Pumpkin Cake Pops have a creamy cheesecake-like filling with a sweet white chocolate coating. Perfect dessert for a fall-themed event or Halloween party!
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.