Starbucks Birthday Cake Pops Recipe

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You can make Starbucks Birthday Cake Pops from scratch at a fraction of the price! My cake pop recipe is so easy, and it tastes like Starbucks! My entire family loves this recipe, and I make it in bulk so my grandkids can have a birthday cake pop anytime!

Pink Starbucks Birthday Cake pops up close.  One in the back with a bite taken out of it.

Starbucks birthday cake pops always make me smile, and probably you do, too. It might be the pink coating or the perfect-sized treat. It likely is a combination of both!

What I don’t love is the price. On average, they are $3! Yikes! For the grandkids and me, that is an easy $20! Add an apple crisp oatmilk macchiato or strawberry acai, and I might need a second mortgage!

But, with this Starbucks Birthday Cake Pop copycat recipe, I make 24 at home for less than $10, a difference of $62. Yes, you read that right. I prefer to make them in bulk and freeze the extras. When I want to eat them, I take them out of the freezer, and it’s thawed in only 30 minutes! For birthday celebrations, I serve Starbucks birthday cake pops with funfetti poke cake. It’s a home run every time!

Starbucks Birthday Cake Pops

Quick Glance

EASE:  Medium. Mulitpe steps and takes time.
COURSE: Bite sized treat
TIME: 1 hour and 45 minutes
DIET: Starbucks recipe contains dairy; I have included vegan and gluten-free ingredient modifications.

Ingredients

Ingredients used to make recipe.

Cake

To make a copycat of the Starbucks Birthday cake pop, you first need to start with the cake. Starbucks uses vanilla cake for the birthday cake pop. You can make the cake from scratch or buy a boxed vanilla cake. I usually make cake pops using my vegan strawberry cake.

Frosting

After baking, the cake is crumbled and bound together with frosting. You can use homemade frosting or store-bought frosting. Try to use a frosting that is the same color as your cake. This helps with the flavor and visual appeal.

Coating

The best option for coating is candy melts. They are easy to find and work with. You can also buy them in pink online or at hobby stores. The pictured cake pops were made with Ghiradelli white chocolate melts and a touch of pink food coloring. The Ghiradedili is available at most grocery stores in the baking aisle.

Sprinkles

Starbucks uses tiny white sugar balls known as nonpareils for their sprinkles. You can buy nonpareils at large grocery stores, hobby stores, and Walmart. To match Starbucks birthday cake pops perfectly, I bought mine on Amazon. It was the only place I could find an exact match

Vegan Modifications

All the ingredients can easily be modified to vegan. Start with a vegan cake; you can use a vanilla cake or my vegan strawberry cake. Next, use a simple vegan vanilla frosting. You will need white vegan melts and pink gel food coloring. Finally, the white nonpareil sprinkles. This ingredient comes down to your sensitivity to sugar and possible bone char. The 365 Whole Foods Market lists their white nonpareils as vegan, although their cane sugar is not listed as organic. Let’s Do Organic is certified vegan, gluten-free, and does not use palm oil. However, their sprinkles only come in confetti.

Gluten-Free Modifications

Modify using a gluten-free vanilla cake and homemade gluten-free frosting. Wilton pink candy melts are gluten-free but made using equipment that also processes wheat. Depending on your gluten tolerance level, these might be ok for you. For white nonpareils, you can use the 365 Whole Foods Market brand.

Seven pink birthday cake pops in a jelly jar on a plate.

Instructions

Poking holes in a round styrofoam block.

Step One: Prep

  1. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Create a drying station. You can make a stand by poking small holes in a styrofoam block or cardboard box. You can purchase a stand on Amazon. You can also dry the cake pops on the baking sheet.
Two hands holding cake crumbs.

Step Two: Prepare the Crumbs

  1. Start with a baked cake. Break the cake into scaps using your hands or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.
  2. Add two tablespoons of frosting to the crumbs and mix well until the mixture binds together.
Hand holding a cake ball.

Step Three: Shape the Cake Balls

  1. Take a tablespoon of cake scapes and roll into a golf-sized ball. You can use your hands or a cake pop press. Repeat until all the balls have been formed.
  2. Place the baking sheet with the cake balls in the freezer for 30.
Inserting a stick with chocolate on the end into the cake ball.

Step Four: Inserting the Stick

  1. Melt two tablespoons of candy coating in a microwave-safe bowl. To microwave, lower the power level to 50% and melt it in 20-second bursts. Stir between bursts. Continue to microwave until the candy is 80% melted. It is important to note that the candy can go from melted to burned in seconds!

    Note: If creating a custom color, melt the entire batch now to ensure color consistency.
  2. Dip the stick into the melted coating and insert it into the center of the ball.
  3. Place the cake pop on the prepared baking sheet, with the stick straight up.
  4. Repeat for all the cake pops. Refrigerate for one hour.
Dipping a cake ball into pink candy coating.

Step Five: Set the Exterior Coating

  1. Melt the remaining coating in a large bowl or container large enough to submerge the cake pop.
  2. Remove 2-3 cake pops from the refrigerator at a time. Dip each one into the melted candy coating. Move the cake pop from front to back and side to side, creating an even coat.
  3. Lift the cake pop out of the coating at a 45-degree angle and allow the excess coating to drip off.
  4. Gently tap on the edge of the measuring cup or container to remove any excess coating.
Adding sprinkles to a cake pop

Step Six: Add Sprinkles

  1. While the coating is still wet, scatter the sprinkles on top. I do this over a teacup, so it is less messy.
  2. Place the cake pops upright in the drying station. If you do not have a drying station, lay them flat on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  3. Let the coating harden entirely before eating.

