Pumpkin Cake Pops have a creamy cheesecake-like filling with a sweet white chocolate coating. Perfect easy dessert for a fall-themed event or Halloween party!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
These pumpkin cake pops are such a fun fall treat!
You're going to get a creamy, pumpkin cheesecake-like inside with a crunchy candy-coated outside, making for a really tasty texture combo. The filling is super easy to make. Just combine cake and cream cheese.
And these make for the cutest Halloween treat - perfect for a fall party! You can decorate them in so many different ways, from just a simple candy coating all the way to an intricate jack-o-lantern design.
Ingredients
(See recipe card at the bottom of the post for ingredient measurements.)
- spice cake mix - A pumpkin cake mix is even better, but it's sometimes hard to find. There's minimal difference between pumpkin cake mix and spice cake mix.
- canned pumpkin puree
- vanilla extract
- butter
- eggs
- milk
- cream cheese - If you'd like, you can use light cream cheese in this recipe with minimal taste difference.
- white chocolate chips or orange candy melts - These will both melt in a similar way; the baking chips just allow you to make the candy coating any color you'd like.
- Crisco shortening - This is my secret to making a candy coating smooth and shiny. Mix into your baking chips or candy melts to melt them perfectly!
- sprinkles - These are optional to cover finished cake pops.
Additional Supplies Needed
- baking sheet
- parchment paper or wax paper - This keeps your cake pops from sticking while they cool.
- cake pop sticks
- floral foam or styrofoam to stick cake pops into for drying
Variations & Additions
- Make cake balls - just omit the cake pop stick and let them set on a piece of parchment paper!
- These pumpkin cake pops are super cute with a little bit of extra decoration. Use thin piping bags of melted green and black baking chips to pipe on pumpkin vines and jack-o-lantern faces.
- Decoration: Get creative with what you sprinkle/drizzle on top of the cake pops. Instead of sprinkles, use cinnamon, mini chocolate chips, brown sugar, crumbled cake, or ground ginger for a flavor boost. You can drizzle melted chocolate over the top to give the cake pops a really fun look and a little extra flavor.
- You can make this basic cake pop recipe into any flavor you'd like. Instead of spice cake mix, use chocolate cake mix for chocolate cake pops, strawberry cake mix for strawberry cake pops, etc.
(If you're a fan of cake balls, give my No-Bake Oreo Cake Pops and Brownie Balls recipes a try, too!)
How to Make Pumpkin Cake Pops
Step 1: Make the cake base.
In a large bowl, blend cake mix, pumpkin puree, butter, milk, and eggs. Pour batter into a baking pan and bake in the oven according to the cake mix package directions.
Step 2: Mix the cake pop filling.
Once cool, crumble the prepared cake in a large bowl. Add cream cheese. With your hands, knead together the crumbled cake and cream cheese until well-blended. (I promise mixing with your hands is much easier than any other method!)
Using your hands, roll the cake mixture into 1-1.5″ balls. Place cake balls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment/wax paper. Cool these in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Step 3: Make the cake pop coating.
Once the cake balls are cooled, prepare the coating. Mix together baking chips or white chocolate chips and Crisco in a microwave-safe dish. Microwave this mixture in 30-second increments, stirring in between, until melted and smooth.
Step 4: Dip and set.
Put a cake pop stick in each cake ball. Dip in melted candy melts, covering the whole cake pop. Hold coated cake balls over the mixture and gently shake off any excess coating. Place cake pop sticks in floral foam or styrofoam to dry and sprinkle with reserved cake crumbs or sprinkles.
Place coated cake balls on a parchment/wax-lined cookie sheet to set for 5-10 minutes.
Storage & Leftovers
I recommend storing the remaining cake pops in an airtight container in your refrigerator. They can be served for 3-4 days after preparation.
Can I freeze cake pops?
Yes, cake pops are great for freezing! Omit the cake pop sticks, dip them in melted candy melts (leaving a small spot to add cake pop stick later), and place them in a freezer bag. These are good in the freezer for 4-6 months. Once you're ready to serve, thaw gently in the refrigerator for 10-12 hours.
Expert Tips & Tricks
- Shortcut: If your local grocery store happens to have a pre-made spice or pumpkin sheet cake, use that instead of making your own cake! You'll just need to crumble it and mix it with cream cheese to make the cake pop filling. You can even use Pumpkin Spice Oreos (about 30) in lieu of the cake.
- Dip cake pop sticks in a little bit of melted candy coating before putting them in the cake balls. This ensures they will stay put during dipping.
- Yield: You should be able to get 25-30 cake pops out of this recipe.
Pumpkin Cake Pops FAQs
I can't wait to see this pumpkin cake pop recipe in action! Tag me on social media 📸 (@lambertslately) with your pumpkin pictures. You can also rate and review the recipe in the comments! ⭐️
Pumpkin Cake Pops
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Equipment
- parchment or wax paper
- floral foam or styrofoam for allowing cake pop coating to set
Ingredients
- 15.25 oz spice cake mix
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 stick butter softened
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup milk
- 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 2 cups white chocolate chips or orange candy melts
- 1 tablespoon Crisco shortening
- sprinkles optional, to cover finished cake pops
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, blend cake mix, pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, butter, milk, and eggs. Pour mixture into a baking pan and bake in the oven according to the cake mix package directions.
- Once cool, crumble the prepared cake in a large bowl. Add cream cheese. With your hands, knead together the crumbled cake and cream cheese until well-blended.
- Using your hands, roll the cake mixture into 1-1.5″ balls. Place cake balls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment/wax paper. Cool these in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- Once the cake balls are cooled, prepare the coating. Mix together baking chips or white chocolate chips and Crisco in a microwave-safe dish. Microwave this mixture in 30-second increments, stirring in between, until melted and smooth.
- Put a cake pop stick in each cake ball. Dip in melted candy melts, covering the whole cake pop. Hold coated cake balls over the mixture and gently shake off any excess coating. Place cake pop sticks in floral foam or styrofoam to dry and sprinkle with reserved cake crumbs or sprinkles.
- Place coated cake balls on a parchment/wax-lined cookie sheet to set for 5-10 minutes.
Notes
-
- Shortcut: If your local grocery store happens to have a pre-made spice or pumpkin sheet cake, use that instead of making your own cake! You'll just need to crumble it and mix it with cream cheese to make the cake pop filling. You can even use Pumpkin Spice Oreos (about 30) in lieu of the cake.
- Dip cake pop sticks in a little bit of melted candy coating before putting them in the cake balls. This ensures they will stay put.
- I recommend storing the remaining cake pops in an airtight container in your refrigerator. They can be served for 3-4 days after preparation.
- Cake pops are great for freezing! Omit the cake pop sticks, dip them in melted candy melts (leaving a small spot to add cake pop stick later), and place them in a freezer bag. These are good in the freezer for 4-6 months. Once you're ready to serve, thaw gently in the refrigerator for 10-12 hours.
