Make a batch of gluten-free cake pops, just like Starbucks, with this easy recipe! Using a box mix and canned frosting, these delicious treats are simple to make and a fun to share!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- The perfect treat that's easy and fun to make.
- Great recipe for kids to help!
- Stays fresh for days.
- Just as good as the "gluten-filled" versions at the coffee shop!
- Great for birthday parties, baby showers, or simply to satisfy your sweet tooth!
What people are saying:
"Your mom makes the best snacks!"
-my daughter's friend after eating these cake pops.
Simple Ingredients
- Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake Mix: You can make this gluten-free yellow cake from scratch or keep it simple with a box cake mix! For this recipe, you don't need to do anything to make the gluten-free cake mix taste better, but do use your favorite high-quality mix! I always use King Arthur gluten-free cake mixes, they are simply the best!
- Ingredients for Cake Mix: If making the cake from a mix, check the back and gather any ingredients needed for the cake. For King Arthur yellow cake I needed eggs, butter, and milk. You can make this dairy free by using dairy-free ingredients.
- Gluten-Free Frosting: Many of the store-bought canned frostings are gluten-free! Check the label and choose your favorite. You can make buttercream frosting from scratch if you desire, but using canned frosting makes this recipe so much more simple to make.
- Candy Melts or Melting Wafers: It can be tricky to find gluten-free labeled candy melts. Using a chocolate coating without gluten ingredients may be your best option. I look for candy melts that have no gluten ingredients and no allergen statement that they were made on shared lines with wheat. To date, I've had no issues with this and I do have celiac disease.
- Sprinkles: Sprinkles can be another tricky one to find actually labeled gluten-free, but there are gluten-free sprinkles out there! I tend to follow the same guidelines as the candy melts, if I can't find what I need that is labeled gluten-free.
*Refer to the recipe card for full ingredient information.
Flavor Variations
Making different flavors of cake pops is easy! Simply swap out the cake mix and frosting for your desired flavors. Here's a few suggestions:
- Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake Pops: Use gluten-free chocolate cake mix, chocolate frosting, and chocolate candy melts.
- Gluten-Free Confetti Cake Pops: Use gluten-free confetti cake mix and vanilla frosting.
- Gluten-Free Strawberry Cake Pops: Use a gluten-free vanilla cake mix, adding 1 teaspoon strawberry extract and a few drops of red food coloring (if desired) to the mix, and strawberry frosting.
- Gluten-Free Carrot Cake Cake Pops: Use gluten-free carrot cake mix and cream cheese frosting.
Helpful Kitchen Tools
- 6-inch cake pop sticks or lollipop sticks: You can use cardboard sticks or plastic reusable sticks.
- Tall microwaveable cup: A tall narrow cup makes it much easier to dip the cake pops compared to a small mixing bowl.
- 1 Tablespoon cookie scoop: This ensures each cake pop is uniform in size and shape, making for a professional-looking finish.
- Cake pop stand/holder: If you don't have a cake pop stand, you can get creative with a large piece of styrofoam, cardboard box, or piece of wood with holes poked or drilled into it. You need something that can hold the cake pops upright until they set. Alternatively, you can place the cake pops in mini-muffin tin liners to set, but they will not have the round shape.
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Step-by-Step Instructions
- Make and bake your cake according to package directions in a 9x13" pan.
- While the cake is still warm, transfer it to a large mixing bowl and crumble it up with a hand or stand mixer. If needed, use your hands to break up any remaining pieces of cake mix the mixer won't break down. The goal is to have a finely crumbled cake crumbs ready for the next step.
- Next, add the frosting to the crumbled cake, blend until well combined.
- Test the mixture by pressing it together to ensure it holds its shape. If needed, add a bit more frosting until the mixture sticks together nicely.
- Use a 1-Tablespoon sized cookie scoop to portion out the cake mixture, then roll it into balls. After rolling the cake into balls, place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or wax paper. Refrigerate for 2-4 hours or freeze about 30 minutes. Cake pops must be chilled before moving to the next step.
- Place candy melts in a tall and narrow microwave-safe dish. Gently melt the candy melts. Start with one minute, then stir the melts. Repeat at 15-30 second intervals, just until the chocolate is fully melted. *You could also melt the chocolate using the double boiler method.
- Dip the tip of the lollipop stick into the chocolate first, then press it gently into a chilled cake ball. Immediately dip the cake ball into the melted chocolate. Tap along the rim of the glass to remove excess chocolate.
- Add sprinkles before the chocolate sets. Place cake pop in cake pop rack to rest until the chocolate hardens.
Storage
- You can store cake pops at room temperature for serving.
- Otherwise keep refrigerated, up to one week.
- Cake pops can be frozen but the candy coating may be tacky to the touch after thawing. It does not affect the flavor.
Top Recipe Tips
- Cake balls must be chilled before coating in chocolate. This helps the chocolate set more quickly.
- Pull out only a few cake balls at a time to coat in chocolate, keep the others chilled while you work.
- Work quickly when dipping in chocolate so the cake pops don't slide off the sticks into the chocolate.
- Don't freeze cake balls until completely frozen. If your cake balls are too cold (or the chocolate is too warm) the chocolate may crack as it sets.
