A little while back, I just had to purchase one of these…
In high hopes that I would be able to make perfectly round cake pops in 30 minutes.
Here is what I found….
The steps above are made using the Nordic Ware cake pop pan. I used the fudgy cake recipe that was printed directly on the packaging.
TIP: use that recipe (or a dense brownie/bar recipe)
Fudgy Cake Pops
adapted from Nordic Ware
¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup butter
¾ cup sugar
3 Tbsp cocoa
2 eggs
¾ cup flour
¼ tsp salt
24 lollipop sticks
1 (16 oz.) package chocolate CandiQuik
Heat oven to 325F. Grease and flour pan. In medium saucepan, over low heat, melt chocolate chips and butter together. Stir until smooth. Remove from heat and pour into medium bowl. Add sugar and cocoa. Mix until blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add flour and salt. Stir until blended. Spoon batter into bottom half of pan (without holes) filling each well so it mounds over the top of the pan. Place top half of pan on top and secure with keys. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out almost clean. Cool 5 minutes in pan, then remove cake pops from pan to cool completely. Melt chocolate candiquik according to package directions. Dip lollipop stick into melted chocolate and insert into cake (these were so dense, that I really don’t think this step is necessary). Repeat with all cakes. Dip cake pop in melted coating, spinning to let excess chocolate drip off. Decorate with sprinkles as desired. Place on parchment paper or in a Styrofoam block to set. Makes about 24 cake pops.
- adapted from Nordic Ware
- ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup butter
- ¾ cup sugar
- 3 Tbsp cocoa
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- 24 lollipop sticks
- 1 (16 oz.) package chocolate CandiQuik
- Heat oven to 325F. Grease and flour cake pop pan.
- In medium saucepan, over low heat, melt chocolate chips and butter together. Stir until smooth. Remove from heat and pour into medium bowl.
- Add sugar and cocoa. Mix until blended.
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Add flour and salt. Stir until blended.
- Spoon batter into bottom half of pan (without holes) filling each well so it mounds over the top of the pan.
- Place top half of pan on top and secure with keys. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out almost clean.
- Cool 5 minutes in pan, then remove cake pops from pan to cool completely.
- Melt chocolate Candiquik according to package directions.
- Dip lollipop stick into melted chocolate and insert into cake (these were so dense, that I really don’t think this step is necessary).
- Dip cake pop in melted coating, spinning to let excess chocolate drip off. Decorate with sprinkles as desired. Place on parchment paper or in a Styrofoam block to set. Makes about 24 cake pops.
Let’s take a closer look…
flying saucer or cake ball?
I had to trim my cake balls – I used a knife and ran it around the center lip that was created by the pan.
These are dang good by the way – they are perfect little brownie bites…highly recommend this recipe they came with.
However, you will notice that they do have tiny little air bubbles, and some of them have flatter bottoms than others.
Those little things did affect their overall appearance when I dipped them. But I was able to hide most of their flaws with lots of sprinkles (always a good tip)!
I think by the time I filled that cake pan, baked 12 cake balls (refilled with the remaining batter and baked the rest of the batch…note: yields 24 cake balls), trimmed them so they were decently round, I could have hand rolled them. If I were to do any kind of quantity with this, I would need about… A LOT more cake pop pans. That would get pricey, as they range in price from $13 (outlet store price) – $20.
Here is what happened when I used a boxed cake mix:
attempt #2 was much better (sprayed with a TON of non stick and filled as much as I could)…however, when I tried to coat them in CandiQuik…it resulted in a lumpy cake pop. No bueno.
Basically the cake mix was too runny, too airy (lots of air bubbles when it baked), too soft…so again, always use a dense cake (such as the recipe provided by Nordic Ware) or a brownie recipe.
overall…
In my book….
there is no comparison.
But then again, I often find myself needing perfectly round cake balls for pictures and such.
So if you’re not worried about them being perfect and don’t mind that they are not the “traditional” recipe for cake pops (made with crumbled cake + frosting); you will like the pan. After all, it worked fine with the recipe provided and I have to say, they were a bit easier to dip than traditional cake pops.
