Easter Mini Egg Cake Pops

Prepared with a homemade chocolate mini egg cake center, dipped in spring-like, pastel-coloured candy melts, and drizzled with melted white chocolate, Easter Mini Egg Cake Pops are fun to make and are super fun to eat too! So much cheaper than store-bought cake pops, these are almost too delicious to share!

The one type of dessert that I can never have too much of is cake. In general, I don’t usually crave sweet snacks or treats at all and usually go for the salty type. Putting aside salty treats and snacks for a moment and focusing on only the sugary sweet type, my go-to has got to be cake. And, because cake comes in all shapes and sizes, I thought I’d share these super cute and easy Easter Mini Egg Cake Pops with you today!

These cake pops are so simple to make and they combine two of my favourite sweet treats – cake and Cadbury Mini Eggs! Even though they are super simple to make, I know that they might look a little daunting. Trust me, Dear Reader, they are not! If you can roll dough into a ball and use a microwave to melt chocolate, you have got this in the bag already!

If you want to make a batch of your very own cake pops, the key to making them fun and not frustrating is preparation. Have you ever read a recipe for fried chicken and the author asks you to set up a dredging station? Well, I want you to think of the setup for these pops in the same manner.

For every colour of candy melts you wish you use for your cake pops, you will need a bowl. Keep each colour separate at all times. It’s important to keep these looking as clean and neat as possible! There’s nothing worse than getting the colours combined because the cake pops just end up looking messy.

And, lastly, you will need empty egg cartons. The egg cartons are flipped upside down and a hole is poked into the bottom of each egg holder. I tried poking the holes with the sticks I used, but you need something with a pointed end. I found that one of my metal grilling skewers worked perfectly!

WHAT ARE CAKE POPS?

If you have not heard of cake pops, you must not have been to a Starbucks during the past 10 years! In fact, I blame Starbucks for making the cake pop so popular. Now, if only Starbucks could make a cake pop that tastes good, I’d be all for that! Sorry, Starbucks! I love just about everything you prepare, but your cake pops are absolute rubbish!

Last Christmas, John.e and I went into town to buy some groceries. On the way back, we picked up a Starbucks and decided to treat ourselves to a holiday-flavoured cake pop. Let’s just say it was a waste of two dollars! Neither of us could finish it! Unlike the cake pops at Starbucks, these Easter Mini Egg Cake Pops are so delicious, it’s hard to eat just one at a time!

So, what is a cake pop? A cake pop is a form of cake styled as a lollipop. Cake crumbs are mixed with icing or chocolate, and formed into small balls, before being given a coating of icing, chocolate or other decorations and attached to lollipop sticks. Cake pops can be a way of using up leftover cake or cake crumbs.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

To Prepare the Cake:

• Butter – Make sure your butter is at room temperature!
• Sugar – Sugar will caramelize when baked, which will help to brown cookies and cakes. 
• Eggs – Whenever you set out to bake, make sure your eggs are at room temperature too – just like your butter!
• Vanilla Extract – Probably the most common extract and the most common flavouring used in cakes and cookies. 
• Flour – No need for anything special. Just use regular all-purpose flour. I have not tried this recipe with any other type of flour.
• Baking Powder – This is used to increase the volume of the batter and to add texture as well.
• Salt – This is a common ingredient in baking and cooking.  In baking it helps to enhance and balance sweetness. 
• Milk – When a baking recipe requires milk, I always use whole milk, unless otherwise stated. 
• Cadbury Mini Eggs

For the Cake Balls:

• Cream Cheese – Use brick style rather than whipped or cream cheese in a tub.  The brick style is firmer and more condensed. 
• Confectioner’s Sugar – This superfine sugar is sometimes called powdered sugar.  It is used in frostings quite often. 
• Butter 
• Vanilla Extract 
• Buttermilk – The sourness of buttermilk works well with the sweetness of the dessert. If you don’t have any, you can make your own or use cream instead. 

Decorating the Cake Pops:

• Candy Melts – When it comes to candy melts there are different colours. I tried to use colours that we Eastery, but you can use any colour you like!
• White Chocolate Chips
• Lollipop Sticks – I found mine at Michaels. 

AN EASY WAY TO CRUSH MINI EGGS

Crushing Cadbury Mini Eggs is not a task that should be completed with a food processor or with a resealable bag and a rolling pin. It’s too easy to over-crush the eggs, which will not give you the chunky egg look you see in the photos.

The best way to crush the mini eggs is with a pestle and mortar. Place one egg at a time into the bowl and pound it lightly until it breaks into a few pieces. Add another egg and apply the same action. It does take some time, but it’s best to do it this way than to end up with pulverized mini eggs!

Now, if you don’t have a pestle and mortar, you can use my wooden spoon method. Yes, it’s all mine! Here’s how you do it. Hold one mini egg lengthwise between your index finger and thumb. Using the edge of the wooden spoon, firmly tap the egg and it will crack into a few pieces.

The goal is to break the eggs into chunks, but not too finely. You will want to see the chunks of chocolate baked into the cake when you cut it or bite into it. And, you’ll want the colours to pop too. It adds texture as well as visual appeal.

HOW TO MAKE EASTER MINI EGG CAKE POPS

1. Let’s Bake the Cake!

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. In a bowl, beat together the butter and the sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy – about 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and beat to incorporate.

Next, add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat the dry ingredients into the butter and sugar mixture until well combined. The mixture will be very thick! Add the milk and mix it into the flour mixture. The milk will lighten up the batter. Finally, stir in the crushed chocolate mini eggs. Pour the batter into a nine-inch round pan that has been greased and floured. Tap the cake pan firmly on your countertop to flatten the cake batter into the pan. Bake for 55 minutes.

