Pumpkin Cake Pops
Cake pops were invented to rescue sponge offcuts and are still the best thing to do with them. Add just enough buttercream to make the crumbs hold together — any more and the ball is heavy and slides off the stick. And the one rule that matters: dip the stick in the glaze before pushing it in, or it falls out in your hand.
- Prep
- 45 min
- Rest
- 1 h 30 min
- Total
- 2 h 15 min
- Servings
- 10
- Level
- Medium
- Per serving
- 265 kcal
Ingredients
Base
Glaze and stems
Makes: 20 cake pops
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
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Step 1: Make the buttercream
With a mixer, beat the soft butter with the icing sugar and vanilla for 2 minutes until fluffy. This is the glue that holds the crumbs.
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Step 2: Mix the base
Work the buttercream into the cake crumbs with your hands until the mixture holds together. If a squeezed handful keeps its shape, stop. Leftover buttercream stays leftover.
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Step 3: Roll the balls
Roll 20 balls of 25 g. Flatten each slightly on top and press a few vertical grooves in with the back of a knife — that turns a ball into a pumpkin.
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Step 4: Chill
Lay them on a tray and refrigerate for an hour. Warm balls fall apart in the glaze.
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Step 5: Melt the glaze
Melt the white chocolate with the oil over a water bath, take it off and stir in the colouring. The oil is what lets the glaze set in a thin coat rather than lumps.
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Step 6: Fix the sticks
Dip a centimetre of each stick in the glaze and push it halfway into a ball. Chill for 30 minutes so the glaze inside sets and grips the stick.
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Step 7: Dip and finish
Dip each ball in one movement, turning it, and let the excess drip off. While it is still wet, push a piece of pretzel into the top for a stem.
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Step 8: Set upright
Stand the pops in a jar of rice or sugar for 30 minutes. Laid down, they set with a flat patch on one side.
Tips & variations
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Tip
The glaze should be warm and fluid but not hot: hot glaze softens the cake and the ball slides off the stick into the bowl.
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Variation
Add a teaspoon of cinnamon and 50 g of pumpkin purée to the base — then halve the buttercream, since the purée is moist too.
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Swap
Any dense cake or cake trimmings will do. Avoid syrup-soaked layers: the mixture will not hold.
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Storage
Five days in a sealed box in the fridge. Take them out 20 minutes before serving — cold sponge tastes muted.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 10 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 265 kcal | 2,650 kcal |
| Protein | 3 g | 30 g |
| Fat | 12 g | 120 g |
| Carbohydrates | 37 g | 370 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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