(For the ‘traditional’ cake pop recipe, please visit my cake pop tutorial)
Thursday, July 19th, 2012, 2:49 pm | 
Cake Balls, Pops, & Bites | 
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Thursday, July 19, 2012 at 3:48 pm
Thanks for doing this! I have a couple friends who were telling me about these pans and that I should get some since I do cake pops and all. I was about to take their advice and get a pan to try out. Thankfully you just saved me the trouble, lol! I agree, hand rolled is the way to go=)
Heather recently posted..Olympic Cake Pops: The Flame
Friday, July 20, 2012 at 7:49 am
Hi Heather,
Haha….yes, I agree – usually the way it is (handmade is better), isn’t it!?
Thursday, July 19, 2012 at 8:43 pm
Good to know. Thanks for the review. I’ve just started getting into cake pops and was wondering if there was an advantage to having a pan like that.
Janine (sugarkissed.net) recently posted..How To Make Flower Cookies (Tulips & Sunflowers)
Friday, July 20, 2012 at 7:47 am
Hi Janine! Yes…hand rolling for me it is! Unless of course I want a brownie-bite fix!
Friday, July 20, 2012 at 9:40 am
I agree, I like the hand rolled ones better. I have the baby cakes cake pop maker…and it works better than the nordicware pan, but the hand made ones are still prettier (and tastier!)
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust recently posted..Olympic Gold Medal Brownie Batter Hand Pies
Friday, July 20, 2012 at 11:19 am
I agree for this reason and so many others, that traditional cake pops are #1. I’ve had pops baked in the “bake pans”, and there is no moisture since its just dry cake and the chocolate. Also, w/ they’re so much lighter, they tear off of the stick, when dipped, so much easier.
Traditional cake pops all the way
Tuesday, July 24, 2012 at 12:36 pm
You went to a lot of work to show how those pans work. Quite honestly, I’m very appreciative of that. I’ve made cake pops before and I’m just not quite a fan yet. I have been considering those pans because they would result in a more cake like finished product. After reading your blog, my answer is, thanks so much Nordic Ware, but I’ll pass.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012 at 12:43 pm
Hi Jeannie –
Cake pops are interesting…you either like ‘em or don’t. For me, I had to find my flavor and right amount of frosting (I currently use about 1/3 of the can). When I first tried cake pops, I wasn’t crazy about them. I’m not really a cake (ex: birthday cake, white cake, etc.) kind of person and if there is TOO much frosting in cake pops, no thanks. However, I love lemon cake pops (made w/ buttercream frosting) – yum yum. Maybe your thing is oreo balls or any of the cookie dough pops, truffles, etc.
Thanks for stopping by!
Thursday, August 2, 2012 at 9:34 am
I one of them cake pop pans and I don’t like it at all. I made some and almost all of them had air bubbles in them and when I dipped them, the didn’t hold very good. I think I might take mine back to the store and get my money back.
Thursday, August 2, 2012 at 9:41 am
Hi Brenda, I prefer the traditional hand-rolled cake balls as well. The pans are fine if you are just using them for a casual treat or something fun to experiment with, but you definitely don’t get the professional look that you can by hand rolling. Thanks for saying hi!
Tuesday, August 21, 2012 at 5:54 pm
I bought one of the electric cake pans, used a pound cake recipe and they were mostly round. But they fall off the stick. Just not dense enough. I guess I’ll use it to make yummy donut holes because cake pops aren’t happening.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012 at 7:20 am
Hi Terie,
Haha, doughnut holes it is!!
Monday, September 17, 2012 at 9:57 pm
Of course I love the rolled pops better then bake pops;)! If you get sick of hand rolling them and still want perfect and pretty, check out my HCP-Easy Roller (couldn’t resist the shameless plug on this one)!
