# List of Ingredients:
→ Cake
01 - 1 box (15 oz) vanilla or chocolate cake mix, plus eggs, oil, and water as instructed
02 - OR 1 homemade 9-inch cake, fully cooled
→ Frosting
03 - 1/2 cup cream cheese frosting or buttercream frosting
→ Coating & Decoration
04 - 12 oz candy melts in school colors or white chocolate with food coloring
05 - 2 tbsp vegetable shortening (optional, for thinning chocolate)
06 - Sprinkles, edible glitter, or colored sugar in coordinating colors
07 - 24 lollipop sticks
08 - 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
09 - Fondant in school colors (optional, for cap decorations)
# Directions:
01 - Bake cake according to box or homemade recipe directions. Cool completely on a wire rack before proceeding.
02 - Using clean hands or a spatula, crumble the cooled cake into fine crumbs in a large mixing bowl.
03 - Gradually add frosting to cake crumbs, mixing until the mixture becomes cohesive and holds together when pressed. Use only as much frosting as needed to achieve the desired texture.
04 - Scooping out tablespoon-sized portions, roll the mixture into 24 uniform balls and arrange them on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
05 - Cover the sheet and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or freeze for 20 minutes to firm up the shaped balls.
06 - Microwave candy melts or chocolate in 30-second intervals until melted and smooth, stirring each time. If coating is too thick, incorporate vegetable shortening gradually to achieve a fluid consistency.
07 - Dip the end of each lollipop stick into the melted coating, then insert halfway into each chilled cake ball.
08 - Fully submerge each cake pop into the melted coating, gently tapping to remove excess coating.
09 - While the coating remains wet, apply sprinkles and colored sugar. For cap decorations, press a fondant square on top and affix a mini chocolate chip with a bit of melted coating to create a tassel.
10 - Place dipped cake pops upright in a styrofoam block or cake pop stand. Allow coating to harden fully before serving or packaging.
