Let’s talk cake pops, and how to make cake pops with the Babycakes Cake Pop maker!
Tips For Using The Babycakes Cake Pop Maker
When I make cakepops, more often than not I make them using the Babycakes Cake Pop Maker. I received this as a gift, and honestly my first thought was “gimmick”.
Well it turns out, it’s a great little machine and extremely useful. I LOVE the taste of cake pops made this way, compared to the cake and frosting method, and you can add a filling if you like.
Kohls often has it on sale and if you can catch it with a sale and a coupon, you can usually get a great price.
Getting Round Cake Pops
The question I get the most about the Babycakes Cake Pop Maker is how I get my cake pops round, with many people telling me that theirs come out flat or and odd shape. My immediate question is if they used a regular cake mix or a recipe from Babycakes.
They almost always reply that they used a regular cake mix.
Cake Pop Maker Recipes
Given that a regular mix still requires adding ingredients, measuring and mixing, it only takes a few more quick steps to make them from scratch using one of the Babycakes recipes. Making a recipe from scratch with the cake pop maker is still quicker than the original method of baking a cake, and then chopping it up and mixing it with frosting and shaping the balls by hand.
EDITED TO ADD: As of 2017, it looks like the recipes are no longer available on the website unfortunately. Never fear, I have a chocolate cake pop recipe at the end of this post, and you can find the VANILLA CAKE POP MAKER RECIPE here.
Babycakes has their instruction manual, with recipes (previously available on their website). I absolutely LOVE the vanilla cake pop recipe that is in the manual, and it’s my go to recipe for cake pops, it reminds me of pound cake. I’ve found each one that I’ve tried to be delicious and they work great with the machine. I am very excited that they have a brand new cookbook of cake pop recipes with 175 cake pop recipes. I can not wait to try them.
Cake Pop Mix Vs From Scratch Recipe
My take is that if you are going to use the machine, use one of their recipes. 
They’ve been developed for and tested in the Babycakes machine. The included instruction manual includes some great recipes.
I’m not saying cake mixes won’t work, I just think that it makes sense that you will get the best results following a recipe that was made specifically for this purpose. The Babycakes recipes seem to produce a much thicker batter, which certainly makes it easier to fill the wells of the machine.
The batter is so thick that put my batter into a Ziploc freezer bag and “pipe” it into the wells. I tried this with a cake mix and it was not fun, the cake mix was just too runny. I also saw a suggestion to use a Pancake Pen for the batter. This sounds like an excellent idea that I might have to try.
As of 2019, it appears that Babycakes no longer sells cake pop mixes. I’ve seen this cake pop mix on Amazon, but can’t speak to the results it produces.
Using A Cake Mix To Make Cake Pops
If you want to use a store bought mix, I recommend cutting back on the amount of liquid in the recipe. This is something that is likely going to be different with each brand and flavor, meaning there is no blanket “cut back x amount”. I would also recommend adding a bit more baking powder to the mix, even if just half a teaspoon.
Another fun thing about making your cake pops with the Babycakes machine is that you can easily add/inject a filling into the cake pops! We’ve only used frosting (because we love frosting) but I’m sure you could put lots of other yummy fillings in.
Also, check out this fantastic video from Ahh’s Cakes where she uses the Babycakes Cake Pop Maker and goes through every step – it’s about ten minutes long and very helpful. She appears to be using one of the Pancake Pens to dispense her batter.
The Babycakes Cakepop Maker might take a bit of practice (though I have to say my very first batch turned out quite nicely), but I really think it’s worth figuring it out, especially if you need to make large batches of cake pops. It also makes some delicious donut holes. There are other cake pop makers and pans, such as cake pop pans. I haven’t tried it, so can’t speak for how it works.
Make sure to check out this post for tips, advice, idea and resources for dipping and decorating your cake pops and thoughts on some common cake pop challenges such as getting the chocolate smooth, preventing the chocolate from cracking and getting the cake pops to stay on their sticks.
CHOCOLATE CAKE POP MAKER RECIPE
Babycakes Chocolate Cake Pops
Ingredients
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons cocoa
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ cup freshly brewed hot coffee
- Glaze or coating of choice
Instructions
- Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl.