Tuesday, September 18, 2012 at 7:14 am
Hi Jennifer,
Thanks! If I had a cake pop business that would definitely be the way I’d go
Thursday, October 4, 2012 at 4:05 pm
I have tried all of the traditional cake pop methods and I believe that the “cake pop” pan maker is the best. When purchased it provides you with a formula to alter the cake recipe making it denser and there fore the pop actually is a cake pop not a GLOB of mashed cake with tons of icing then the candy coating.
When taking the pops out they have a little rim only if you over pour the cake mixture in the pop pan. If the little rims happen use a potato pealer when the pop is cool and it comes of very nicely.
jan
Friday, October 5, 2012 at 7:48 am
Hi Jan,
. Have a great weekend!
Thanks for your comments! There are definitely good things about the cake pop pan. Good idea with the peeler for removing the edges! I found when I didn’t fill them as full with the batter, they weren’t as perfectly round…so I dealt with the edges
Sunday, December 9, 2012 at 7:30 pm
My 16 year old daughter went to all the trouble of buying the Nordic pan and used their recipe, iced them with pillsbury icing by hand, added the sprinkles, and left them as a suprise for my 50th birthday……messy as they were, they will be the best cake pops I will ever have!
Monday, December 10, 2012 at 7:30 am
Hi Karen, that’s the sweetest thing! So much love and thought was put into making them and that’s the most important thing
. Thanks for stopping by.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012 at 2:30 pm
Well, I just got a bakepops pan, for my birthday, so I’m gonna try it that way. Putting up with imperfect spheres will be fine with me
Tuesday, December 11, 2012 at 2:33 pm
Hi Colleen, you will have fun making them! The cake pop pan is a great way to make a dozen (or so) cake pops and easily dip them – and even better if no one is worried about them being perfectly round. They still taste great! Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Have fun with your cake pops.
Sunday, December 16, 2012 at 7:19 pm
This is extremely helpful! I just received a cake pop pan as a Christmas gift and it looks very fun to use but I was curious where I would add the frosting?? I kept reading the instructions and I was like …did I not read everything? I love my cake moist and was worried about this problem. I HATE dry cake. I have made traditional cake pops numerous times and I am so used to making them that way. I usually make them large batches for friends, family, co-workers, etc. I was worried since my cake pan only makes 18, and with the poor comments I have been reading about the pan, I would get frustrated and just want to do them all traditional. I admit, I like smooth, round balls, and I like them to be pretty, especially if I’m giving them as gifts. I have not used my cake pan yet and I am still skeptical. I think I will try it out though just to see and experience it. Thanks for all the help!
Wednesday, December 19, 2012 at 2:31 pm
Hi Naomi, thanks for the comment! I agree – for big batches, the traditional way is great. Try your pan out though, like I said – I enjoyed the recipe that was on the box, but don’t expect your normal ‘gooey’ cake pop
.
Have a great day!
Sunday, January 6, 2013 at 3:07 pm
Trying to follow your recipe, but it just says “3/4 semi-sweet chocolate chips”. I’m going to assume this is 3/4 of a cup and not 3/4 of the entire package. We’ll know soon enough!!!
Monday, January 7, 2013 at 8:28 am
Hi Roel – yes, 3/4 cup! I’ll correct that in the post, thanks for the catch!
Monday, January 7, 2013 at 1:14 pm
Hi Sarah, I’m about to use my Nordic Ware cake pop pan for the first time and I’m wondering if I need to make any adjustments to the Fudgy Cake Pop recipe for high altitude.
Monday, January 7, 2013 at 1:19 pm
Hi Kim,
I didn’t see a note on the Nordic Ware recipe for an adjustment in high altitude – so I’d think you would be fine using the recipe as-is
Here is a little article on adjustments to make in higher altitudes if you are concerned (http://allrecipes.com/howto/high-altitude-cake-baking/).
