Which Recipe Makes the Best Cake Pop Dough?

One of our most asked questions is, “What recipe do you use to make perfect cake pops?” We have tested multiple cake pop dough recipes throughout the years, so read on for foolproof tips to achieving easy to use cake pop dough!

Our number one tip for making perfect cake pop dough is substituting oil for a less oily ingredient. We recommend sour cream or butter. When dough is too oily, it can be soft and require chilling. Cake pop dough that is chilled and then dipped in warm candy melts results in cracking due to the difference in temperature. However, when cake pop dough and candy melts are closer in temperature, such as with dough that requires no chilling, chocolate stays nice and smooth, no cracks!

You can substitute sour cream or butter in place of oil in any cake recipe of your choice. We use boxed cake mix (no particular brand) and substitute oil for butter or sour cream in a 1:1 ratio. Sour cream produces the least oily dough, and is therefore easiest to work with. If you are a professional cake-popper, this will likely be the best recipe to use as it is very workable and will keep its shape without chilling. Taste-wise, it will produce a dough less flavorful than butter, however butter still works well in place of oil.

While we don’t want dough that’s too oily, dough should not be dry, either. Dough should be smooth and soft with no lumps or hard pieces. 

Here are some more tips for achieving flawless cake pop dough:

• Do not overcook your cake! Take out of oven promptly and cover with a clean dish towel. While still warm, but not hot, put cake in a mixer (or food processor) to grind to a smooth consistency. 
• We recommend removing any hard or brown pieces and using only soft fluffy cake. This will produce the most flawless, truffle like consistency.
• Add a small amount of frosting if needed, only one spoonful at a time until you get a dough that sticks together. Dough shouldn’t be dry, but not overly moist either!
• Our magic tip is to substitute butter (or sour cream) for oil. You can do a straight 1:1 swap. If using butter, simply melt and use in place of oil!
• The easiest dough to cake pop with should have a Play-Do consistency.

So there you have it! These are our foolproof tips for making perfect cake pop dough. Be sure to check out our Instagram page (@mylittlecakepopmolds) as we regularly upload recipe videos and tutorials for making flawless cake pops!