These July 4th cake pops are the perfect patriotic treat you can make. Soft and with a delicate crumb, I can’t tell you how much you’re going to love this way to use a box cake mix – you’re going to have to taste them for yourself!
You can find a ton more fun patriotic treats here, if you’d like to plan a whole party around a July 4th celebration!
One of the things I like best about making the most of a fun Independence Day, Memorial Day, or Veteran’s Day celebration is getting the little one involved in helping me make delicious treats like cake pops or ice cream cone cupcakes.
I know this might seem silly, but they’re going to enjoy their sugary cake pop EVEN MORE if they helped to make them. And, they’re going to appreciate creating and learning in the kitchen.
If you’re ready to make some stunning red, white, and blue cake pops, let’s get started.
July 4th Cake Pops
I know making cake pops can seem kind of daunting, but these are one of those sweet treats that looks so much harder to make than they really are.
The hardest part is dipping your cake pops into the candy melts and gently tapping off the excess. Other than that, it’s a fun process of destroying cake or adding sprinkles to make it fourth of July themed. You can do this.
What Kind of Cake Do You Use to Make Cake Pops?
You can use any kind of cake to make cake pops. Personally, I prefer to use the cake that crumbles and looks terrible. No, really! If you’re making cake and end up with one that just falls apart and doesn’t look good when it comes out of the pan, that’s the cake to use for cake pops!
For this particular recipe, I used a vanilla box cake. It’s tasty and easy – my favorite combination.
Specialty Ingredients for Patriotic Cake Pops:
The following ingredients are affiliate links on Amazon because they may be a bit hard to find in your normal store. I wanted you to be able to see exactly which things we are using.
- Red, White or Blue Candy Coating (I had white on-hand so that’s what I used)
- Red, White and Blue Sprinkles
- Icing, Ice Cream (melted) or Whipped Cream (to mix with your crumbled cake)
Reminder, not all ingredients in the July 4th Cake Pop Recipe are linked above, just the ones that may be a bit difficult to find or that you might be unsure of what to look for.
Must Have Resources:
When making these patriotic treats at home, you really need to have the following Amazon affiliate tools on hand.
- Wax Paper
- Lollipop Sticks
- Large Bowl (to crumble the cake mixture into; it needs to be pretty big)
Make it a Meal:
I get it, making a full-on spread for your party can be kind of a stressor. So, take the cue from some of these tasty recipes that will make your life so much easier!
Main Dish: Meat and Cheese Plate Ideas
Dip Side: Easy Loaded Queso Dip
Starch Side: Parmesan Steak Fries
Refreshing Drink: Cotton Candy Mocktail
And if you want to really kick it up a notch, you can plan out your meals for a whole year with this awesome 52-week Meal Planning Set! Takes all the stress away from food, which is amazing.
Best 4th of July Desserts Recipes:
Once you’ve made these awesome patriotic cake pops, you’re going to want more patriotic treats to make with the kids. So, conveniently, I’ve pulled together a list of yummy kid-friendly patriotic desserts you can definitely make together.
This Red, White & Blue Ice Cream is a seriously cool treat that the kids are just going to love making with you!
This 4th of July Cookie Cake at Walking on Sunshine looks delightfully delicious!
Easy to make and super fun, these Firecracker Pretzel Rods are a treat that kids can make their own.
Your kids are going to go bananas for the colorful surprise hidden in these 4th of July Jello Cupcakes from Fat Dad Foodie!
Oh, how the kids are going to LOVE poking this Patriotic Poke Cake–poke poke poke!
If you need a snack for watching the fireworks show, this Patriotic Popcorn with a surprise POP is where it’s at.
Biggest Tip for Making Cake Pops?
Wait until the cake part is COMPLETELY cooled. Now, I know that the candy melts are already warm when you’re dipping, but the candy won’t cool fast enough to keep from looking like drippy if you have hot cake inside.
So, let that cake cool.
Can you make cake pops ahead of time?
Cake pops are a popular dessert that can be made ahead of time. The cake is mixed with frosting, shaped into balls, and then coated with candy or chocolate.
Cake pops can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two days. When ready to serve, the cake pops can be placed on sticks and served with dipping sauce.
Making cake pops ahead of time is a great way to save time and ensure that they will be fresh and delicious when served.
How do you keep cake pops from sweating?
Sweating is a problem that often plagues cake pops. When the humidity levels are high, or the temperature of the room is warm, condensation can form on the surface of the cake pop, making it sticky and difficult to eat. There are a few ways to prevent this from happening.
First, make sure that your cake pops are completely cooled before adding the coating. If they are even slightly warm, the condensation will cause the coating to melt.
Second, use a chocolate coating rather than a vanilla coating. Chocolate is less likely to sweat than vanilla, so it will provide a barrier that will help to keep the cake pop dry.
Finally, if you are using sprinkles or other decorations, add them after the coating has dried. This will help to prevent the humidity from getting trapped under the decorations and causing the cake pop to sweat.
Why are my cake pops cracking when rolling?
There are several reasons why cake pops may crack when rolling.
One possibility is that the cake mixture is too dry. When the cake is too dry, it will be crumbly and difficult to roll into balls.
Another possibility is that the fat content in the cake is too low. This can cause the cake to be fragile and more likely to crack.
Finally, if the cake pops are rolled too tightly, they may also crack. To avoid these problems, be sure to use a moist, well-hydrated cake mix and roll the balls gently.
With a little practice, you should be able to avoid cracking your cake pops.
More Cake Pop Recipes:
July 4th Cake Pops
Such a simple and fun patriotic treat, these July 4th cake pops are so fast to come together and the kids are going to love helping to make them!
Ingredients
- 1 Duncan Hines Classic White cake box mix (or your preferred cake mix, simply follow the directions on the back of your cake box)
- 3 eggs
- 1/3 cup of vegetable oil
- 1 cup of water
- 1 10-oz bag of Ghirardelli white melting wafers
- 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
- 1/3 part of a 12-oz container of cream cheese
- Patriotic sprinkles
Instructions
- Follow the directions on the back of your cake mix and bake.
- Let the cake cool completely before crumbling it up and fluffing it.
- Mix in the cream cheese frosting until well combined.
- Take 1 tablespoon of the mix and form it into a ball and place it on a cookies sheet. Repeat the process until all of the mix has been used.
- Place the cake balls into the freezer for a half hour to harden up a bit.
- Five minutes before you pull the cake balls out of the freezer, melt the vanilla wafers. Microwave the wafers in 30 second intervals.
- Once the wafers are melted, mix in the coconut oil.
- Remove the cake balls from the freezer and push one stick into the center of each of the balls.
- Stretch some cling wrap over three cups and set aside.
- Dip the cake balls into the chocolate and decorate with sprinkles immediately.
- Push the cake pop sticks into the cling wrap covered glasses to dry completely. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 36 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 115Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 48mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 1gSugar: 5gProtein: 2g
If you loved this recipe, be sure to save it to your favorite easy desserts recipe board on Pinterest so you can find it again quick later!
