Better than Starbucks Chocolate Cake Pop Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350 ° (180°C). Grease a 9×13 cake pan (or the cake pans of your choice) and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients, followed by the wet ingredients, then stir to combine.
Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Put the softened butter into a mixing bowl. Mix with a handheld mixer until it’s nice and creamy.
Add in the cocoa powder, salt, and powdered sugar gradually.
Pour in the milk and vanilla. Whip until the frosting is light and fluffy.
Allow the chocolate cake to cool completely.

Start by crumbling your baked cake into small pieces. A food processor works wonders for this, but you can also do it manually in a large bowl. The key is to get the cake to a crumbly texture, almost like sand. I find that a slightly stale cake works better than a freshly baked cake.
In a separate bowl, mix the crumbled cake and some of the chocolate frosting together. This is where a stand mixer with a paddle attachment comes in handy. If the mixture feels too dry, add a little more frosting to reach the desired consistency. You may need to adjust the mixture based on the cake you use. Add a little at a time until you reach the desired consistency. The ratio that works best for me is 6 parts cake, to 1 part frosting. Remember, you can always add more frosting, but you can’t take it back after you add it. The ideal thickness is cake pop dough with a play dough consistency.

Form the cake mixture into golf ball-sized balls about 1 ounce each. You can use cake pop scoops to help get consistently sized balls. As you form them, place them on a lined baking sheet. Refrigerate these for about 30 minutes to firm up.

While the cake balls are chilling, start melting the chocolate. Place 10 oz. chocolate into a microwave-safe bowl, and heat it for 30-second intervals. Stir well after each interval to ensure even melting. Keep an eye on it—you can’t always tell when it’s got hot spots in the middle and starting to burn.

The first step is to attach the stick to the cake ball. To do this dip about ½ inch of the stick into the melted chocolate. Push the cake pop into the cooled cake balls. As you work through the cake balls, the dipped sticks will firm up and be ready to dip.
Next, you want to start dipping the cake pops. Have your nonpareil sprinkles in a dish nearby, because the chocolate will set up quickly. You’ll want to dip and decorate one cake pop at a time.
Dip the cake pops into the melted chocolate, ensuring excess coating drips off. Stick the cake pops into a Styrofoam block to dry.
If you want to refrigerate them to keep the chocolate shell firm, I recommend you package them in cellophane first and then store in an airtight container. This helps to absorb some of the condensation caused by refrigerating cake pops.