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These easy Lemon Cake Pops are such a fun recipe for birthday parties, bridal showers, or just an afternoon treat. My kids love these way more than regular cake, and I can’t blame them because they’re just so cute. Follow my simple instructions and learn how to make cake pops with cake mix for the easiest recipe ever!
Ingredients for Lemon Cake Pops
Like I said before, we’re making this homemade cake pop recipe as easy as possible by starting with a boxed cake mix and pre-made frosting. This means your ingredient list will be nice and short!
- Cake Mix: Grab a standard box of lemon-flavored cake mix–you can use any brand you like. You’ll need to bake the cake as instructed, so make sure you have the necessary ingredients (ex. eggs & vegetable oil).
- Frosting: Use a 16 ounce container of lemon frosting.
- Lemon Juice: I always recommend using fresh lemon juice straight from a whole lemon, but in a pinch, the bottled stuff will do.
- White Chocolate Wafers: Use bags of melting chocolate wafers. This will be the chocolate coating for your cake balls.
- Vegetable Oil: You’ll need this for the cake and the chocolate. Stirring vegetable oil into melted chocolate helps create a really dippable consistency that holds well.
- Cake Pop Sticks: Many grocery stores and most baking websites will have cake pop sticks or lollipop sticks available. If you can’t find them, use straws and cut them in half. Paper straws work great!
Easy Cake Pop Flavor Variations
I love the bright lemon flavor of these cake balls, but I’ve also used this same basic cake pop recipe to make lots of different flavors. Since I start with a boxed cake mix, I just grab whatever flavor is calling my name! You can simply replace the lemon cake mix with chocolate cake, vanilla cake, or even funfetti cake. Same goes for the frosting–instead of lemon frosting, you can use chocolate, strawberry, or vanilla. Make the best cake pops for whatever party or occasion you choose!
How to Make Ahead and Store
Since you’ll need to bake a cake, let it cool for at least 2 hours, and chill the cake balls during the assembling process, be sure to plan ahead for this recipe. I recommend baking and cooling the cake the day before making your cake pops.
Fully prepared lemon cake pops can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 days. So you can make them ahead of time, and/or store leftovers after the party.
How to Freeze
To freeze homemade cake pops, first let the chocolate coating fully cool (place them in the fridge overnight if necessary). Then freeze them in a freezer-safe container for up to 6 weeks. Use parchment or wax paper to wrap them individually, or separate stacked layers. Let them thaw in the fridge before serving.
Notes from the Test Kitchen
Be sure to chill the cake balls before dipping them in the melted chocolate. If you skip this step, the cake pops may start fall apart. Chilling helps them keep their shape while working with them, plus it helps the chocolate to properly set while cooling. I recommend keeping your tray of lemon cake pops in the fridge, and working one at a time while dipping.
Lemon Cake Pops Recipe
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
- 9×13 Baking Pan
- 2 Baking Sheet
- Lollipop Sticks or Straws
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 15.25 ounces lemon cake mix 432 grams (1 box), such as Betty Crocker
- 1 cup water 227 grams
- ½ cup vegetable oil 100 grams
- 3 large eggs 150 grams
For the Cake Pops
- 12 ounces ready-made lemon frosting 340 grams (¾ of a 16-ounce container)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 14 grams, from ½ lemon
- 48 ounces white chocolate melting wafers 1,361 grams (4 12-ounce bags), Wilton or Ghirardelli recommended
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 13 grams
Instructions
- Combine cake ingredients and bake the cake as directed in a 9×13-inch baking dish, about 30 minutes at 350℉. Let cool for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight.15.25 ounces lemon cake mix, 1 cup water, ½ cup vegetable oil, 3 large eggs
- In a large bowl, crumble the cake using your hands. You want to crumble it to the smallest pieces possible.
