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    Home ยป Recipes ยป Christmas

    Christmas Cake Pops

    Headshot of Lisa in a kitchen
    Modified: Jan 8, 2025 ยท Published: Sep 26, 2024 by Lisa Killian ยท This post may contain affiliate links ยท 1 Comment
    Jump to Recipe
    Christmas Cake Pops of various desgins pinterest image

    Bring festive cheer to your dessert table with these Christmas Cake Pops - adorable, bite-sized treats that are as fun to make as they are to eat! Perfect for holiday parties, gifting, or decorating your Christmas dessert spread, these pops are a guaranteed crowd-pleaser for kids and adults alike.

    Christmas Cake Pops in mason jar, decorated as a snowman, reindeer, Santa belt, Christmas Tree, and ornament. With Christmas decorations in background.
    Jump to:
    • Why This Recipe Works
    • What you need for Christmas Cake Pops?
    • How to Make Christmas Cake Pops?
    • How to Make Christmas Tree Cake Pops?
    • How to Make Reindeer Cake Pops?
    • How to Make Santa Belt Cake Pops?
    • How to Make Snowman Cake Pops?
    • How to Make Ornament Cake pops?
    • Expert Cake Pop Tips:
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • More Related Christmas Recipes
    • Christmas Cake Pops

    Why This Recipe Works

    • Festive and Fun: Each cake pop can be decorated to match your holiday theme-think Christmas trees, snowmen, or classic red and green sprinkles.
    • Easy to Make Ahead: You can bake, shape, and freeze the pops before dipping, saving time during the busy holiday season.
    • Customizable Flavors: Use your favorite cake mix and frosting combination for endless flavor possibilities.
    • Perfect for Gifting: Individually wrap them in cellophane for a sweet homemade gift or stocking stuffer.

    What you need for Christmas Cake Pops?

    • Boxed Cake Mix: Any flavor you want!  I used white cake mix for these.
    • Additional Boxed Cake Mix ingredients: Typically, Water, Eggs, and Oil.
    • Frosting: store-bought, or homemade- any flavor you want! I am partial to my whipped cream cheese frosting, vanilla buttercream, or chocolate fudge frosting!
    • Candy Melts: use a variety of Christmas colors!
    • Sprinkles or Other Candy Melts for decorating, Pretzels (if making reindeer), Mini Reeses (for ornament topper).
    • Cake Pop Sticks
    Christmas Cake Pop ingredients laid out and labeled.

    If you love decorating treats to look festive for Christmas, make sure to check out my Christmas Hot Cocoa Bombs, Christmas Rice Krispies, Wreath Cornflake Cookies, Candy Cane Cupcakes, Snowball Cupcakes, Grinch Cookies, and this festive Christmas Cracker Toffee!

    Holding a White Christmas Cake Pop with red and green stripes.

    How to Make Christmas Cake Pops?

    yellow cake batter mixed in large glass bowl.
    1. Step 1: Mix cake batter according to the box instructions.
    baked yellow cake in 9x13 glass dish.
    1. Step 2: Bake and allow to cool.
    crumbled cake in large glass bowl.
    1. Step 3: Once cool, crumble the cake,
    crumbled cake with frosting mixed in, in a large glass bowl.
    1. Step 4: Then add frosting and stir.
    cake pops spoonfuls frozen and shaped into balls and triangles, on a parchment lined baking sheet..
    1. Step 5: Drop spoonfuls onto a lined baking sheet. Freeze, then roll into balls or shape into triangles (for trees).
    cake pops with a cake pop stick stuck in the bottom of each, on a parchment lined baking sheet.
    1. Step 6: Insert a cake pop stick into the bottom of each cake pop. If they aren't staying in, add some candy melt to the stick, then stick it into the cake pop.
    dipping triangle cake pop in green candy melt.
    1. Step 7: Dip in melted candy melts.
    Various Christmas decorated cake pops in mason jar.
    1. Step 8: Decorate right away with sprinkles, or allow candy melts to harden and decorate with stripes or with extra items to make snowmen, reindeer, or Santa belts

    How to Make Christmas Tree Cake Pops?