Recipe FAQs
I tend to rely on King Arthur gluten-free cake mixes as they are superior quality, aren't gritty, and work well in this recipe. I haven't tried other brands in this recipe but the Pillsbury gluten-free cake mixes and Betty Crocker gluten-free cake mixes will likely work well. I do find Pillsbury to be a bit gritty in texture though. I haven't tried an almond flour based mix, such as Simple Mills.
After baking, you don't need to wait for the cake to cool, especially if you're using a hand mixer or stand mixer to crumble it. However, if you prefer to crumble the cake by hand, using cooled cake is preferred. In this case, work over a large mixing bowl and rub large chunks of the cake together between your hands, allowing the cake crumbs to fall into the bowl.
Most store-bought canned frosting is gluten-free. Take a peak at the list of ingredients or look for a gluten-free claim on the label to be sure. Brands such as Betty Crocker and Pillsbury have many options that are labeled gluten-free.
Absolutely not.. unless you're making hundreds of cake pops, in which case it may be a worthwhile purchase! For the casual baker, it's pretty easy to roll these cake pops by hand. It's a great way to get kids in the kitchen; invite them to help roll out the cake balls!
This can happen if the cake balls were too cold, or frozen, when dipped in the chocolate. It can also happen if your chocolate is too warm. Large temperature fluctuations cause the cake balls to expand and contract, which leads to cracking as the chocolate sets.
Cake pops ooze when there is too much oil in the mixture. This can happen if you use oil to bake the cake or add too much canned frosting. Try using butter to bake the cake and use as little frosting as necessary, just enough to bring the mixture together.
Starbucks cake pops are not gluten-free. They contain wheat flour. For more about your gluten-free options, find out what is gluten-free at Starbucks.
More Gluten-Free Starbucks Recipes
I hope you enjoyed this easy cake pop recipe! Please enjoy more of my gluten-free Starbucks dupes, like this homemade pumpkin spice latte and these sugar plum danishes!
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Recipe
Gluten-Free Cake Pops
Equipment
- 48 lollipop sticks
- cake pop stand or holder
Ingredients
- 1 box gluten-free vanilla cake mix, King Arthur preferred
- Ingredients for cake mix, (eggs, milk, butter)
- ½ cup canned vanilla frosting, homemade if preferred
- 12 ounces pink candy melts, or melting chocolate
- White nonpareils sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 13x9-inch cake pan.
- Mix cake mix according to package instructions and pour into the prepared pan. Bake as directed on the package.
- After baking, transfer the warm cake to a large bowl and use a hand mixer on medium speed to crumble it into fine crumbs.
- Add frosting to the crumbled cake and mix on low-medium speed until the mixture comes together, about 30 seconds. Ensure the mixture holds together when pressed. If needed, add a bit more frosting until the desired consistency is reached.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop 1 tablespoon of the mixture and roll into balls. Place cake balls on the parchment-lined baking sheet and chill in the fridge for 2-4 hours or freeze for 30 minutes.
- Place candy melts in a narrow 1-cup measuring cup. Microwave for 1 minute, then stir. Continue microwaving in 15-30 second intervals, stirring after each, until fully melted and smooth.
- Dip the tip of a cake pop stick into the melted chocolate, then insert halfway into a cake ball.
- Dip cake ball into the chocolate, turning to coat. Remove and gently tap on the side of the cup to let excess coating drip off.
- Decorate with sprinkles and place upright in a cake pop holder. Let stand until coating is set. Repeat with remaining cake balls.
Notes
- Store in refrigerator up to 1 week.
- Cake balls must be cold when dipping in chocolate, pull out only a few at a time and keep the others chilled while you work.
- Work quickly when dipping in chocolate so the cake pops don't slide off the sticks into the chocolate.
Nutrition
* Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and should be used as an estimate only. See the nutrition policy for more information.
Violet says
I love these cake pops and they taste just like the Starbucks ones! If I didn't make them I would not be able to tell that they were gluten free.
Chris N says
Can you use cream cheese instead of the frosting to hold the balls together?
Katie Olesen says
I haven't tried this but I think it could work. You just need a little bit to bring the dough together. I tried a version without the icing at all but the cake crumbs didn't hold together well enough. I would make sure the cream cheese is softened before trying to mix with the cake crumbs.
Andrea says
Do you have a link to a homemade vanilla frosting recipe you like?
Katie Olesen says
Not on my site, currently. I would use American buttercream if you're going the homemade route!
Jaimie Ballon says
How do you not end up with gummy dough by using a mixer? Whenever I have done that, the resulting cake pop dough is not pleasant. I process my cake by hand in order to minimize how the ingredients seem to break down because one toe over the line and it turns gluey. conversely, I'm struggling with cracks in my dough but have had issues in the past where it becomes too oily and will actually drip oil out of any air bubbles in the chocolate. Help!!
Katie Olesen says
I've never had gummy cake pops, especially gluten-free. I add just enough icing to hold them together and only use the mixer long enough to bind everything together. As soon as it clumps when squeezed, I stop. As far as the cracks and oil seepage, that's likely because your cake pops are too cold when you are dipping them in chocolate. You want them to be cold enough to be firm but not frozen. If they’re too cold, the sudden temp change can cause cracks and leakage.