How to Make Red Velvet Cake Pops (Valentine’s Cake Pops)

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Red velvet cake pops are a delicious treat that’s a hit any time of the year. Learn how to make them, as well as a cute Valentine’s Day variety!

Have a sweet tooth? There’s something so satisfying about a cake pop. These bite-sized treats are perfect for sharing and can be customized to fit any occasion as they’re surprisingly easy to make.

In this blog post, we’ll walk you through the steps for making your own red velvet cake pops, as well as a Valentine’s Day variation using cute heart-shaped cake molds.

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What is a cake pop?

If you’ve never had a cake pop before, you’re in for a treat. They’re basically a ball of baked cake that is mixed with frosting and rolled into a ball. They’re then dipped in melted candy melts or melted chocolate to give them a hard outside.

My kids love getting cake pops, and always feel like they’re an extra special dessert. Once I realized how easy they are to make them at home, they became one of our go-to’s for holidays, class parties, birthdays and other special occasions.

They’re a great option for parties with kids because they make a very minimal mess and are single serve. You can also wrap each cake pop in plastic wrap to make a cute, seasonal gift too!

How to Make Perfect Cake Pops

• Make all the cake pops the same size. I like to use a cookie scoop like this to help.
• Be sure the balls of cake are smooth. To get them extra smooth, I roll mine twice: once while forming the cake balls, and again after they’ve cooled in the fridge.
• Use quality chocolate or candy melts for a smoother coating.
• Can’t get the lollipop stick to stay in? Dip the tip of the stick in the melted candy coating before placing the cake pop on the stick!
• Forget to grab cake pop sticks? No problem! Make them into red velvet cake bites instead for a different take on this delicious treat.

Ingredients Needed for Red Velvet Cake Pops

To make red velvet cake pops, you’ll need the following ingredients:

For the Red Velvet Cake Mix

• All-purpose flour
• Sugar
• Eggs
• Cocoa powder
• Baking soda
• Milk
• Vegetable oil or canola oil
• Unsalted butter (softened)
• Distilled white vinegar
• Red food coloring (gel or liquid)
• Buttermilk (room temperature)
• Salt
• Vanilla extract

For the Cream Cheese Icing

• Cream cheese (softened)
• Powdered sugar
• Unsalted butter (room temperature)
• Vanilla extract
• Salt

You’ll also need wooden sticks (or cake pop sticks), white chocolate or white candy melts, a large bowl, coffee mug and sprinkles. You can find the sticks and melts online, or also usually at local craft stores.

If you can’t find white, consider playing around with a different color for the chocolate coating. Red candy melts would make a gorgeous red color that’s perfect for Valentines Day! Pink melted chocolate or dark chocolate with bright colored sprinkles also look great. You can also make Christmas Oreo truffles into cake pops too!

How to Make Red Velvet Cake Pops

For this recipe we are making a homemade red velvet cake mix. However, you can absolutely skip this part of the recipe and use boxed cake mix from your local grocery store instead to make these into super easy cake pops. Just follow the package instructions.

We are also making homemade cream cheese icing, but you can substitute a store bought buttercream, vanilla frosting, or cream cheese frosting too. You can scroll down to the end of this post for the recipe card with the complete steps and measurements.

Step 1: Make the cake

The first step in making red velvet cake pops is to bake the cake. Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease 2 9-inch round cake pans. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt and set aside.

In a separate large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy using an electric mixer on medium-high speed. Add the eggs, oil and vanilla extract and beat until well combined. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture with the mixer on low speed, alternating with the buttermilk, and mix until everything is well combined. Stir in the red food coloring until the batter is a deep red color.

Evenly divide the cake batter between the prepared cake pans, and bake for 30-34 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove the cakes from the oven and let them cool.

Step 2: Make the Frosting

While the cake is cooling, it’s time to make the frosting. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth using a handheld mixer. Add the vanilla extract, powdered sugar and a pinch of salt. Beat until well combined.

Step 3: Make the Cake Balls

Once the cake has cooled, use a fork to crumble it into small pieces. Add about 2/3 of the cream cheese frosting to the crumbled cake and mix until everything is well combined. The mixture should be moist enough to hold together when rolled into balls. If it’s too dry, add more frosting as needed.

Using your hands, roll the cake mixture into balls about 1 inch in diameter. Place the balls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and chill them in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.]

Step 4: Decorate the Cake Pops

While the cake balls are chilling, melt the candy melts according to the package instructions. Once the cake balls are chilled, dip the end of a cake pop stick in the melted white chocolate and stick it into the prepared balls to help the cake pop stick stay in. Place in the fridge for 10 minutes. 

Remove the cake from the refrigerator and dip cake balls into the melted white chocolate. Immediately garnish with sprinkles before the melted candy hardens. Use a styrofoam block to keep the DIY cake pops upright.

Once you have dipped and decorated all the cake pops, refrigerate them for 15 minutes to harden the candy coating before enjoying.

Store uncoated cake balls for up to 2 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator, or coated cake pops for up to 3 days.

You can also freeze them! Place the uncoated cake balls on a baking sheet and place in the freezer until they’re frozen. Then, place the balls into a freezer bag, seal and place back in the freezer for up to 6 weeks.

To use them, place the frozen cake balls into the fridge to thaw. Once thawed, follow the recipe directions to coat and decorate the cake pops. Coated red velvet cake pops can last up to 6 weeks in the freezer in an airtight container.

How to Make Red Velvet Valentine’s Cake Pops

These red velvet treats make an easy Valentine’s Day dessert too. To make them into the perfect love day treat, you’ll want to get a set of heart-shaped cake pop molds like these instead of a round cake pan.

Grease the molds with butter or cooking spray before filling them with the cake batter. Bake the cakes according to the package instructions and let them cool completely before moving on to the next step. You can also use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out heart-shaped pieces from the cake if you don’t have a mold.

These heart-shaped cake pops make adorable treats to gift! You can wrap in plastic and give them individually, or make a cake pop bouquet with the fun shapes.

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