the cake balls: If you’d like to make colored cake balls, divide the cake pop mixture into 3 bowls and color with desired food coloring before forming the balls.
- Refrigerate the cake balls for 2 hours, or overnight.
- Put the sticks in: Dip a cake pop stick about ½-inch deep into the melted almond bark. Insert the coated stick into the chilled cake balls. Continue this process until all the cake balls have a stick. Place the cake balls back into the fridge to keep cool.
How to decorate Halloween cake pops:
You can keep it simple and pick just one way to decorate your cake pops or make all 6 Halloween cake pops. Either way, your kids will love these whimsical little treats!
1. How to decorate Frankensteins
- Dip each cake ball into the melted green candy coating, including the base. Gently shake to remove any excess coating.
- Dunk the top of the cake balls into the bowl of sprinkles. Work quickly during this step! Place the coated cake balls into a cake pop stand.
- Poke the pretzel sticks into the lower half of the cake balls.
- Place the candy eyes onto the pops. If the coating is already dry, glue the eyes on using a warm candy melt.
- Draw the mouth and stitches using a black edible marker once the coating is completely dry.
Make decorating easy
It’s easier to insert the broken pretzel sticks if you poke them into both sides at the same time.
2. How to decorate pumpkin cake pops
- Indent lines into the cake pops using a cake pop stick. Draw wide dents from the top of the cake pop to the base. Then, place the cake balls back into the fridge.
- Dip each cake ball into the melted white coating, including the base. Gently shake to remove any excess coating.
- Place the cake balls upright into a cake pop stand, and immediately top with a mini chocolate chip.
3. How to decorate witch fingers
- Form the cake mixture into long fingers.
- Dip each cake finger into the melted white coating until it’s fully covered, including the base. Gently shake to remove any excess coating.
- Place the cake fingers upright into a cake pop stand, and immediately place an almond slice on top for fingernails.
- Draw a few horizontal lines across the fingers using a cake pop stick or toothpick. The lines should resemble wrinkles on finger joints.
4. How to decorate bat cake pops
- Dip each cake ball into the melted choclate almond bark until it’s fully covered, including the base. Gently shake to remove any excess coating.
- Place each cake pop upright into a cake pop stand or piece of styrofoam.
- Poke two Oreo halves into the sides of the cake balls. Work quickly during this step!
- Stick the candy eyes to the bats. If the coating is already set, use warm almond bark as glue.
Make decorating easy
It’s easier to insert the Oreo halves if you poke them into both sides at the same time.
5. How to decorate witch hat cake pops
- Dip a mini cone into the melted chocolate coating, and immediately stick it to the top of a mini Stroop waffle. Continue making mini witch hats as needed. Let them sit and harden.
- Transfer the “witch hats” to a baking sheet, and spray them with black food coloring spray.
Avoid making a mess
It’s best to spray the witch hats outside or in your garage. You don’t want splatter from the spray to stain your kitchen counters!
- Dip each cake ball into the melted almond bark until it’s fully covered, including the base. Gently shake to remove any excess coating.
- Place each cake pop upright into a cake pop stand or piece of styrofoam.
- Drop a dollop of melted almond bark on top of the cake pop, and place the prepared witch hat on top. Hold the hat for a few seconds to let the almond bark set.
6. How to decorate monster head cake pops
- Dip each cake ball into the melted coating until it’s fully covered, including the base. Gently shake to remove any excess coating.
- Dunk the top into sprinkles. Then, place the cake pops upright in a cake pop stand.
- Place candy eyes onto the monster heads, making them as creepy and silly as you can!
Tips for Success:
- Use a small portion scoop for uniformly sized cake balls. Just make sure your scoop is around 1.5 inches in size!
- Only remove 10 cake balls from the refrigerator at a time. Cake balls will fall out of the stick if they warm up to room temperature.
- Don’t coat frozen cake balls. Due to temperature differences, the coating will crack as it sets.
- Shake off as much excess coating as possible. This helps to avoid drips and an overly thick shell.
- Prepare all the decorations, like sprinkles, candy eyes, etc, before you start dipping the cake pops because coating sets within seconds.
- Let the cake pops set for about an hour before packaging.
Make-Ahead Tips:
- Save yourself time on decorating day by making the cake balls in advance!
- Undipped and undecorated cake balls can be made up to 3 days in advance. Just keep them chilled in the refrigerator until you’re ready to decorate.
Storing Tips:
- Store Halloween cake pops in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Freeze for up to 2 months in an airtight container.
- Thaw frozen cake pops in the refrigerator overnight.
Halloween Cake Pops FAQs:
How do you display Halloween cake pops?
Cake pops should be displayed upright in a cake pop stand, styrofoam block, or cardboard box with small holes poked into it. For a festive touch, decorate your display with festive Halloween decorations! Add plastic spiders, candy corn, and leftover candy eyes and sprinkles.
What makes cake pops fall apart?
