Apple Cake Pops

Sweeten up your back-to-school celebrations with Apple Cake Pops. These delicious cake pops shaped like apples, made with a Brown Sugar Cake, will be a hit with kids, teachers, and parents! This is a fun idea to make with the kids to celebrate the back-to-school season!

This post was sponsored by Domino® Sugar, all opinions are my own.

Best Apple Cake Pops

Below I’ll show you step by step how to make the best apple cake pops! All recipe amounts and instructions are below for you to follow along!

These are super fun to make and I had my son help me make them! We had the best time making these cute apple cake pops! This is the perfect dessert to make with your kids.

These apple cake pops freeze super well also, so you can make them ahead and keep them in the freezer!

Make the Brown Sugar Cake

Pre-heat the oven to 350ºF. Grease an 8×8” pan with oil spray and line it with parchment paper. Set aside.

Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside. Beat the butter with a mixer for 1 minute. Add the brown sugar and beat for another minute, then add the eggs, one at a time, beating one egg until incorporated before adding the next one.

Add the vanilla and mix.

Pour half of the dry flour mixture to the bowl and mix on low to combine. Pour the milk in and mix. Add the remaining flour mixture and stir until incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean, or you touch the top of the cake, and it bounces back.

Let the cake cool down for about 10 minutes and place it on a cooling rack. Then let it come to room temperature. Use a knife to trim the edges of the cake. Chop the cake into cubes. You should have about 5 cups of cake cubes.

Making the Frosting

Beat the butter with an electric mixer for 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and mix on low. Add the milk and vanilla. Raise the speed to medium-high and beat for one minute.

Cake Dough

Place the cake cubes in the bowl of a mixer. Mix the cake with the mixer paddle until it’s crumbled. Add 1/4 cup of frosting to the cake and mix. Continue to add more frosting, one tablespoon at a time, until the cake crumbles have formed a dough. Set it aside for 5 to 10 minutes. This allows for the dough to fully hydrate and come together more easily when it’s time to shape.

To shape the apples, use a medium cookie scoop to scoop the dough. Roll each dough piece between your hands until a smooth ball forms. Place the balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Keeping them in separate bowls, melt the red & light green candy melts in the microwave.

Dip the end of each cake pop stick (about 1/2 inch) in either the red or the green melted chocolate. Tap it gently to shake off excess chocolate from the stick.

Push the dipped end of the stick into each cake ball that’s on the tray. Place the tray of cake balls with the stick in the freezer for 10 minutes.

Let’s make the leaves for the apple pops. Melt the dark green chocolate candy melts in the microwave. Microwave for 30-second intervals, stirring in between until the chocolate is melted.

To make the leaves, you can use a piping bag or a leaf silicone mold. As you can see in the pictures I have used a mold, but you can always just place the melted candies in the piping bag and pipe little leaves on a parchment paper, and let it chill in the freezer as you would with the mold.

Dip the cake pops

While the cake pops are in the freezer, snap the pretzels into pieces to form small stems for the apples. It’s important to have this ready before you start dipping the cake pops.

Remove the cake pops from the freezer and gather everything to assemble the cake pops.

Dip each cake pop in the melted red or green chocolate. Tap the stick gently on the side of the bowl to shake off excess chocolate.

Immediately after dipping, place the pretzel on top to form the stem, and place the leaf right next to the stem.

Place the cake pop on the cake pop stand to dry. Once dry, lay them down on a tray and serve!

Tips & Tricks

• When making the cake pops, it’s important for the consistency to not crumble or fall apart. If you pick up some of the dough between your fingers, it should hold together.
• Don’t skip the resting time once you make the dough, it helps it hydrate and the balls formed won’t crumble apart.
• Don’t over-chill the cake pops once they have been shaped, because that can cause the chocolate to crack after you dip the cake pops. If they get too cold, they will shrink, and then once they are out of the fridge or freezer, they will expand, which will cause the chocolate coating to crack.
• For the leaves, if you have a small leaf silicone mold, you can use that, or simply use a piping bag. Melt the dark green candy melts in a small bowl. If using a silicone mold, pour a bit of chocolate in the mold, place it in the freezer for a couple of minutes, remove the shaped leaf from the mold, and repeat until you have 20 leaves.
• If the red or green chocolate has hardened while the cake pops were in the freezer, place the bowl back in the microwave for a few seconds to re-melt.
• Store the cake pops in the fridge for up to 6 days. Remove from the fridge a bit before serving.

Why you will love these Apple Cake Pops

These Apple Cake Pops are a fun and tasty treat perfect for any occasion, especially back-to-school celebrations. The cute apple shape and bright colors make them a hit with kids and adults alike. They’re easy to make and delicious, combining moist Brown Sugar Cake with a creamy candy coating. Plus, they’re a great baking activity to do with kids!

