Lemon Cake Pops with Cream Cheese Icing
Lemon cake pops made from a box of lemon cake and cream cheese icing, rolled into bites and dipped in white chocolate. Bright, tangy, and built for spring.
Lemon desserts hit different in spring, and these are the first thing I start making the second it warms up. Tangy lemon cake, a swipe of cream cheese icing to bind it, rolled into bites and dipped in white chocolate that snaps when you bite in.
A lemon cake pop is a ball of crumbled lemon cake mixed with frosting, set on a stick, and coated in white chocolate or candy melts. Starting from a box of lemon cake mix keeps the ingredient list short and the flavor reliably bright.
I’ve rolled hundreds of these for showers and parties, and the cream cheese icing is the move. It gives the center that lemon-bar tang instead of the flat sweetness you get from plain vanilla frosting.
If you’re building a cake pop spread, my Red Velvet Cake Pops and Strawberry Cake Pops round it out.
Why You’ll Love These Lemon Cake Pops
- The lemon flavor reads bright and real, not artificial, because the cream cheese icing cuts the sweetness.
- You start from a box, so the work is rolling and dipping, not baking a cake from scratch.
- They freeze well, so you can make them days ahead of a party and skip the day-of scramble.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Full measurements are in the recipe card below. Here’s what each piece does.
- Lemon box cake mix: the shortcut. Betty Crocker or any brand you like. Homemade lemon cake works if you’d rather, but the box keeps it fast.
- Cream cheese frosting: binds the crumbled cake and brings the tang that makes these taste like lemon bars. Vanilla frosting works in a pinch, it’ll just read sweeter.
- White candy melts: the coating. They set firm and smooth. Tint a little yellow for a lemon look, or drizzle yellow on top.
- Lollipop or cake pop sticks
- Topping: sprinkles, lemon zest, or a few reserved cake crumbs.
How to Make Lemon Cake Pops
Bake the cake. Make the lemon cake mix per the box and bake in a greased 9×13-inch dish at 350°F until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.
Crumble. Break the cooled cake into fine crumbs in a large bowl. Set aside a spoonful to decorate later if you want.
Mix in the frosting. Stir in the cream cheese frosting until the mixture holds together when you press a bit between your fingers.
Chill. Cover and freeze until firm so the balls roll smooth.
Roll. Use a cookie scoop and your hands to roll ping-pong-sized balls onto a lined sheet.
Freeze again until firm.
Set the sticks. Melt a little candy melt, dip each stick tip, and push it halfway into a ball.
Coat. Melt the rest, dip each pop to cover it, and let the extra drip off.
Decorate. Add sprinkles, zest, or a yellow drizzle while the coating is wet, then stand them up to set.
Pro Tips
Crumble the cake into the finest crumbs you can. Big chunks make lumpy pops that won’t roll round.
Press the mixture firmly as you roll each ball. Loosely packed balls crumble and slide off the stick the second they hit the coating.
If the melted candy is too thick to coat evenly, stir in a teaspoon of neutral oil or shortening. It thins the coating so it goes on in a smooth, even layer instead of gloppy clumps.
Variations
- Switch the flavor: the same method works with strawberry, funfetti, or vanilla box mix.
- Color the coating: tint the white candy melts yellow, or keep them white with a yellow drizzle on top.
- Gluten-free: use a gluten-free lemon box mix and check your frosting and candy melts are GF. As written this uses regular mix, so it isn’t gluten-free unless you swap.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Because of the cream cheese frosting, store these in an airtight container in the fridge, where they keep for up to a week. Bring them to room temperature before serving so the coating doesn’t sweat. To get ahead, freeze the un-dipped balls for up to 2 months and dip the day you need them, or freeze the finished pops and thaw them in the fridge.
Lemon Cake Pops FAQ
Are cake balls and cake pops the same thing? Mostly, yes. A cake pop is a cake ball on a stick, same mixture and method. Skip the sticks and you’ve got lemon cake balls.
Why are my cake pops cracking? Cracking comes from a big temperature gap, hot coating hitting a too-cold ball. Let the melted candy cool for a minute before dipping, and chill the balls until firm rather than frozen rock-solid.
How many lemon cake pops does one box make? About 24 to 30, depending on how big you roll them.
Can you make these gluten-free? Yes, with a gluten-free lemon box mix and GF-friendly frosting and candy melts. As written this recipe uses regular cake mix, so it isn’t gluten-free unless you make that swap.
Lemon Cake Pops with Cream Cheese Icing
Ingredients
- 1 box lemon cake mix I used Betty Crocker
- ⅓ cup cream cheese icing I used Betty Crocker
- 1 bag white candy melts 12 oz bag
Instructions
- Start by preparing your boxed cake mix by package directions. Beat cake mix, water, vegetable oil, and eggs in a large mixing bowl.
- Pour the batter into a greased 9×13-inch baking dish or two 8×8-inch round cake dishes and bake in a 350 degree F oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool completely, then crumble it with a fork in a large bowl or in the baking dish. Set aside 1/3 cup of crumbled cake to decorate the outside of the cake pops. Stir the frosting into the crumbled cake, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze until chilled.
- Use a cookie scoop and your hands to roll the mixture into evenly sized small balls and place on large baking sheet. You want to try make them all a consistent size – aim for the size of a ping pong ball.
- Freeze again until balls are hard. It’s easier to roll the cake & frosting mixture into perfectly round balls if it’s cold. The cake & frosting mixture is super moist, and at room temperature it makes it extremely difficult to shape them perfectly.
- Once they have been frozen, I give them another little roll to smooth out the sides. Then place on a cookie sheet.
- Melt white candy melts in the microwave in 30-second increments or in a double boiler. Dip each lollipop stick into the chocolate, then stick into one of the cake balls. Do this with all of them and put back in freezer till they are solidified.
- Gently dip cake ball into the melted chocolate or spoon the chocolate onto balls and twirl to coat, letting the excess coating drizzle off onto parchment paper. Decorate with the cake crumbs you removed, or with sprinkles.
- Place them upright in a styrofoam block, or a cardboard box to harden. There you have it, you have easy cake pops.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided is calculated based on industry-standard software and should be used as a general guide only. The information may vary depending on ingredient substitutions, cooking techniques, and individual serving sizes. It is the responsibility of the reader to ensure the accuracy and appropriateness of the nutritional information provided. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalized medical or nutritional advice.
Other Cake Pops Recipes
- Starbucks Birthday Cake Pop Recipe
- Starbucks Chocolate Cake Pops
- 3 Ingredient Funfetti Cake Pops
- Carrot Cake Pops
- Cookies And Cream Cake Pops
- Cookie Dough Cake Pops
If you make these, please leave a star rating and a comment below, and tag me @basicswithbails on Instagram so I can come see your lemon cake pops and hype you up.
About Bailey
I love to bake, cook, exercise, and document all of the above. Nutrition is not low fat. It is not low calorie. It’s not feeling deprived or being hungry all the time. It’s nourishing your body with real, whole foods so that you are consistently satisfied and energized to live your life to the fullest! Read more…
