Keep Your Cake Pops Together By Freezing Them

While cake pops are no longer the hottest trend in the baking world, they remain a miniature fixture for many home bakers. Yet, crafting these cute confections can sometimes lead to the common issue of cake pops falling apart or off the stick. It's a frustrating hurdle, but with a little help from your freezer, you can prevent this catastrophe from happening. All it requires is a little patience and some extra prep work.

When cake pops are made with room-temperature cake balls, they have a greater chance of crumbling or sliding off the stick. Why? Because room-temperature fats in the cake cause it to soften, which weakens its structure.

This is where the freezer, your secret weapon in cake pop success, steps in. After forming the cake balls and inserting your chocolate-dipped sticks, pop them into the freezer for about 10 to 15 minutes. This step achieves two critical things: It firms up the cake balls, making them sturdier and less likely to fall apart, and solidifies the small amount of chocolate on the stick, creating a "glue" that helps anchor the cake ball in place. With the help of your freezer and some mindful dipping, you can create delightful, robust cake pops that are just as much a treat to look at as they are to eat.

Another freezing advantage comes into play when you're ready for the final step: Dipping the cake pops in melted chocolate. Cold cake pops cause the chocolate to harden quickly, resulting in a smooth, shiny coating. But cracks in the chocolate shell can form if a too-cold cake pop is at play. To avoid this, let your frozen cake pops sit at room temperature for a few minutes before dipping them into the chocolate.

Even with the power of freezing, home cooks should be careful when it comes to the chocolate-coating process, resisting the temptation to swirl or move the stick around too much. Even with frozen cake pops, too much movement can cause the cake balls to fall off or break. Instead, aim for a single, steady dip, ensuring the cake pop is fully submerged in the chocolate. Then gently lift and let the excess chocolate drip off. You can also opt to drizzle chocolate over the cake pop using a spoon.