Skeleton cake is popping just in time for Halloween! If you’ve always wanted to try your hand at cake pops, our real chocolate milk version is about to become a family favorite!
This post was written in collaboration with American dairy brands and farming families.
Skeleton Cake Pops are one of those popular treats that are not only fun to eat, but even more fun to make! These spooky Halloween-inspired cake pops are great because they don’t require coloring or advanced decorating skills.
What is the best chocolate?
For a less sweet cake pop, use a darker plain chocolate for the chocolate ganache frosting. Keep in mind that the white chocolate is quite sweet, so the darker bittersweet center is a nice balance.
For a sweeter kid-approved cake pop, try semi-sweet chocolate or even milk chocolate! You can also substitute chocolate chips for the chopped chocolate if you like.
Take steps ahead
As this is a multi-step process, you can pause at any point or split the cake pop project over several days. Here’s what works for me:
- Day 1: Make the cake layer, cover and leave on the counter overnight.
- Day 2: The next day, crumble the cake into a bowl, add a chocolate ganache, shape into balls and refrigerate overnight.
- Day 3: On the third day you can decorate! Put lollipop sticks in the cooled cake balls, spread them over them and let them dry. Then decorate with the skeleton faces.
Or do it all at once, in one day. It’s not as hard as it seems.
Tips for decorating the cake pops
It might seem daunting to decorate your own cake pops, but don’t worry! Here are a few tips that can help you with that:
- Practice drawing faces on a piece of wax paper or parchment paper first. This will give you a feel for how much pressure to apply when squeezing your icing bag and how you want to “draw” the faces.
- Place each cake pop on a piece of parchment paper or wax paper. It’s easier to draw on the cake pops while they’re lying flat on the table than trying to draw on them while they’re vertical.
- Don’t be afraid to make asymmetrical faces! A small eye and a big eye and a crooked smile are always fun and creepy cute.
- Finally, if you make a lot of cake pops, it might be worth making a custom cake pop holder to help with decorating. To do this, simply take a few small pieces of 2 x 4 lumber (about 16 inches long) and simply drill holes in them, in a grid pattern, about 2 inches apart. Then you can stick the cake pops into the holes while dipping and decorating to allow the cake pops to dry. If you don’t plan on making cake pops too often, just find a cardboard box and punch a few holes in it with a nail and use it to hold the cake pops while decorating!
Storing your cake pops
Cake pops can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. You can also freeze the cake pops! Simply place them print side up on a large sheet pan and freeze for 1 hour. Then place them in the freezer in an airtight container or resealable gallon bag for up to 6 weeks.
A shortcut for simpler cake pops
If you don’t want to make the cake from scratch, you can use box mix designed to make one layer of a 9-inch cake. Replace the water in the cake batter with an equal amount of chocolate milk to give the cake a richer chocolate flavor.
Skeleton cake pops
ingredients
- For the cake layer:
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1 cup all-purpose flour
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1/2 cup white sugar
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6 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder
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1/2 teaspoon baking soda
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1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
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1/2 cup chocolate milk
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1/2 cup vegetable oil
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2 large eggs
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1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- For the chocolate ganache frosting:
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7 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped, about 1 1/3 cups
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1/2 cup chocolate milk
- For the coating:
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24 ounces white chocolate chips
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2 ounces coconut oil, melted, about 4 tablespoons
- For the decoration:
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1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
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1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
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2 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
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Food coloring black
special equipment
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blender
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Small piping bag
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Little pastry tip
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lollipop stick
method
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Preheat the oven and prepare the pan:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking oil, then line the bottom with a round piece of parchment paper.
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Mix the ingredients together:
Place the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Mix with a whisk until ingredients are evenly distributed and uniform in color.
In a small bowl, combine the chocolate milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla and whisk together.
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Make the dough:
Pour into the dry ingredients and fold in with a large spatula, stirring until all the dry ingredients are absorbed and there are no dry pockets.
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Bake the cake:
Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 24-26 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
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Crumble Cake:
Allow to cool in the pan, then invert the cake into a large bowl. Peel off the parchment paper. Crumble the cake into small crumbs with your hands.
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Make the Chocolate Ganache:
Place the chopped chocolate in a large bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each cook time until chocolate is melted. Usually it takes about 90 seconds.
Add the chocolate milk and stir until the mixture is smooth.
How to melt chocolate chipsCONTINUE READING:
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Mix ganache and cake:
Pour half of the ganache into the bowl with the cake crumbs. Stir with a spatula until the ganache is absorbed, then scrape the remaining ganache into the bowl.
Stir with the spatula until most of the crumbs are combined, then get in with your clean hands and massage the mixture until all of the crumbs are incorporated and combined.
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Shape cake balls:
Form 1-inch balls by rolling some of the mixture between your hands and squeezing them so they stick together. Place on a small baking sheet, then repeat with the remaining mixture. Chill the balls for 10 minutes while you prepare the white coating.
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Make the white coating:
Place the white chocolate in a large bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each cook time until chocolate is melted. Usually it takes about 60 to 90 seconds. Do not overheat the white chocolate. Just stir and let the residual heat from the bowl melt any chunks.
Once the white chocolate has melted, pour the melted coconut oil into the bowl and stir in. This will thin the chocolate and make it easier to coat the cake pops.
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Dipping cake balls:
When the cake balls are chilled, pull them out and dip one end of the lollipop stick into the white chocolate about 1/2 inch and then insert it into one of the balls. This will help keep the lollipop stick in the ball.
Once the lollipop stick is in the ball, dip the ball into the white chocolate coating, then gently tap the side of the bowl to drain any excess coating. Place the coated cake ball in a wooden 2 x 4 that has a hole drilled or in a cardboard box with holes in it. Repeat with the remaining cake balls.
Allow the white chocolate coating to dry and set while you make the decorations.
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Prepare the black piping frosting:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Beat on medium speed until creamy, scraping the sides once or twice to ensure it is fully mixed.
Add the black food coloring until the frosting is black. Scrape the icing into a piping bag with a small smooth tip.
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Decorate:
Once the cake balls are set and dry (the coating will look matte not glossy) you’re ready to decorate them! Before attempting to draw on the cake pops, try drawing funny faces on a piece of parchment or wax paper first. Repeat until all cake pops are done.