Thanks – Sarah
Monday, January 7, 2013 at 2:59 pm
Thank you Sarah! I am a cake pop novice and just wanted to provide some feedback for others baking at altitude – I’m in Colorado at 5400 feet. I used the Fudgy Cake Pop recipe from Nordic Ware along with the cake pop baking pan and followed the recipe exactly except that I went up to 350 degrees for my baking temp. for 16 minutes. My first batch didn’t come out perfectly round even though they had a nice mound on them when I put them into the baking pan. The second batch, however I shaped into a ball in my hand and dropped into the openings in the pan. A little batter came up through the hole while they baked, but I scraped it off when they came out. Other than that, they came out perfectly – shape, taste and moistness…like a brownie! Thank you for this post Sarah!
Monday, January 7, 2013 at 3:11 pm
Hi Kim – (another Coloradoan)! Glad to hear they came out – they taste like little yummy brownie bites! Have a great day, thanks for taking the time to comment.
-Sarah
Tuesday, January 8, 2013 at 4:27 am
I for one LOVE the pan it works soooo much better. Every batch that I’ve made has came out perfectly and the key to moisture is to add an extra egg. BTW I have the as seen on T. V. cake pop pan. I tried the baby cakes electric maker they came out small and I couldn’t touch the counter under it 1/2 an hour later cuz it was still super hot.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013 at 7:45 am
Hi Lexi – the pan does work good for a small batch, I’ll try adding an extra egg next time I use that pan/recipe. Thanks for commenting!
Tuesday, January 8, 2013 at 5:48 am
I�m not that much of a internet reader to be honest but your blogs really nice, keep it up! I’ll go ahead and bookmark your site to come back later on. Cheers.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 3:20 pm
Thank you for your tips. I will now be returning the pans I bought.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013 at 9:50 am
Hi Erin – thanks for commenting. If you use the recipe that’s on the packaging, they should turn out fine, if you decide to keep them! Just be careful with any boxed cake mix as they are typically too light
Happy cake-popping!
Friday, January 18, 2013 at 11:25 pm
Does anyone have a Nordic cake-pop pan recipe that features a yellow cake?
Thursday, January 24, 2013 at 4:52 pm
I was wondering the same but with a white cake mix? I saw a polka dot cake on Pinterest that you use these cake balls in the middle..but the Nordic pan only has a fishy recipe? I don’t want dense balls, I just want the same consistency as a regular cake but need to bake the cake balls first. Do you think I would use just a regular white cake mix?
Thursday, January 24, 2013 at 5:32 pm
Hi Julie – you could try a regular cake mix (any flavor) in the pan, but you can see from my experience what the result was – most of them fell apart
, if you try it and it’s successful, let me know! The pan even suggests using a denser cake recipe. The other option is to use regular hand-rolled cake balls (I have seen these used in recipes like you are talking about). Good luck!
Thursday, January 24, 2013 at 4:52 pm
*fudgy recipe not fishy.
Monday, January 28, 2013 at 12:21 am
thanks for posting the recipe from the Nordic Ware package! I got my pan as a gift, and in my haste to tidy up, I pulled of the package and put the pan in the cupboard… no recipe! And I figured it wasn’t a standard cake recipe. I’ve never made cake pops in any way, shape or form – so I’m looking forward to trying the pan… gee, 24? Coincidentally, that’s how many kids are in my son’s 2nd grade class. I see birthday treats on the horizon
Now that I’m getting started, I might try the traditional way, too.
Friday, February 15, 2013 at 1:36 pm
I don’t agree since its a hell lotta trouble trying to crumble cake and freezing and all that. I love my pans
Sugar belle recently posted..Pretty Texas Bluebonnet Cookies
Monday, February 18, 2013 at 7:31 am
Thursday, February 28, 2013 at 5:15 pm
I just bought one of these pans because I wanted to make cake balls that were made from homemade cake and I don’t like the crumbled cake recipe using (yuck) canned frosting. I think they taste more like truffles. I just wanted a simple cake on a stick. I may try Italian Cream Cake, I think that would be dense enough for the pans.
Monday, March 4, 2013 at 6:56 pm
When using cake mix, add an extra egg, substitute water with milk, and add one package of pudding.
