Cake Pops are a popular treat among Starbucks' customers that often sell out. Photo by Casey Budd/The Minaret
Not only are they sweet, but they are convenient to eat. Unlike a regular piece of cake, you can eat it on the go and not worry about making a mess.
Cake pops are also a unique alternative for birthday celebrations and holiday events. If you are planning on having a Halloween get-together, they are an ideal snack for your guests. This recipe can be altered with red velvet cake instead of vanilla cake and black candy melts instead of pink candy melts to better suit the Halloween ambience.
As a certified barista at Starbucks, I noticed that the Starbucks cake pops would sell out pretty quickly. One day at work, an elderly woman asked for a cake pop, but we had already sold out. I recommended some other treats to her, but she decided to leave without paying a penny. Customers are constantly asking me, “How do you make cake pops?” or “What ingredients are in cake pops?” I don’t actually bake the goodies; I’m just the barista. However, I have created a viable alternative cake pop recipe that is similar to the Starbucks cake pops. It’s a simplified version that students could easily make in their own apartment and residence hall’s kitchens. 
Ingredients:
1 box of vanilla cake mix
1 container of white frosting
2 packages of pink candy melts or red gel food coloring (available at Michael’s)
1 bag of lollipop sticks (available at Michael’s)
1 container of rainbow sprinkles
1 large mixing bowl
1 cake pan
Some wax paper
1 small bowl
1 foam block (available at Michael’s)
Directions:
- Bake the cake in the cake pan by following the directions on the cake mix box
- Once the cake has completely cooled, use clean hands to transfer the cake into a large mixing bowl and crumble up the cake to make more sticky
- Mix in the icing with the cake
- Roll cake into balls (about the size of ping pong balls) and place roughly 2 inches apart on wax paper
- Refrigerate for 10 to 15 minutes
- Microwave the candy melts in a small bowl by following the directions on the candy melt package
- Dip the tops of the lollipop sticks into the candy coating, then insert the sticks into the cake balls about half way
- Place in the freezer for 1 hour
- Coat the cake pops with the candy coating
- Stick the empty end of the lollipop sticks into the foam block to decorate with sprinkles and let dry
Madison Irwin can be reached at xoxomaddie2@aim.com