Graduation Cake Pops Gold (Printable Version)

Festive pops in school colors decorated with shimmering gold sprinkles, ideal for celebrations and gatherings.

# What You Need:

→ Cake

01 - 1 box vanilla or chocolate cake mix with required ingredients (eggs, oil, water)

→ Frosting

02 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
03 - 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
04 - 1 tablespoon milk
05 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
06 - Pinch of salt

→ Coating and Decoration

07 - 16 ounces candy melts in two school colors
08 - 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening or coconut oil, optional
09 - Gold sprinkles or edible gold glitter
10 - 24 lollipop sticks
11 - Styrofoam block for drying

# Directions:

01 - Bake cake mix according to package directions. Cool completely before proceeding.
02 - Beat softened butter until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and salt. Continue beating until frosting reaches smooth and fluffy consistency.
03 - Crumble cooled cake into large bowl. Gradually incorporate 1/2 to 3/4 cup frosting, mixing until mixture holds together without becoming overly moist.
04 - Roll mixture into 24 uniform balls approximately 1 tablespoon each. Arrange on parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate minimum 1 hour or freeze 30 minutes.
05 - Melt small amount of candy melts. Dip stick end into melted candy and insert halfway into each cake ball to secure attachment.
06 - Melt candy melts separately according to package instructions. Stir in shortening if smoother coating desired. Dip each cake pop into selected school color, tapping gently to remove excess coating.
07 - While candy coating remains wet, apply gold sprinkles or edible gold glitter. Position upright in Styrofoam block to set completely.
08 - Allow coating to harden completely before serving or packaging. Store in airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days or refrigerate up to 1 week.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • They look fancy enough to serve at any celebration, but honestly, they're forgiving enough that even your first batch will turn out gorgeous.
  • Your hands will get messy in the best way, and the actual decorating part feels less like cooking and more like creating edible confetti.
  • Twenty-four pops means you'll have extras to snack on guilt-free while everyone's admiring the pretty ones.
02 -
  • If your cake balls aren't cold enough when you dip them, they'll slide right off the stick into the melted candy like they're taking a bath—I learned this the hard way and had to start over with a fresh batch.
  • Adding that vegetable shortening to your candy melts isn't optional if you want a smooth coat; without it, the chocolate gets thick and gloppy and refuses to drape properly.
  • Don't skip the stick-insertion step into a little melted candy first; it's the difference between beautiful presentation and a stick that spins loose in the coating.
03 -
  • Keep your candy melt bowls warm but not hot while you work—too hot and they become thin and runny, too cool and they clump and drag on your pops.
  • If you want an ombre effect where one color gradually fades to the other, dip some pops halfway into the first color, let them set for a minute, then dip the bottom half into the second color.
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