Halloween just got sweeter with these spook-tacular pumpkin cake pops. These bewitching bite sized treats are filled with decadent chocolate cake and wrapped up in a sweet candy coating. Yum!
I've been on a Halloween baking binge these past few days, adding recipes like these Skeleton Cupcakes and this Baby Frankenstein Buttercream Board.
And now I'm back with another sweet treat - these Pumpkin Cake Pops. These bite-sized wonders are super simple to make and a really fun Halloween activity to do with the kids too!
Supplies You'll Need
In addition to the cake ingredients, you will need a few special items to make these pumpkin shaped cake pops!
Pumpkin Shaped Silicone Molds. I used this set of pumpkin molds, and love that they all have different faces. But anything similar will work just fine.
Orange Candy Melts. I like these Wilton candy melts, because they are tasty and easy to work with. Plus they come in lots of colors for all kinds of prokects!
Black Frosting. This will be to fill in the pumpkin faces! It's easiest to use a small tube or bottle of black frosting with a tip like this, which makes it really easy to fill in the small faces. Alternatively, you can add black frosting to a piping bag.
Sharp Knife or Scissors. I used a sharp craft knife like this to cut the slits in my pumpkin molds. Anything sharp enough will do the trick.
Popsicle Sticks. You can grab a bulk bag of popsicle sticks like this online.
How to Make Pumpkin Cake Pops
The first step is of course to bake the chocolate cake that goes inside these adorable little morsels. I've included a very simple chocolate cake recipe below, but you can use your own favorite or even cheat with a store bought cake mix.
Once your cake is baked, you'll toss the whole thing into a stand mixer to mash it up into your cake pop "dough".
Then go ahead and melt your orange candy melts in a microwave safe bowl. Heat in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until the candy is melted and smooth.
Then before starting to fill the molds, carefully cut a slit in the bottom of each pumpkin mold, large enough for the popsicle stick to fit through. I also cut each of my molds apart so I could use them all at one time!
Next, spread a layer of the orange candy coating into the pumpkin shaped molds, coating all the sides. Stick a popsicle mold into the slit in the bottom. Then stick the molds in the freezer for ten minutes so the candy coating can harden.
Then you'll stuff each mold with the chocolate cake "dough". And top the back side of the mold with another layer of the orange candy coating.
Freeze the whole thing again for ten more minutes, or until it seems hardened. Then you can carefully remove the silicone mold, sliding the popsicle out through the slit that was cut.
If there are any parts of the cake pop not covered with the orange coating, you can use a butter knife to add a bit more. Then set them out on a piece of parchment paper to set.
When the candy coating is hardened, you can take your tube of black frosting and fill in the jack-o-lantern faces. Then set them aside again to finish setting before serving!
More Halloween Treats
If you love these Pumpkin Cake Pops, be sure to check out these other Halloween treats:
Recipe
Halloween Pumpkin Cake Pops
Equipment
- 9x13 baking pan
- Pumpkin Shaped Silicone Molds
- Sharp Knife or Scissors
- Popsicle Sticks
Ingredients
For the chocolate cake:
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- ¾ cup whole milk
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 1 ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup boiling water heat in the microwave
For the cake pops:
- 2 cups orange candy melts
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil or paramount crystals
Instructions
For the chocolate cake:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and lightly flour a 9" x 13" baking pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add the egg, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Mix until just combined. The batter might seem thick at this point.
- Slowly incorporate the boiling water into the batter, mixing continuously until smooth. The batter will thin out.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan, spreading it out evenly. Tap the pan lightly on the countertop to remove any air bubbles.
- Place it in the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached.
For the cake pops:
- Once the cake is removed from the oven, carefully add the baked cake into the bowl of a stand mixer. You can break it into pieces or chunks to move it into the mixer. Use the paddle attachment to mix the hot cake on medium speed until a dough forms.
- Melt the orange candy melts and coconut oil in a microwave safe bowl. Heat for 30 second and stir - repeating until the candy is melted and smooth.
- Use a sharp knife to cut a small slit in each silicone pumpkin mold, large enough for the popsicle sticks.
- Spread a layer of the melted orange candy coating to the molds, making sure to coat the sides well. Slide the popsicle sticks in and let them chill in the freezer for about ten minutes.
- Add the cake pop dough to the molds,
- Then top with another layer of candy coating on the back of the pumpkins. Chill again for ten minutes.
- Carefully pull the sides of the silicon mold outward to release the cake pop, carefully pulling the stick through the slit.
- If your cake pops are not fully coated in the candy coating, you can add additional orange coating to the exposed areas with a knife.
- Use black frosting to fill in the jack-o-lantern eyes, nose and mouth (or leave them orange if you prefer). Let the cake pops set until they are hardened and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition details are an estimate, per serving.
Leave a Comment