Halloween Cake Pops Recipe (Donut Cake Pops!)
These Shortcut Halloween Cake Pops are a quick and easy way to make a treat for spooky season. Using donut holes dipped in candy melts is the smart secret to a homemade look in half the time.
These Monster Cake Pops are so Easy, it’s Scary!
I love Halloween food, but I don’t always love spending a ton of time on Halloween food. Let’s face it: I also have a costume to figure out and pumpkins to carve!
Nothing beats the unabashed cuteness of these Halloween Cake Pops for a party, but the big secret here is these are as easy to make as they are to eat.
Instead of starting completely from scratch, we’re using store-bought donut holes as the base, which cuts down on the prep time and effort considerably.
Dip them in vibrant candy melts and choose a few simple decorations and you have a spooky treat for monsters of all ages!
Why You’ll Love These Halloween Cake Balls
- No need to bake a cake. Using donut holes means you can jump straight into the best part: decorating.
- Let your creativity shine! Use different color and decorations to create a variety of adorable pops.
- This is an ideal activity for kids to join in on. They love the dipping and decorating!
What You’ll Need for Halloween Donut Cake Pops
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- small donuts – I used a combination of mini donuts and donut holes for these Halloween cake pops, but you can use all one or the other. You’ll need 24 pieces, total. I used plain flavored donuts, but I discuss other options below.
- candy melts – you’ll need 1 cup total candy melts to coat all of the Halloween cake balls. You can use all green candy melts, or a smaller amount of a variety of colors, like a combination of green, purple and orange candy melts.
- candy eyeballs – it isn’t a Halloween dessert without candy eyeballs.
- assorted sprinkles – you can find fun Halloween sprinkles online and in a ton of stores these days. You can also buy a package of assorted colored sprinkles and just use a few select Halloween-ish colors, like green, orange and purple.
- black food coloring writing gel – I used black decorating gel to make the mouths of my little donut creatures.
- lollipop sticks – 6- to 7-inch are a great size for cake pops for Halloween. White lollipop sticks and colored lollipop sticks are found online or at craft stores.
How to Make Halloween Cake Pops
Dip the Halloween Cake Balls
1. MELT. Melt the candy melts according to their package directions. Keep each color in it’s own ramekin or bowl.
2. STICK. Carefully dip each stick about 1/4- to 1/2-inch into the melted candy melts and then stick that end into each donut hole. Allow these to cool on wax paper or parchment paper for a few minutes until hardened, upside down, with the donuts resting on your wax paper-covered work surface and the sticks pointing toward the ceiling.
3. DIP. Carefully dip each donut into the melted candy melts and rotate it around until it’s fully coated. Allow these to cool on wax paper, upside down, until completely hardened.
Decorate the Monster Cake Pops
Now, it’s time to use candy eyes, sprinkles, more candy melts and black writing gel to decorate the Halloween cake pops.
- For sprinkle-topped pops, allow the first layer of candy melt to set for just 3 minutes before dipping tops in sprinkles.
- For drizzled pops, allow the first layer of candy melt to almost set completely before drizzling on the second layer.
- For monster pops, allow the first layer of candy melt to completely dry. Then, use additional melted candy melt to stick the eyes to the cake pops and decorate with sprinkles and black writing gel as desired.
- To make monster horns, pipe melted candy melt into horn shapes onto wax paper and attach to cake pops using additional candy melt. For large horns, I like to stick a sprinkle in the head for support/backing.
Halloween Cake Pops Recipe Home Chef Tips
- Melt the candy melts according to package directions. Each brand may vary slightly. I use the microwave in 15 second intervals, but you can also melt them on the stove top or in a double boiler.
- In between intervals, make sure to stir the melts for a full minute. I often find that the final few lumps melt away if you give it a bit of time.
- If your candy melt mixture is too thick and is pulling the donut holes off their sticks, stir in vegetable oil or coconut oil 1/2 teaspoon at a time to thin it out.
- If adding a second layer of candy melt to the pops, make sure the candy melt temperature is close to room temperature to ensure the layers don’t crack or separate.
- I have learned to choose candy melts that do not have a white film. Wilton is my favorite brand, but most brands have a little window where you can see into the package. If you pick up a bag with white film, your final result will likely have a white film.