- Add the frosting (¾ of a ready-made container) and mix it together with the crumbled cake and lemon juice. Use a large spoon and continue to work until the frosting is fully mixed into the cake. The batter should be dense enough to hold together when you roll the cake into balls.12 ounces ready-made lemon frosting, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Roll the cake pop batter into 24 balls and place on a wax paper or parchment-lined baking sheet. Allow to cool in the refrigerator for 2 hours (or the freezer for about 20 minutes–you want to cool them, not freeze them).
- While the cake is cooling, place the chocolate wafers in a deep-set, microwave-safe bowl. Melt the chocolate wafers in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in-between. Once the chocolate is fully melted, add the vegetable oil and stir to combine.48 ounces white chocolate melting wafers, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- Note: Leave the cake balls in the refrigerator while you work on the next step. If cake balls are in the freezer, move them to the refrigerator now.
- Take one cake ball out of the refrigerator at a time. First, dip your lollipop stick or straw into the melted chocolate (about ½ inch) and then insert it directly into the middle of the cake ball. This will help bond the stick to the cake ball. Immediately dip the cake pop into the chocolate and submerge completely. Lift out of the chocolate and allow the excess to drip off. Place the cake pop on another wax paper-lined baking sheet.
- Note: I chose to set them cake ball side down while cooling. If you would like them to be more like lollipops, you can place them right-side up in a Styrofoam block to let them dry.
- While the chocolate is still wet, decorate however you like, or keep them plain. Allow the chocolate to dry completely (about 5 minutes) before serving.
Becky’s Tips
- For this recipe, I have included the ingredients on the Betty Crocker cake mix box. If you use a different brand, use the ingredients and quantities listed on the box!
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment!
How to Make Cake Pops with Cake Mix Step by Step
Bake the Cake: [Follow instructions on your box of cake mix to fully bake the cake.] Combine 15.25 ounces lemon cake mix, 1 cup of water, ½ cup of vegetable oil, and 3 large eggs in a mixing bowl. Then bake the cake as directed, in a 9×13-inch baking dish, for about 30 minutes at 350°F. Then let the cake fully cool (at least 2 hours, ideally overnight).
Crumble the Cake: Directly in the baking dish, or in a large bowl, use your hands to crumble the cooled cake. You want to crumble it into the smallest pieces possible. I recommend grabbing chunks of it from the pan, and crumbling it into a large mixing bowl. You can use an electric hand mixer to help if needed, but I found it easy enough to do with my hands!
Make the Cake Pop Batter: Add 12 ounces of lemon frosting to the cake crumbs, then add 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice. Use a spatula to fold and mix everything together. This is the most tedious part–at first, it seems like it won’t mix together, but it just takes a bit of elbow grease! Continue to work until the frosting is fully mixed into the cake. The batter should be dense enough to hold together when you roll the cake into balls.
Form and Chill the Cake Balls: Roll the cake-and-frosting batter into 24 evenly-sized balls, and place them on a baking sheet line with wax paper or parchment paper. Set the sheet tray in the refrigerator, and let the cake balls fully cool, for about 2 hours. Or set them in the freezer for about 20 minutes, then transfer them to the fridge for the next step.
Melt the Chocolate: While the cake balls are chilling, melt 48 ounces of white chocolate melting wafers in the microwave, heating in 30-second intervals and stirring in-between. [Tip: I’ve found that it’s best to use a deep, microwave-safe bowl for the chocolate, so that it’s easier to dip the cake pops.] Once the chocolate is fully melted, stir in 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil–this creates the perfect dipping consistency!
Dip the Cake Balls in Chocolate: Take one cake ball out of the refrigerator at a time. First, dip the end of 1 lollipop stick (or straw) into the melted chocolate (about ½ inch)–this will help bond the stick to the cake. Then insert it directly into the middle of the cake ball, but don’t push too far through. Immediately dip the cake pop into the chocolate, submerge it completely, then slowly lift it out of the chocolate and allow the excess to drip off. Place the coated cake pop on another wax paper-lined baking sheet. [Note: I chose to set them cake ball side down. If you would like them to be more like lollipops, you can place them right-side up in a Styrofoam block while they dry.]