Apple Cake Pop Variations

• Caramel Apple Pops: Once the cake pops are dry, drizzle with my caramel sauce and sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt for a sweet and salty twist.
• Chocolate Dipped Apple Pops: Dip the cake pops in chocolate instead of candy melts. You can use milk, dark, or white chocolate, and add a sprinkle of crushed nuts or sprinkles before the chocolate sets.
• Apple Cinnamon Cake Pops: Add a dash of cinnamon and a touch of nutmeg to the cake batter for a spiced apple flavor. For extra flavor, mix a little cinnamon into the frosting as well.
• Rainbow Apple Pops: Use a variety of colored candy melts to create a rainbow effect. Dip each cake pop in a different color or create a marbled look by swirling different colors together.
• Pecan Apple Pops: After dipping in red candy melts, roll the cake pops in finely chopped pecans for a crunchy texture and nutty flavor.

If you like this recipe you’ll love these:

• Ruby Pistachio Macaron Pops
• Cake Pop Cupcakes
• Apple Upside Down Cake
• Caramel Apple Macarons
• Apple Crumb Cake

Apple Cake Pops

Camila Hurst

These delicious apple cake pops shaped like apples, made with a Brown Sugar Cake, will be a hit with kids, teachers, and parents! This is a fun idea to make with the kids to celebrate the back-to-school season!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 55 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Resting time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 20 cake pop

Calories 140 kcal

Ingredients

  

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Cake batter

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 159 grams
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened (169 grams)
• 1 cup Domino® Light Brown Sugar 200 grams
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup milk 120 ml

Frosting

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter softened (56 grams)
• 1/2 cup Domino® Powdered Sugar 62.5 grams
• 1/2 tbsp milk

Assembly

• 1 cup red candy melts 170 grams
• 1 cup light green candy melts 170 grams
• 1/4 cup dark green candy melts 42 grams
• 10 pretzels
• 1/4 cup Domino® Turbinado Sugar 50 grams optional to sprinkle over the apples

Instructions

 

Cake

• Pre-heat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a 8×8” pan with oil spray, and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
• Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside. Beat the butter with a mixer for 1 minute. Add the brown sugar and beat for another minute. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating one egg until incorporated before adding the next one. Add the vanilla and mix.
• Add half of the dry flour mixture to the bowl and mix on low to combine. Pour the milk in and mix. Add the remaining flour mixture and stir until incorporated.
• Pour the batter in the prepared pan. Bake in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean, or you touch the top of the cake, and it bounces back.
• Let the cake cool down for about 10 minutes and place it in a cooling rack. Then let it come to room temperature. Use a knife to trim the edges of the cake. Chop the cake into cubes. You should have about 5 cups of cake cubes.

Frosting

• Beat the butter with an electric mixer for 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and mix on low. Add the milk and vanilla. Raise the speed to medium high and beat for one minute.

Cake Dough

• Place the cake cubes in the bowl of a mixer. Mix the cake with the mixer paddle until it’s crumbled. Add 1/4 cup of frosting to the cake and mix. Continue to add more frosting, one tablespoon at a time, until the cake crumbles have formed a dough. When making the cake pops, it’s important for the consistency to not crumble or fall apart. If you pick up some of the dough between your fingers, it should hold together.
• Set it aside for 5 to 10 minutes.

Leaves

• Place the melted dark green chocolate in a piping bag. Snip just the tip at end with scissors, pipe little leaf shapes on a silicone mat or parchment lined tray. Place it in the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes until all the leaves are dry.
• If you have a small leaf silicone mold, you can use that to make the leaves. Simply pour a bit of melted chocolate in the mold, place it in the freezer for a couple of minutes, remove the shaped leaf from the mold, and repeat until you have 20 leaves.

Shape the cake pops

• Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop the dough. Roll each dough piece between your hands until a smooth ball forms. Place the balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Place the red candy melts in a bowl, and the light green ones in a different bowl. Melt one bowl at a time by microwaving for 30 second intervals, stirring in between until the chocolate is melted.
• Dip the end of each cake pop stick (about 1/2 inch) in either the red or the green melted chocolate. Tap it gently to shake off excess chocolate from the stick.
• Push the dipped end of the stick into each cake ball that’s on the tray. Place the tray of cake balls with the stick in the freezer for 10 minutes.

Dipping the cake pops

• While the cake pops are in the freezer, snap the pretzels into pieces to form small stems for the apples. It’s important to have this ready before you start dipping the cake pops
• Remove the cake pops from the freezer and gather everything to assemble the cake pops.
• If the red or green chocolate has hardened while the cake pops were in the freezer, place the bowl back in the microwave for a few seconds to re-melt.
• Dip each cake pop in the melted red or green chocolate. Tap the stick gently on the side of the bowl to shake off excess chocolate.
• Immediately after dipping, place the pretzel on top to form the stem, and place the leaf right next to the stem. If desired, sprinkle turbinado sugar on the apple, while the chocolate coating is still wet.
• Place the cake pop on the cake pop stand to dry. Once dry, lay them down on a tray and serve!

Storage

• Store the cake pops in the fridge for up to 6 days. Remove from the fridge a bit before serving. You can freeze the cake pops for up to 2 months in an airtight container or freezer bag.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cake popCalories: 140kcal

Keyword apple, cake pop

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