Temperature is the number one reason cake pops fall apart. If cake pops are too warm, they’ll crumble, and the stick will fall out. If they’re frozen cold, the candy coating will crack during the dipping process. This is why it’s so important to keep them chilled in the refrigerator!
Should I use candy melts for cake pops?
Candy melts and almond bark are both great options for coating cake pops. Candy melts can be melted in the microwave or with a double-boiler. They’re great for dipping, drizzling, and decorating.
More Cake Recipes:
- Easy Cake Pops
- Homemade Chocolate Cake Pops
- Funfetti Mini Layer Cakes
- Mini Carrot Cakes with Candied Pecans
Halloween Cake Pops
Halloween cake pops are a magical, hand-crafted treat perfect for celebrating the spooky season. Loved by both kids and adults, they're rich and fudgy, portable, and surprisingly easy to whip up!
Ingredients
For cake pops:
- 1 box yellow cake mix Note 1
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup (240 ml) water or milk
- ½ cup (120 ml) vegetable oil
- 4 oz (115 g) cream cheese Note 2
- 25 cake pop sticks
- 16 oz (450 g) almond bark, or candy melts Note 3
- 4 tablespoons shortening optional Note 4
For Frankensteins:
- Green candy melts + shortening
- Pretzel sticks
- Black sprinkles
- Candy eyes
- Black edible marker
For pumpkins:
- Orange food coloring
- White almond bark or candy melts
- Mini chocolate chips
For witch fingers:
- White almond bark or candy melts
- Almond slices
For bats:
- Chocolate almond bark
- Chocolate Oreo cookies
- Candy eyes
For witch hat:
- Mini Stroop waffles
- Mini waffle cone snacks
- Black food coloring spray
- Chocolate almond bark
For monster heads:
- Purple or blue candy melts + shortening
- Big and small candy eyes
Equipment
- half sheet pan
- large bowl
- baking sheet
- Styrofoam or cake pop stand
Instructions
Bake the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baker’s half sheet with a parchment paper or silicone mat.
- Make the cake batter according to the box directions.1 box yellow cake mix, 3 large eggs, ½ cup vegetable oil, 1 cup water
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking sheet and spread it evenly.
- Bake for 15 minutes, or until the inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool the cake completely.
Make the cake pop mixture:
- Crumble the cooled cake in a large bowl.
- Add the cream cheese and mix it well into the cake with clean hands. Make sure there’s no dry cake visible.4 oz cream cheese
- If desired, divide the cake mixture into 3 parts and color them with purple and orange food coloring.
Form the cake balls:
- Divide the cake pops into 1.5-inch balls and arrange them on a lined baking sheet. For witch finger cake pops, form the cake mixture into long fingers.
- Refrigerate for 2 hours, or overnight.
Coat the cake balls:
- Melt a small amount of almond bark with shortening in a microwave.16 oz almond bark, or candy melts, 4 tablespoons shortening
- Dip a cake pop stick into the melted almond bark about ½-inch deep, then insert it into the chilled cake balls. Continue this process until all the cake balls have a stick. Put them back into the fridge.
For Frankenstein cake pops:
- Break pretzel sticks into 1-inch pieces. Put black sprinkles in a small bowl. And have candy eyes ready.Pretzel sticks
- Melt green candy melts with 1-2 tablespoons of shortening in a 2-cup measuring cup in microwave until nice and smooth, according to package instructions.Green candy melts + shortening
- Bring out about 10 cake balls at a time. Dip each cake ball into the melted candy coating until it’s fully covered, including the base. Gently shake it to let the excess coating to drip off.
- Working quickly, dunk the top of the cake balls into the bowl with sprinkles. And place the cake pops upright into a Styrofoam, or box, or special cake pop stand.Black sprinkles
- Poke the pretzel sticks into the lower half of the cake balls. (TIP: It’s easier to poke the sticks from both sides at the same time.)
- And finally place the candy eyes. If the coating is already set, simply use the candy melt as a glue.Candy eyes
- Once the coating completely dry, draw the mouth with stiches.Black edible marker
For pumpkin cake pops:
- I love using orange cake mixture with white coating for pumpkin cake pops. Orange cake shows through white coating for a pretty effect!Orange food coloring
- Using a cake pop stick, make dented lines from the top of the cake pop to the base. We find make wider dents work best as it shows up better after dipping the cake pops in the coating. Place the cake balls back into the fridge.
- Melt white candy melts with 1-2 tablespoons of shortening in a 2-cup measuring cup in microwave until nice and smooth, according to package instructions.White almond bark
- Bring out about 10 cake balls at a time. Dip each cake ball into the melted candy coating until it’s fully covered, including the base. Gently shake it to let the excess coating to drip off.
- Place the cake pops upright into a Styrofoam, or box, or special cake pop stand.
- Immediately put a mini chocolate chip on top.Mini chocolate chips
- If desired, you can also sprinkle the cake pops with orange sanding sugar all over right after dipping in the coating.
