These chocolaty Gluten Free Cake Pops are a delicious kid-friendly treat that can be enjoyed for holidays, bake sales, or anytime! Grab some lollipop sticks and a few simple ingredients because you are going to love making this easy cake pop recipe!
Jump To:
Have you tried making gluten free cake pops yet? They are a wonderful dessert that is great if you only want a small portion of dessert. (Not to mention they are super cute and fancy!!)
I also include a dairy-free cake pop option so everyone can enjoy this recipe! You can use any flavor of cake to make chocolate cake pops, vanilla cake pops, or even churro cake pops! This homemade cake pops recipe can be enjoyed all year long!
This cake pop recipe makes a fun project to do with young kids because there are so many easy steps! If you love chocolate as much as we do, you will want to check out all of my delicious gluten free chocolate dessert recipes.
You can also make these gluten free cake pops without frosting if you prefer. Just substitute softened cream cheese for the frosting.
What are cake pops?
Cake pops are sort of cake balls and can be linked back to lovely donut holes. Donut holes are usually glazed or covered in delicious chocolate. They are a tasty breakfast treat we have loved for years. They started the idea and helped it spread.
The main purpose of cake pops is to use up a stale or extra cake! The good news is that cake pops are denser and sweeter than the original cake. They are perfect for kid’s parties, birthdays, holidays, special treats, or just a little snack for yourself.
I also have a fun gluten free cake pop web story for more tips.
Cake pops benefits:
- reduce food waste (aka use up a leftover cake!)
- gives you a second dessert
- will make you a hit of the party
- lets you play with your hands :-).
Dress them up in melted chocolate of any flavor or color, add sprinkles or piped frosting. Even turn them into characters. Since they are on sticks it is less messy and more deliciousness.
Making cake balls is perfect for those who like to play with their food!
Why this gluten free cake pops recipe is so great:
- You take gluten free cake (like in this easy Gluten Free Chocolate Cake recipe) and smoosh it up with your hands. Trust me, kids love this part!
- There are lots of types of vanilla frosting for cake pops. For this recipe, I used vanilla frosting to bind the smooshed-up cake. You can use this chocolate buttercream frosting recipe or this vanilla cream cheese frosting recipe.
- If you don't feel like making frosting, you can buy frosting at your store. Just make sure you choose a good gluten free frosting.
- If you want an easy cheat, use gluten free cake mix or a pre-made store-bought gluten free cake.
Recipe step by step directions:
Step 1: Add cake to a large bowl. Time to get those hands dirty. I had some extra cake from when I made these Gluten Free Chocolate Raspberry Trifles, so I used that for this recipe. Use your hands or fork to smoosh the cake into bits.
Step 2: Add the frosting to the smooshed cake. Mix well so that you have a "cake paste" mixture.
Step 3: Roll chunks of cake batter into balls and place them on a baking dish lined with wax paper.
Step 4: Melt some chocolate and dip a lollipop stick into the chocolate. Quickly push the chocolate-dipped lollipop stick into a cake ball and allow it to set. Repeat until every pop has a stick.
Step 5: Refrigerate for 30-45 minutes to solidify the cake pops. This will keep the sticks attached to the cake balls when you dip them into the chocolate.
Step 6: Melt chocolate. You can use milk, dark, white, or any chocolate flavor you like. If you want colored cake pops, use colored melting wafers that you can find at most grocery stores.
Step 7: Dip each pop into the melted chocolate and dust with your favorite sprinkles. Check this list to be sure your sprinkles are gluten free. Place the cake pops back on the wax paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Enjoy!!
TIP: Make sure your cake balls are at room temperature before dipping them into the melted chocolate to prevent cracking!
Here are my favorite Gluten Free Desserts for Valentine's Day. Cake pops are great for gift giving too!
Tips and Recipe FAQ:
You can definitely use store-bought frosting to make these cake pops. If you prefer homemade frosting, I recommend the homemade frosting in this Gluten Free Vanilla Cake or this Gluten Free Chocolate Raspberry Cake recipe.
If you dipped cold cake pop balls into hot melted chocolate, it will cause cracking. When your cake balls are dipped in chocolate and warm a bit after refrigeration, they expand a little, which will crack the chocolate.
Cake pops can be made in any size, but note that the larger they are, the heavier they are and the higher the risk of them breaking off the stick.
Cake pops will last up to 4-5 days in the refrigerator. You can get them to last longer by freezing them. You can freeze the cake balls, then defrost them when you are ready to dip them in chocolate and eat them.
If you prefer a truffle-like cake ball, you can skip the sticks altogether!
More delicious gluten free dessert recipes:
- Gluten Free Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Minty Heart Fudge Bites
- Mini Gluten Free Champagne Cupcakes
- Gluten Free Cakesicles
Tools:
- Lollipop sticks
- The best melting chocolates.
Recipe
Easy Gluten Free Cake Pops
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten free chocolate cake baked
- ½ cup frosting
- 1 ½ cups dark chocolate
- sprinkles optional
Instructions
- Add the baked cake to a bowl and use your hands to smoosh it up.
- Add frosting and mix it in with your hands or a large spoon until it forms a ball.
- Use a small cookie scoop to break off small bits of cake pop dough and use your hands to roll it into balls. Place on wax paper.
- Melt 2 tablespoons of chocolate in a microwave safe dish for 15-20 secons.
- Dip a lollipop stick into the melted chocolate, then stick into each cake pop. This will help keep the stick in each cake pop.
- Refrigerate for 30-45 minutes.
- Remove the cake pops from the refrigerator. Melt the rest of your chocolate in a microwave-safe dish. I recommend doing this at 15-20 second intervals, stirring between each interval to prevent burning.
- Dip each cake pop into the melted chocolate. Cover with sprinkles if you like.
- Place in the refrigerator 1 hour until chilled.
Notes
- You can use any cake flavor to make these gluten free cake pops!
- Use any gluten free cake flavor recipe you like or use boxed gluten free cake mix.
- Feel free to use store-bought frosting, or make your own.
- Be sure you check to ensure that your sprinkles are gluten free.
- These cake pops will last up to 5 days in your refrigerator, or freeze them for up to 4 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
If you love the recipes you find on my blog, I would love for you to sign up for my newsletter (and get my free gluten free holiday cookies baking tips!)
Laurel Hazleton
How many does this recipe make
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Laurel, it depends how large you make the cake pops. I ended up with 15 medium sized cake pops.
Miranda
Really good