- Add buttermilk, vegetable oil, egg and vanilla. Using a mixer, blend until smooth.
- Add coffee and continue mixing until coffee is evenly incorporated into mixture.
- Fill each cooking reservoir with about 1 tablespoon of batter.
- Bake 4 to 5 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a cake pop comes out clean.
- Allow to cool and glaze or coat, as desired.
- Makes about 3½ dozen cake pops
Notes
Nutrition
Want a vanilla cake pop recipe for the
Babycakes cake pop maker? I’ve got one here!
Iris says
Are there any eggless cake pop recipes? My son is allergic to eggs but would love to use this machine to make some goodies! Thanks in advance for any good recipes!
Christi Johnstone says
Hi Iris, I’m afraid I’m not experienced with egg free recipe (we’ve got nut and dairy issues, so avoiding those in some recipes). You might try some of your favorite egg subs and see how they work.
Tonia M says
I’ve been using my Baby Cakes Cake Pop maker for about 6 years – and make a ton of cakepops. I almost always use a box mix (Pillsbury is my go-to). My trick is to mix up the batter, using the box directions, and refrigerate it (covered) for at least 2 hours. This makes it nice and thick. I then fill up a 16″ or 18″ pastry bag and pipe it into the cake pop maker. Usually, I will make my batter first thing in the morning, and make cake pops in the afternoon. This makes it a nice, easy task. I frequently make over 100 cakepops at a time, so I freeze them in containers that hold about 2 dozen each, well wrapped in plastic wrap. They come out fresh weeks later.
k1beauty says
thanks for the info it’s my first time gonna try making cake pop and I am excited.
June says
Do you wrap the cake pops individually in plastic wrap before freezing them?
Christi Johnstone says
No, I do not.
sandra abney says
I am excited aa=bout this. I live in assisted living with no stove jusr a fridg, and a microwave. and right now we are in quarantine because of the irous. I can make these and send the, to my residents.
Monica says
Hello, I just recently purchased the Babycakes cake-pop maker. Does the fresh brewed coffee need to be hot or cold? Thanks and I’m excited to try for the first time :)))
Peggy Baer says
Love this recipe. It is very simple. I was concerned that the batter seemed liquidity, it they baked perfectly.
Samantha says
Tips for using a cake mix:
1. Instead of water use milk and do half the amount called for. (If it says 1 1/3 cup of water, use 2/3 cup of milk)
2. Add a package of pudding mix (whatever flavor will blend best with your cake)
This will thicken your mixture to the consistency of the recipes
Lin McCraw says
Hello Christi from VA. I am fairly new to your recipes but I love your in-depth explanations and info. I am 70 yrs old and you would think I would have recipes, cooking & baking down pat, but I learn something new every single day. I was taught by my grandmother, over 60 yrs ago, in the very old ways of baking & cooking where there were really few shortcuts in the recipes. There were no microwaves and we cooked and baked on wood stoves until I was a teen when they got their 1st gas stove. I would like to say that cooking & baking back then was so very different. Everything made was “from scratch”. There was no temperature control on the wood stoves and you had to just keep watch over everything cooking & baking. Actually, I wouldn’t trade this experience for all the new gas and electric stoves on the planet-lol.
I have a few questions, I hope you have time to answer. Have you tried using one of the small bags of Muffin mixes, i.e. Martha White, Betty Crocker, in the Baby Cakes to make donut holes? They come in an array of flavors (albeit artificial-lol) and are just the right size for the small batches. I am looking for any alterations in the recipes such as less liquid or the addition of any other ingredients for the mixes to be successful. I also want to know if you have tried the Jiffy cornbread mixes ( they have just the right amt of sugar) to make hushpuppies by adding finely chopped onion, green onion & well-drained corn. I haven’t but I know there most likely has to be adjustments for them. I take my two little dogs, we jump in our motorhome, & the three of us go camping. Using boxed mixes is really a must. Thank you for such a wonderful site and I hope you can help me. Have a wonderful day with many blessings to you and your family.
Christi Johnstone says
Thank you, Lin!