Pot of Gold Cake Pops (Printable Version)

Chocolate cake balls coated in black candy and decorated with gold sprinkles for a festive treat.

# What You'll Need:

→ Cake

01 - 1 box (14.25 oz) chocolate cake mix with required eggs, oil, and water per package instructions

→ Frosting

02 - ½ cup chocolate frosting, store-bought or homemade

→ Decoration

03 - 14 oz black candy melts
04 - 2 oz gold sprinkles or edible gold pearls
05 - 24 lollipop sticks
06 - 1.75 oz white candy melts, optional for accents
07 - Green fondant or sprinkles for shamrock garnish, optional

# Method:

01 - Preheat oven to temperature specified on cake mix box. Prepare chocolate cake batter according to package directions. Pour into prepared baking pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely at room temperature.
02 - Break cooled cake into fine crumbs in a large mixing bowl. Add chocolate frosting and fold together until mixture resembles wet sand with a uniform dough-like consistency.
03 - Scoop mixture with tablespoon and roll into 24 balls approximately 1.5 inches in diameter. Flatten the top of each ball slightly to create a pot-shaped form.
04 - Arrange formed cake pops on parchment-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for 30 minutes until firm.
05 - Melt black candy melts according to package instructions, using microwave-safe bowl or double boiler method.
06 - Dip tip of each lollipop stick into melted black candy. Insert stick halfway into each cake pop. Chill for 10 minutes to secure sticks.
07 - Fully submerge each cake pop into melted black candy coating, rotating gently to ensure even coverage. Allow excess coating to drip off before positioning upright in styrofoam block or cake pop stand.
08 - While coating is still tacky, immediately sprinkle gold sprinkles or edible gold pearls on top of each cake pop to simulate coins overflowing from pot.
09 - Pipe thin rim around top edge of each pot using additional melted black or white candy melts for enhanced dimensional detail.
10 - Apply green fondant pieces or green sprinkles as shamrock garnish if desired. Allow all coatings to set completely before serving.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • They look impossibly fancy but come together with stuff you probably have at home already.
  • The combination of rich chocolate with that playful gold shimmer makes people pause before eating them, like they're almost too pretty.
  • You can make the whole batch in one afternoon and they keep for days, so zero stress about last-minute entertaining.
02 -
  • The cake mixture has to be completely cool before you add frosting, otherwise the whole thing gets greasy and slides off the sticks like it's negotiating with gravity.
  • Dip the coating temperature matters more than you'd think, so if it starts looking thick or gloopy while you're working, microwave it for 10 seconds to loosen it back up.
03 -
  • A styrofoam block works great for drying, but if you don't have one, just stand them upright on a plate lined with parchment paper.
  • Keep your candy melt bowl over warm water between dips so it stays at the perfect consistency without getting scorched.
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