Monday, March 4, 2013 at 6:56 pm
When using cake mix, add an extra egg, substitute water with milk, and add one package of pudding.
Thursday, March 7, 2013 at 1:34 pm
I tried the “Fudgy Cake Pop” recipe, and I did not get round balls. The reason is they did not rise enough (actually only two out of 18 did). Since the recipe did not call for baking powder, I was wondering if you used self-rising flour. My first thought was that you did not as you added salt. I am not a professional baker, only a molecular biologist, but I am used to follow protocol as every “ingredient” in it has it purpose. So how can you expect a cake to rise if you do not include a rising agent such as baking powder? I understand that cake pop batter needs to be dense, but still… Any thought on that? Otherwise, my “not perfectly round cake pops” tasted better and were moister as compared to my previous ones that I did earlier this week using another adapted chocolate cake recipe.
Monday, March 11, 2013 at 11:13 am
Hi Nathaly, try filling your cake pop pan cavities fuller using this recipe. I did not have any problem with the cake expanding or rising enough to fill the small round hole. And as you can see when I used a recipe that included baking powder (boxed cake), the cake was exploding out of the top hole when baking. Good luck, thank you!
Tuesday, March 12, 2013 at 11:59 am
Thank you Sarah. I will make more batter to fill the cavities fuller as you suggest. I already tried to add baking powder, and it was a total failure… I got an volcanic eruption! Moreover, the cake balls were too soft and contained air bubbles (not good to stand on a stick!). Shall I add an extra egg to get the cake pops moister, as it was suggested by Lexibug02 (January 8 2013)? Thanks again for your response.
Nathaly recently posted..Bunny Pretzels & Easter Extravaganza
Tuesday, March 12, 2013 at 12:13 pm
Hi Nathaly, I would try it again just filling them – I filled mine as much as I could before securing the top of the pan. You could certainly add an extra egg if you desire a moister cake but I personally haven’t tried it w/ this pan, so I would try it again w/out the egg first.
Good luck – let me know how they turn out! As you can see, every one of my cake balls rose fine (when using the fudgy cake pops recipe), so it should be successful!
Friday, May 3, 2013 at 2:33 pm
I was wondering if there is a recipe out there for flavors other than the chocolate. I just bought the cake pop pan today and i’m excited to try it but not everyone likes chocolate so my question is can I use a box mix to make these and how do I alter the recipe so that the batter is as dense as the recipe that comes with the pan?
Tuesday, May 7, 2013 at 8:11 am
Hi Tiffany, I don’t personally have a recipe other than the chocolate. To make a denser boxed cake, add a packet of pudding (dry) and an extra egg. However, I have not personally tried it with those modifications. Let me know what you come up with! Good luck.
Monday, May 6, 2013 at 1:03 pm
I have the cake pop pan as well as the machine and i hate them. The only thing i find them useful for is denser recipes like brownies. They suck for regular cake pops they come out misshapen and unless u freeze them the sticks wont stay. I say for regular cake pops hand rolled all the way
Tuesday, May 7, 2013 at 6:53 pm
Can anyone tell me (Miss Caniquik?) what you altered from the original recipe? (You said “Adapted from…”) I’ve been searching high and low for this recipe that came with my pans and can’t find it anywhere. It was our favorite and I’d really love to get my hands on it again.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 7:34 am
Hi Heidi, the only thing altered was the CandiQuik Coating used. Good luck!
Friday, May 24, 2013 at 1:19 pm
I may of missed this, but did you explain how to make the traditional cake pops?
Friday, May 24, 2013 at 1:30 pm
Hi Ronata,
Here is the basic cake pop (or cake ball) recipe: http://blog.candiquik.com/?p=3020. Thanks for stopping by!
Sunday, June 16, 2013 at 4:07 pm
hi! what recipe of Cake pops do you use?
Monday, June 17, 2013 at 8:25 am
Hi Paula, there should be a link in the post, but here is one of the recipes I use: http://blog.candiquik.com/?p=3020
Thank you!!
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