    Christmas Tree cake pop, a triangle shaped cake pop dipped in green candy melts with red, white, and green sprinkles, and white stripes as garland.
    1. Step 9: After freezing, shape the cake pop dough into a triangle or a cone (2D vs 3D). Then dip in green candy melts and sprinkle with round sprinkles, and add a star on top.

    I used star sprinkles and little Christmas colored round nonpareils for these.

    How to Make Reindeer Cake Pops?

    Cake pop decorated as a Reindeer. It is dipped in brown candy melts with pretzel halves stuck on either side as antlers, with a red candy nose and two black eyes.
    1. Step 10: After freezing, roll the cake pop into a round shape, dip the ball in brown candy melts, stick half of a pretzel on each side as the antlers, stick on candy eyes, and a red candy for the nose (a red hot or red M&M works well).

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    How to Make Santa Belt Cake Pops?

    Cake pop decorated as a santa belt, cake pop is dipped in red candy melts, with a black strip around the circumference, and a gold square in the center of the stripe as the buckle.
    1. Step 11: After freezing, roll the cake pop into a round shape. Dip the ball in red candy melts and allow to harden. Then pipe on a band of black or dark brown around the center to serve as the belt, and pipe on a yellow/golden rectangle to serve as the buckle.

    How to Make Snowman Cake Pops?

    Snowman Christmas Cake pop in mason jar with other cake pops.  Showing a sprinkle hat and piped on orange nose and black eyes and mouth.
    1. Step 12: After freezing, roll the cake pop into a round shape. Dip the ball in white candy melts, then as the white coating is starting to set add sprinkles to the top of the "head" with a large sprinkle added in the center, this will be his hat and the puff on the hat. Then draw on two black dots for eyes and add an orange candy or pipe on an orange triangle for the nose.

    Check out my Snowman Oreo Balls for another snowman version!

    How to Make Ornament Cake pops?

    Christmas Cake Pop decorated as a red ornament with red sanding sugar and a mini REESE's on top.
    1. Step 13: After freezing, roll the cake pop into a round shape. Dip the ball into any color candy melt, then immediately cover with sanding sugar or sprinkles. Use a mini Reese's as the ornament topper.

    Expert Cake Pop Tips:

    • Quick Baking: Bake batter in a sheet pan or baking dish for fast baking times- just make sure to adjust cooking times accordingly.
    • Chill Thoroughly: Cold cake balls dip more smoothly and stay on the stick better.
    • Dry Upright: Use Styrofoam (like I did for my chocolate cake pops) or a carboard cake pop stand like I did for these, to help them dry without touching anything and messing up the designs.
    • Candy Melts: If they aren't melting properly/are too thick, add 1 tbs of shortening and stir until melted!
    Christmas Cake Pops all laid out on dark surface, showing all the various ways they are decorated, as Christmas Trees with sprinkles, stripes, ornaments, reindeer, and snowmen.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    How Far in Advance Can I Make Christmas Cake Pops?

    You can make and freeze the undipped cake balls up to a month ahead. Dip and decorate them within a day or two of serving.

    How Do I Keep the Cake Pops from Falling Off the Sticks?

    Make sure the cake balls are chilled and that the stick is dipped in candy coating before inserting-it acts like edible glue.

    Do I Need to Refrigerate Cake Pops?

    Yes, store cake pops in the refrigerator in an airtight container or ziplock bag.

    What's the Best Way to Store Leftover Cake Pops?

    Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

    More Related Christmas Recipes

    Make sure to check out all my Christmas recipes, including this festive Christmas Cheesecake, Gingerbread Christmas Tree, Twice Upon a Cupcake, Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies, Christmas Chex Mix, Cranberry Margarita, and this tasty Gingerbread Bundt Cake!