Decorate and Cool: While the chocolate is still wet, decorate the lemon cake pops however you like (with sprinkles, edible pearls, etc). Allow the chocolate to dry completely (about 5 minutes) before serving.
Absolutely! Straws are a great alternative to cake pop sticks. I find that paper straws work best, but (sturdy) plastic can be used as well. Cut a standard-sized straw in half to create the right size. Decorative paper straws work great for themed-parties!
Yes, it’s important that you fully cool the cake bites after rolling them into balls, and keep them chilled before dipping. If the cake gets even a little bit warm, it may start to fall apart; and it will prevent the chocolate from adhering and then setting.
Using a standard-size boxed cake mix, this recipe makes 24 cake balls/cake pops.
I love using boxed cake mix for convenience, but you can bake a cake from scratch if you like.
Yes! If you have quite a bit of leftover cake, you can crumble it up and mix it to form into cake balls as instructed. If it’s already frosted, it might get a little messy while crumbling, but it’s still doable. If it’s unfrosted, mix in some frosting as needed until you get the right consistency. The number of cake balls will depend on how much cake you have.
More Cake Mix Recipes To Try
- Strawberry Cake Mix Cookies
- Cake Mix Coffee Cake
- Strawberry Cake Mix Donuts
- Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake
- Cake Mix Cookie Recipes
Absolutely delicious recipe! The added fresh lemon juice is a game changer! So much flavor!
Hey, Becky do you know what the prep time and cook time is for this recipe?
Can I use my own g&t lemon and lime drizzle cake recipe to make these or will that be too moist??
Can you make your own frosting?
This looks like a great recipe, but is the amount of white chocolate correct? 48 ounces is 3 pounds.
This weekend is my sons birthday. He asked for a Sponge Bob theme. I always have to make his cakes because he is allergic to nuts, so I don’t trust the bakery when it comes to making his cakes. Anyhow, I thought it would be cute to make lemon cake pops with a milk chocolate outside and green sticks so they could be pineapples. Glad I found this recipe because I experimented with them last night. These are great.
Hi! I’m making these for my son’s golden birthday! What kind of white chocolate or melting wafer taste/work the best? I’ve seen wilton’s artificial candy coating, but wondering if ghirardelli or some other bark would taste better?? It may all be the same. Also, I’ve thought about adding vanilla or almond extract…have you ever tried this or should I leave it out? These look so cute!! Thanks for sharing
I made a comment earlier because I had a question about the recipe, but I had not actually made them yet. Now I have made them: These are HORRIBLE! HORRIBLY ADDICTING that is!
I made these for a baby shower as well as two other cake-pop flavors (Recipes from a different site). I never even tasted the other two flavors because these Lemon ones were PERFECTION!!
I made about a trillion for the shower and after it was over my husband and I took all the extras around to the neighbors because I would have eaten EVERY. LAST. ONE. It completely killed any self control with food that I had.
They were honestly that flavorful & moist – but I am a sucker for lemon.
its’ just a little ball of heaven (that is going to make my butt a big ball!) ;)
I am going to make these and have high hopes. My only questions is that I can not find anywhere in the recipe that uses the lemon juice mentioned in the ingredients section…. am I blind? I feel like someone will point it out to me and then I will feel dumb – but I LOVE lemon flavor and don’t want to miss out on adding this lemon juice somewhere!!
I thought that might be where is was supposed to be – but I just made it without the lemon juice. It’s a good thing I did too! they would have probably been even better, and that would have spelled disaster for me. I ate waaayyyyy too many as it was.
I made them for a baby shower and it was a “She’s going to POP” theme. I had a cakePOP’s, a POPcorn bar, lolliPOP’s, sodaPOP, veggie tray (a POPular treat for healthy eaters)… and you get the idea. These lemon bars were the hit of the whole thing! The Red Velvet and Cookie dough ones were not as good… not that I would know – I just kept snarfing down the Lemon ones – but that is what everyone else told me ;)
These look great. When did you incorporate the lemon juice? My apologies if I missed it! I’m assuming in the frosting? Or with the melts?