How to Serve Halloween Donut Cake Pops
To serve, you can either prop Halloween cake pops up in something, or lay them on a platter.
To prop them up, fill small glasses with granulated sugar and stick the donut cake pops into the sugar so they stand up. You could also press the sticks into a small styrofoam block.
Or, lay monster cake pops out on a simple baking pan or Halloween-themed platter.
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Cakes Pops Halloween Storage
These Halloween cake pops are best enjoyed the day they are made, but you can make them up to 24 hours in advance.
Do not store them in the fridge or freezer. The candy melts may sweat when brought to room temperature, and this can cause cracking and color bleeding.
If storing the donut cake pops overnight, store at room temperature in an airtight container.
Variations of Donut Cake Pops
While I used plain donuts for my Halloween cake pops, you can definitely use flavored ones. Chocolate mini donuts and donut holes would be delicious.
You can also make pumpkin cake pops with pumpkin-flavored donut holes (shouldn’t be too hard to find this time of year).
Another way to switch up these cake pops for Halloween is by changing the coating. Instead of using the colored candy melts, you could dip the donuts in melted milk, dark or white chocolate.
And if you want to get SUPER ambitious (but these would no longer be shortcut treats!) you can make your own donut holes.
Can you use melted chocolate instead of candy melts for cake pops?
While candy melts are commonly used for cake pops due to their smooth consistency and vibrant colors, you can use melted white, milk or dark chocolate for this Halloween cake pops recipe instead.
Be sure to use high-quality chocolate, and add bit of vegetable oil to it to achieve a smooth dipping consistency.
Depending on the chocolate, it may require tempering to ensure a glossy finish, which is a more complicated process. For this reason, I highly encourage using candy melts.
Halloween Cake Balls FAQs
With traditional cake pops made with crumbled cake, refrigerating before dipping is a crucial step. But with these easy Halloween cake pops, we’re starting with donut holes, so no refrigeration is necessary!
These Halloween cake balls are best enjoyed the day they are made, but you can make them up to 24 hours in advance. Do not store them in the fridge or freezer. The candy melts may sweat when brought to room temperature, and this can cause cracking and color bleeding. If storing the donut cake pops overnight, store at room temperature in an airtight container.
When dipping, make sure the coating isn’t too thick, as it can lead to a messy presentation. Allow excess candy melt to drip off the cake pop as much as possible before cooling.
Inserting each stick into some candy melt before inserting it into the donut hole is a crucial step so that the stick stays adhered inside the donut hole. If you skip this step, the cake pops will fall off their sticks easier.
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Easy Cakes Pops (Halloween Cake Balls)
Ingredients
- 1 cup candy melts green, purple and/or orange
- 24 6- to 7-inch lollipop sticks
- 24 plain mini donuts and/or donut holes
- Candy eyeballs, assorted sprinkles and black decorating gel, for decorating
Instructions
- Melt the candy melts according to package directions.
- Carefully dip each lollipop stick about 1/4- to 1/2-inch into the melted candy melts and stick into each donut. Allow to cool upside down (with the donuts on wax paper-covered work surface and the sticks pointing toward the ceiling) for a few minutes until candy melt is hardened.
- Carefully dip each donut into the melted candy melts and rotate it around until it’s fully coated. Again, allow these to cool upside down, on wax paper, until completely hardened.
- Use the candy eyeballs, sprinkles and black writing gel to decorate cake pops as desired (see Notes below) and serve once the candy melts have set.
- These Halloween Cake Pops are best enjoyed the day they are made, but you can make them up to 24 hours in advance. Do not store them in the fridge or freezer. The candy melts may sweat when brought to room temperature, and this can cause cracking and color bleeding. If storing the donut cake pops overnight, store at room temperature in an airtight container.
Notes
- For sprinkle-topped pops, allow the first layer of candy melt to set for just 3 minutes before dipping tops in sprinkles.
- For drizzled pops, allow the first layer of candy melt to almost set completely before drizzling on the second layer.
- For monster pops, allow the first layer of candy melt to completely dry. Then, use additional melted candy melt to stick the eyes to the cake pops and decorate with sprinkles and black writing gel as desired.
- To make monster horns, pipe candy melt into horn shapes onto wax paper and attach to cake pops using additional candy melt. For large horns, I like to stick a sprinkle in the head for support/backing.