Test to see if the cake is fully baked by inserting a toothpick into the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is ready. If not, bake for another 3-5 minutes and test again. Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool in the cake pan for fifteen minutes. Remove from the cake pan and allow the cake to finish cooling on a wire cooling rack.

2. Prepare the Binding Cream

In a bowl, beat together the butter and the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add the confectioner’s sugar and fully incorporate it into the butter mixture. Next, add the buttermilk and vanilla extract. Beat until combined. Set aside.

3. Forming the Cake Balls

When the cake is completely cooled, break it into pieces and transfer it to a bowl. Using a handheld mixer or a stand mixer, beat on low speed until the cake is crumbly. Add the binding cream and beat on low just to incorporate.

Working with a slightly heaping tablespoon of the cake mixture, roll it into a ball and slightly press one end to form an egg shape. Place the egg-shaped balls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Once all of the cake mixture has been rolled, place the baking sheet in your fridge for 30 minutes to set.

4. Setting up a Work Station

While the cake balls are chilling, prepare a workstation to make the decorating process quick, easy, and painless. Here’s how I do it! Portion each colour of candy melts into separate bowls. Try to use bowls that are not too big. A small, deep bowl is best because you’ll be able to easily dunk the cake balls into the melted candy melts. I use ramekins for this process. I used 3/4 cup of candy melts for each colour. With 5 colours, I used almost 4 cups of candy melts. You won’t use all of that up, but you need enough to dip the balls into.

The next thing you will need is white chocolate chips and lollipop sticks. Melt the white chocolate chips in the microwave in 30-second increments on half power. Stir between each increment until the white chocolate is melted and smooth. Set that aside for now.

Next, prepare your egg cartons. It might sound odd, but it’s important to stand the cake pops up to dry once they are dipped. Turn the egg cartons upside down and use a metal skewer or the thin end of a chopstick to poke a hole into each cavity. Don’t make the hole too big! It needs to be snug so that the cake pop doesn’t fall over! It’s also a good idea to weigh the egg cartons. I loaded mine up with silverware and bound the cartons with elastic bands before turning them over to poke the holes in them. By now, the cake balls will be chilled enough to get going!

5. Skewering the Cake Balls

The cake balls now need to adhere to the lollipop sticks. If you insert the stick into the cake ball and dip it into the melted candy melts to coat without first adhering the cake to the stick, you might run into some trouble. It is best to stick the two together first.

So, dip one of the lollipop sticks about a half inch into the melted white chocolate chips. Holding one of the egg-shaped, chilled cake balls in your hand, gently, but firmly push the white chocolate-dipped end of the lollipop stick into the bottom of the cake ball. Try to keep the stick straight and push it until it reaches about half of the length of the cake ball.

Place the ball back onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Continue to do this until all of the cake balls have been paired with a lollipop stick. Next, get them back into the fridge for 15 minutes to firm up that melted white chocolate. Now that the balls are stuck to the stick, there will be no risk of them dropping off when you dunk them into the melted candy melts! Save the remaining white chocolate! We will re-melt that and use it for drizzling once the cake pops are coated.

6. Coating the Cake Balls

Because melted candy melts can firm up quickly, it is important to melt one colour at a time. Melt them in a microwave at half power for 30 seconds. Stir and repeat until the candy melts are smooth and silky. Fetch the chilled cake balls from the fridge and working with one at a time, dip the cake ball into the candy melts. Tap the lollipop stick on the edge of the bowl, allowing the excess candy melts to drip back into the bowl.

Transfer the coated cake ball to one of the prepared holes in the egg carton. Move on to the next cake ball and continue this process until the desired number of cake balls have been coated. Once you have coated them, melt the next colour of candy melts and coat more cake balls. Once all of the cake balls are coated, set the egg cartons aside and let the candy melts harden. This should take about 90 minutes, depending on how warm your kitchen might be.

7. Decorating the Cake Pops

Once the candy melts have hardened, it’s time to add the white chocolate drizzle. Place the previously melted, leftover white chocolate into the microwave. Following the same microwave melting technique as before, melt the chips until smooth. Transfer the melted chocolate chips to a resealable sandwich bag and cut a very small tip from one lower corner.

Working with one cake pop at a time, pick it up by the stick and hold the cake pop horizontally over your sink. While you gently and carefully twirl the cake pop, drizzle the melted white chocolate out of the sandwich bag and over the pop to make very fine white lines in a random streaking pattern. Once done, return the cake pop to its home in the egg carton and move on to the next.

Once all of the cake pops are coated, allow them to sit until the white chocolate is firm to the touch. Next, package each pop into a cellophane package and tie the bottom with a string or ribbon. Store them at room temperature for 2-3 days or freeze them for up to 3 months.

STORING, PACKAGING, & FREEZING

When it comes to most snacks and treats, they taste best at room temperature, but they don’t hold up well to being left out on your countertop for long periods of time. They will stay fresh in a cookie jar or food-safe container with a lid for 2-3 days if left to sit on your kitchen countertop. You can store them in a food-safe container in your fridge. When you want one, two, or half a dozen, take them out of the container and place them in a single layer on a plate. Let them sit at room temperature for 5 minutes and they’re ready!

If you plan to freeze your Easter Mini Egg Cake Pops, you certainly can! Once they are individually wrapped, pack them into food-safe containers. The container must be freezer friendly! You’ll want to ensure a very tight-fitting lid too. I use these quite often when freezing baked goods. I like to place a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of the container before pushing the lid on. This helps to create a better seal. The goal is to keep all of that freshness locked in!