Pro Tips

  • Less is More with Frosting: Use just two tablespoons of frosting per cake. Any more and your cake pops will turn greasy.
  • Freeze the Cake Balls: Freezing the cake balls helps them hold their shape and stay on the stick while dipping.
  • Microwave Candy Melts Carefully: Microwave candy melts in 20-second bursts at 50% power, stirring in between, until 80% melted. The heat will finish melting the rest.
  • Set Up Three Stations: Organize your counter into dipping, sprinkling, and drying stations. Work on one cake pop at a time, or the sprinkles won’t stick.
  • High Altitude Adjustments: Modify for high altitude if you live above 3,000 feet. I recommend Colorado Statue University or King Aurther as resources.
Pink, blue and yellow cake pops in a glass.

Frequently Asked Questions

Starbucks birthday cake pop is made with a vanilla cake and white candy melts. The white candy melts have had pink coloring added.

Refrigerator – Store in the refrigerator for up to seven days.

Freezer –Place cake pops on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze until solid for about an hour. Then, transfer them to an airtight container and freeze them for up to four weeks. To thaw, let them sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

If you tried this Starbucks Cake Pop Copycat Recipe or any other recipe on my blog leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below.

Starbucks birthday cake pops up close.

Starbucks Birthday Cake Pops Recipe

You can make Starbucks Birthday Cake Pops from scratch at a fraction of the price! My cake pop recipe is so easy, and it tastes like Starbucks! My entire family loves this recipe, and I make it in bulk so my grandkids can have a birthday cake pop anytime!
5 from 22 votes
Print Rate Save
Course: party, Treats
Cuisine: American
Servings: 24 pops
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 baked cake
  • 2 tablespoons frosting
  • 40 ounces candy melts
  • nonpareils sprinkles

Instructions

Step One: Prep

  • Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Create a drying station. You can make a stand by poking small holes in a styrofoam block or cardboard box. You can purchase a stand on Amazon. You can also dry the cake pops on the baking sheet.

Step Two: Prepare the Crumbs

  • Start with a baked cake. Break the cake into scaps using your hands or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.
  • Add two tablespoons of frosting to the crumbs and mix well until the mixture binds together.

Step Three: Shape the Cake Balls

  • Take a tablespoon of cake scapes and roll into a golf-sized ball. You can use your hands or a cake pop press. Repeat until all the balls have been formed.
  • Place the baking sheet with the cake balls in the freezer for 30.

Step Four: Set the Sticks

  • Melt two tablespoons of candy coating in a microwave-safe bowl. To microwave, lower the power level to 50% and melt it in 20-second bursts. Stir between bursts. Continue to microwave until the candy is 80% melted. It is important to note that the candy can go from melted to burned in seconds!
    Note: If creating a custom color, melt the entire batch now to ensure color consistency.
  • Dip the stick into the melted chocolate or coating and insert it into the center of the ball. Place the cake pop on the prepared baking sheet, with the stick straight up.
  • Repeat for all the cake pops. Refrigerate for one hour.

Step Five: Set the Outside Coating

  • Melt the remaining coating in a large bowl or container. The goal here is to use a container where you can submerge the cake pop. I recommend using one that is narrow and deep. I like to use a measuring cup that is one or two cups in size.
  • Remove 2-3 cake pops from the refrigerator at a time. Dip each one into the melted candy coating. Move the cake pop from front to back and side to side, creating an even coat.
  • Lift the cake pop out of the coating at a 45-degree angle and allow the excess coating to drip off. Gently tap on the edge of the measuring cup or container to remove any excess coating.

Step Six: Add Sprinkles and Dry

  • While the coating is still wet, scatter the sprinkles on top. I do this over a teacup, so it is less messy.
  • Place the cake pops upright in the drying station. If you do not have a drying station, lay them flat on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Let the coating harden entirely before eating.

Notes

  • Less is More with Frosting: Use just two tablespoons of frosting per cake. Any more and your cake pops will turn greasy.
  • Freeze the Cake Balls: Freezing the cake balls helps them hold their shape and stay on the stick while dipping.
  • Microwave Candy Melts Carefully: Microwave candy melts in 20-second bursts at 50% power, stirring in between, until 80% melted. The heat will finish melting the rest.
  • Set Up Three Stations: Organize your counter into dipping, sprinkling, and drying stations. Work on one cake pop at a time, or the sprinkles won’t stick.
  • High Altitude Adjustments: Modify for high altitude if you live above 3,000 feet. I recommend Colorado Statue University or King Aurther as resources.
Storing 
  • Refrigerator – Store in the refrigerator for up to seven days.
  • Freezer –Place cake pops on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze until solid for about an hour. Then, transfer them to an airtight container and freeze them for up to four weeks. To thaw, let them sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 217kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 99mg | Potassium: 36mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 28IU | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 1mg
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Did you make this? Leave a comment below and let me know how it turned out!

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