For witch finger cake pops:
- Melt white candy melts with 1-2 tablespoons of shortening in a 2-cup measuring cup in microwave until nice and smooth, according to package instructions.White almond bark
- Bring out about 10 cake fingers at a time. Dip each cake finger into the melted candy coating until it’s fully covered, including the base. Gently shake it to let the excess coating to drip off.
- Place the cake pops upright into a Styrofoam, or box, or special cake pop stand.
- Immediately place an almond slice on top for fingernails.Almond slices
- Using a spare cake pop stick, or a toothpick, make a few horizontal lines to resemble wrinkles on finger joints.
For bat cake pops:
- Separate the Oreo cookies from the filling and break the cookies in half. And have candy eyes ready.Chocolate Oreo cookies
- Melt chocolate almond bark in a 2-cup measuring cup in microwave until nice and smooth, according to package instructions.Chocolate almond bark
- Bring out about 10 cake balls at a time. Dip each cake ball into the melted almond bark until it’s fully covered, including the base. Gently shake it to let the excess coating to drip off. And place the cake pops upright into a Styrofoam, or box, or special cake pop stand.
- Working quickly, poke two Oreo halves into the sides of the cake balls. (TIP: It’s easier to poke the cookies from both sides at the same time.)
- And finally place the candy eyes. If the coating is already set, simply use the candy melt as a glue.Candy eyes
For witch hat cake pops:
- Melt a small amount of chocolate almond bark.Chocolate almond bark
- Take the mini cone and dip it into the melted chocolate coating and immediately place it on top of a mini Stroop waffle. Let them set and harden.Mini Stroop waffles, Mini waffle cone snacks
- Place the “witch hats” on a baking sheet and spray them with black food coloring spray. Let them air dry completely. (TIP: I don’t like to spray it indoors. I take it outside, if weather allows, or I do it in the garage.)Black food coloring spray
- Melt chocolate almond bark in a 2-cup measuring cup in microwave until nice and smooth, according to package instructions.
- Bring out about 10 cake balls at a time. Dip each cake ball into the melted almond bark until it’s fully covered, including the base. Gently shake it to let the excess coating to drip off. And place the cake pops upright into a Styrofoam, or box, or special cake pop stand.
- Put a dollop of almond bark on top of the cake pop and place the prepared witch hat. Hold the hat for a few seconds to let the almond bark to set.
For monster head cake pops:
- Melt purple or blue melting wafers in a 2-cup measuring cup in microwave until nice and smooth, according to package instructions.Purple or blue candy melts + shortening
- Prepare black sprinkles in small bowl and have candy eyes ready.
- Bring out about 10 cake balls at a time. Dip each cake ball into the melted coating until it’s fully covered, including the base. Gently shake it to let the excess coating to drip off.
- Immediately dunk the top into the sprinkles. And place the cake pops upright into a Styrofoam, or box, or special cake pop stand.
- Put candy eyes however your heart desires.Big and small candy eyes
Packaging:
- Let the cake pops set for about an hour before packaging.
Tips & Notes
Note 1: You can make the cake however you like. You can follow the box directions, or substitute butter for oil, milk for water, etc.
Note 2: I find cake mix cake a bit on the sweeter side and that’s why I prefer to use plain cream cheese to make the cake pops. We’ve tested this recipe with store-bought frosting, regular buttercream, and plain cream cheese. And in blind taste testing, cream cheese won! Store-bought frosting made the cake balls way too sweet.
Note 3: Almond bark is the best for coating cake balls, as it has the perfect consistency compared to candy melts. However, for Frankensteins and purple monsters, I recommend using colored candy melts.
Note 4: Shortening thins out the almond bark/candy melts so it’s easier to coat the cake pops in a thin layer. This is especially important for pumpkin cake pops to show the grooves!!
Note 5: The nutrition information does not include decorations or candy. Storing Tips:
– Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
– Freeze for up to 2 months in an airtight container. Transfer into refrigerate to thaw overnight. Tips:
– Don’t coat frozen cake balls. Due to temperature differences, the coating will crack as it sets.
-Be sure to bring about 10 cake balls out of the refrigerator at a time, or cake balls will fall out of the stick if they warm up at room temperature.
-Be sure to shake off as much excess coating as possible to avoid drips.
Note 5: The nutrition information does not include decorations or candy. Storing Tips:
– Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
– Freeze for up to 2 months in an airtight container. Transfer into refrigerate to thaw overnight. Tips:
– Don’t coat frozen cake balls. Due to temperature differences, the coating will crack as it sets.
-Be sure to bring about 10 cake balls out of the refrigerator at a time, or cake balls will fall out of the stick if they warm up at room temperature.
-Be sure to shake off as much excess coating as possible to avoid drips.
Nutrition
Servings: 1 cake pop
Calories: 231kcal
Carbohydrates: 30g
Protein: 2g
Fat: 11g
Sugar: 22g
Sodium: 178mg
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