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      Christmas Oreo Balls
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      Christmas Tree Cupcakes

    If you like this recipe, make sure to give it a 5-star review and leave a comment down below!

    Also, don't forget to sign up for my newsletter, and make sure to follow along on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!

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    Christmas Cake Pops featured image

    Christmas Cake Pops

    Christmas Cake Pops are a fun and tasty way to celebrate the holidays! From easy stripes and sprinkles to snowmen, tree, and reindeer, you can decorate these in so many ways!
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin
    Author: Lisa Killian
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes
    Decorating Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 45 minutes minutes
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 24

    Equipment

    • Cake Pop sticks*
    • Styrofoam Block or a cake pop holder

    Ingredients

    • 1 box White Cake Mix*
    • 1 Cup Water
    • ยฝ cup vegetable oil
    • 3 egg whites
    • 16 oz vanilla frosting* store bought, or homemade
    • 12 oz candy melts* at minimum, use red, white, green, or brown (for reindeer)
    • Sprinkles or Other Candy Melts for decorating Pretzels (if making reindeer), Mini Reese's (for Ornatments)

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 325ยฐF. Grease 9x13 baking dish.
    • Combine the cake mix, water, vegetable oil, and eggs in a large bowl.
      1 box White Cake Mix*, 1 Cup Water, ยฝ cup vegetable oil, 3 egg whites
    • Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides when needed.
    • Pour batter in in greased baking dish.
    • Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
    • Allow cake to cool, then crumble*.
    • Add frosting to crumbled cake and stir.
      16 oz vanilla frosting*
    • Drop spoonfuls, about 24, of the mixture onto a parchment lined baking sheet, then freeze for 10 minutes. This will allow the batter to set up enough to roll into balls or shape into trees without being super sticky.
    • Once set, roll each spoonful into a nice ball or shape into a tree. (see instructions below on how to do that), stick a cake pop stick in each one, then return to freezer.
    • Melt candy melts in a microwave safe bowl. Melt on 50% power stirring every 30 seconds, until melted and smooth.
      12 oz candy melts*
    • Dip your cake pops in the melted candy melts and then press the cake pop stick into the styrofoam. * If you are wanting to add sprinkles, I recommend adding them pretty soon after dipping, otherwise the candy melts will set up and the sprinkles won't stick.
      Sprinkles or Other Candy Melts for decorating
    • Once all are dipped and the shells are hardened you can add a second color as stripes, or drawing face features by melting more candy melts of a different color, placing in a Ziploc bag/piping bag, cutting the tip off, then drii

    Tree Cake Pops

    • After freezing, shape the cake pop dough into a triangle or a cone (2D vs 3D). Then dip in green candy melts and sprinkle with round sprinkles and add a star on top.

    Reindeer Cake Pops

    • After freezing, roll the cake pop onto a round shape, then stick half of a pretzel on each side as the antlers. Dip the ball in brown candy melts, stick on candy eyes and a red candy for the nose.

    Snowman Cake Pops

    • After freezing, roll the cake pop onto a round shape. Dip the ball in white candy melts, then as the white coating is starting to set add sprinkles to the top of the "head" with a large sprinkle added in the center, this will be his hat and the puff on the hat. Then draw on two black dots for eyes and add an orange candy or pipe on an orange triangle for the nose.

    Notes

    Tips and Tricks
    • *You can use any flavor cake and frosting combo that you want and enjoy!
    • *I like to just crumble with my hands.
    • If your candy melts are too thick or just not melting properly, add 1 tbs shortening, stir until melted and fully incorporated. This will help thin and smooth the candy melts.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 232kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 197mg | Potassium: 26mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 25g | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 0.5mg

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    Comments

      5 from 1 vote

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Lisa says

      September 26, 2024 at 9:31 pm

      5 stars
      These are so cute!

      Reply
    Lisa in kitchen wearing yellow apron and black long sleeve, holding a coffee mug.

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