If you are a mom with young kids and you love coffee as much as I do, I bet you have been in this exact situation.
My kids are sitting in the back of the van as I pull into our local Starbucks. I bet you can guess the next six words out of their mouths.
Ready? 1, 2, 3…
“Can we have a cake pop?”
Yep, you guessed it. If I’m getting a coffee, they want a cake pop. But did you know a single cake pop is only about four bites and costs close to $1 a bite? That is ridiculous—and let’s be honest, so are the coffee prices these days!
So if you want to save a little bit of money (on the cake pops, not the coffee of course) and still be “The Best Mom Ever”, here is the ultimate shortcut hack for cake pops that we do. My middle daughter goes to speech therapy every week and I’m not above a little bit of bribing to get her to go willingly.
Ingredient List:
To make these look exactly like the coffee shop version without turning your kitchen into a flour-covered disaster zone, you only need three basic items from the grocery store baking aisle:
- The Secret Base: One pre-made personal-sized cake (any flavor).
- The Shell: One bag of (any color/flavor) chocolate chips/melts.
- The Packaging: A pack of standard lollipop sticks (not required but the kids like it) and rainbow sprinkles.
Step-by-Step:
Step 1: Take your $6 pre-made cake and put the whole thing into a mixer, icing and all. Make sure it is all incorporated together. It will be a little sticky.
Step 2: Use a cookie scooper to make them into round circular balls. Then put them in the freezer for about an hour.
Step 3: Dip and Decorate
- Melt & Dip: Melt your candy wafers and dip your chilled cake balls into the chocolate. Be sure to add your sprinkles immediately while the chocolate is still wet!
- The Mom Hack: Honestly? Usually, we stop right here and go for cake pop bites. It’s one less step, less messy, and way easier to store in a snack container.
- Want the Starbucks Look? If you truly want that authentic copycat look, definitely add the stick! Pro-tip: Dip the tip of the stick into the melted chocolate first, then slide it into the cake ball—this acts like glue to keep it from falling off. Stand them upright in a piece of styrofoam or a mug while they dry for that clean finish.
The Final Math (The Best Part)
Once they are dry, line them up and admire your work. You just made an entire batch of cake pops that would have cost you $63!
Pre-made Personal cake = ~$6
Chocolate chips/melts = ~$3
50 Sticks = ~$2
TOTAL: ~$11 for about 18+ cake pops (Prices may vary depending on what brands you go with)
That is ~$.61 per cake pop!
Your wallet is happy, your kids think you’re a culinary wizard, and you didn’t even have to turn on the oven.
Well…Bye! May your coffee be strong and your toddlers’ tantrums be short!