One of the most exciting parts of baking a cake is the chance to decorate it. With so many colors, designs, and decorations, the possibilities are endless. This is also true for cake pops. Though the surface you’re working with is a little different, you can still use chocolate coatings, sprinkles, frosting, and other decorations to create a sweet masterpiece with every pop.
Looking for inspiration? Check out these unique ways to decorate your cake pops and have fun making an iconic treat for your next gathering.
The Traditional Chocolate Coating
You can’t go wrong with sweet simplicity. A straightforward chocolate coating is one of the most popular ways to decorate your cake pops, but that doesn’t mean it’s plain or boring. In fact, a chocolate coating is the base for nearly every cake pop design. You can create fun, bold colors by melting white chocolate wafers and adding food coloring to the mix. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box with color combinations, additional chocolate drizzles, or other fun designs.
Layered Chocolate Coating
Can’t decide which color to go for with your chocolate coating? Luckily, you don’t have to stick to just one. Using multiple chocolate coatings adds more color and texture to your cake pops, making them stand out even more on the dessert table.
Start with your first chocolate dip. This should be the color that you want at the bottom of the cake pop, near the skewer. Dip the entire cake ball, then let it harden. Next, melt your second color and dip the cake pop part of the way in without submerging it fully. The second color will coat and harden over the first, creating a layered look.
Do this however many times you want with whatever colors you want. Just be careful using lighter colors, such as white or pastels, over darker ones. You might need to dip a couple of times to get them to show up clearly.
A Sprinkle of Color
Who doesn’t love sprinkles? Whether you’re using classic rainbow sprinkles or getting fancy with sugar crystals or edible glitter, these decorations add a pop of color and sparkle to your masterpiece.
Once you dip the cake pops in the chocolate coating, roll them in a plate of sprinkles. You can also keep your sprinkle dish a little cleaner by dropping the sprinkles onto the cake pop by hand. When you’re done, shake off any extras and let the cake pop harden in the fridge or freezer.
Other Cake Pop Toppings
Sprinkles are an obvious choice of cake pop decoration, but they’re not the only thing you can sprinkle on. Chopped nuts, coconut flakes, cinnamon sugar, and other toppings also make a great addition to your pops.
Get Creative With a Layer of Frosting
Much like you would add frosting to a cake or cupcake, you can add it to your cake pops. Once you let the chocolate coating harden, use a small piping bag to add your frosting layer. The narrower the tip, the easier it is to get more detailed.
This is a great way to make more intricate designs, but you don’t have to go all out. If you don’t feel like you have enough room to get too fancy, keep it simple and easy with straightforward designs like stripes, spirals, zigzags, or polka dots. You can also add some personalization with initials or significant numbers for birthdays or anniversaries.
Decorating for the Holidays
A holiday party deserves holiday treats. With cake pops, it’s easy to make desserts that match the theme perfectly. You can be as simple or as detailed as you want.
If you want to keep things easy, stick with shapes that complement the natural look of the cake pop. But if you want to mix it up, try molding your cake balls into different shapes to open the door for even more designs. Whether you’re hand-sculpting intricate designs or simply using themed colors, you’ll end up with a delicious seasonal treat that’s sure to turn heads.
Halloween Cake Pops
Whether you’re going for spooky or cute, there are countless designs, characters, and symbols associated with Halloween. Dip your cake pop in orange chocolate and add some black frosting for a delicious little jack-o-lantern. Mold your cake ball into a cone shape and dip it in layers of white, orange, and yellow to make candy corn pops. If you really want to get creative, try adding licorice legs to a black cake pop to make spiders.
Christmas Cake Pops
If you’re baking for a festive party, be sure to bust out the Christmas colors and shimmers. Remember that cone shape you made for your candy corn cake pops? Dip it in green instead, then add garland and ornaments with your frosting to create a Christmas tree. Another idea is to add two cake balls to one skewer, then dip them in white chocolate to make a happy snowman. Use edible glitter to add a bit of sparkle to your snowmen or a magical Christmas light twinkle to your trees.
Iconic Characters
Character designs can fit a party theme wonderfully, making them particularly popular at kids’ birthdays and similar events. Try to stick with characters that have one or two distinguishable features, like Batman’s mask or Harry Potter’s glasses and lightning-shaped scar.
You don’t have to just use character faces, though. Designs like Superman’s symbol, Charlie Brown’s shirt, and Mickey Mouse’s ears are instantly recognizable, making for an easy and iconic design that will charm everyone at your party.
Create a DIY Cake Pop Bar
Who says you have to do all the work of decorating on your own? If you’re making cake pops for a kids’ party or other informal event, let your kids help decorate them ahead of time. This is a great way to get everyone involved, create fun designs, and take some of the stress off your shoulders. You might not end up with the most pristine designs, but you’ll have fun while you make them together, and that’s what’s most important.
Just make sure to decorate in advance so the cake pops have plenty of time to harden before your party. Feel free to make them a couple days ahead of time and stick them in the freezer. This will preserve your designs and ensure that your cake pops still look and taste delicious when it’s time to share them with everyone else.
Find Your Creativity With Damask Cakes
Learning how to make and decorate your cake pops doesn’t have to be difficult. With the cake pop making sets from Damask Cakes, you can grab everything you need to create easy, beautiful, and delicious cake pops every time. Check out our different flavors and decorations when you browse the cake kits at Damask Cakes today.
