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Let’s make Donut Cake Pops! You can make donut cake pops or Donut Hole Truffles, with just a few ingredients – old-fashioned cake donut holes, melting wafers, coconut oil, and sprinkles! Decorate with any type of sprinkles for any holiday or gathering.
Be sure and also make these Circus Animal Cake Pops – They’re so fun, colorful, and full of sprinkles!
Easy Donut Cake Pops Recipe (Donut Hole Pops)
My kids love the cake pops at Starbucks but I don’t love paying for four of those expensive cake pops. You won’t have a need to pay that drive-thru price after making these easy cake pops with donut holes.
Even though we’re using donuts, these cake pops or truffles, seriously taste like classic cake balls but no one would ever know ‘the secret’ that’s it’s actually just a donut hole! You start with store-bought donut holes and with a few other ingredients & simple steps, you will have the easiest and quickest treat ever.
Normally when you make cake pops there are several steps involved – you have to bake a cake, crumble it up, mix it with icing – but with this easy hack of using a doughnut hole, you can make donut hole cake pops in minutes.
They’re the perfect sweet treat for an after school snack, birthday parties, or make them to match any party theme or holiday theme by simply switching out the color of candy melts and sprinkles. So easy to make that you just might find yourself making them for everything!
Why You’ll Love These Easy Donut Pops
- They’re Great For Any Holiday or Event : My favorite thing about this recipe is that you can make them for anything! Make light blue or light pink donut pops for baby showers. Use halloween sprinkles and either black or orange candy melts for Halloween cake pops. Use Christmas sprinkles and red or green colored candy melts for a Christmas party. Simply switch out the color of candy melts and sprinkles in order to make the perfect sweet treat for any occasion.
- Only 4 Ingredients : With a short 4 ingredient list, you know this is going to be an easy recipe that anyone can make. Most of these donut cake pops recipes call for only 3 ingredients – but I have added coconut oil as a way to ensure that you get fail-proof, bakery looking cake pops each and every time. Read below for all my tips!
- Get The Kiddos Involved : Because this is such a simple recipe, it’s a great way to get the kids involved in the kitchen. Have those little hands add the sprinkles on or for older kids, they’ll loving dipping the cake pop sticks into the melted chocolate.
Ingredients Needed
- Donut Holes – 24 donut holes is what you will need. I recommend using the regular cake donut holes and not the yeast kind or raised donuts. The yeast donuts aren’t as sturdy and firm as cake donut holes, so the cake donut ones dip better in the chocolate. Use some from the bakery, from the snack aisle alongside the hostess type treats, or stop by your favorite donut shop and grab some.
- Melting Wafers or Candy Melts – Candy melts come in all different colors so use those if you want to switch up the color for Holidays. I love using the Ghiradelli brand melting wafers – milk chocolate, white chocolate, or dark chocolate all work fine. They melt beautifully and so smooth. Almond bark is another option as well.
- Coconut Oil – This is my ‘secret’ added ingredient. The coconut oil gives the dipping chocolate a super smooth consistency and it makes it easier to dip the donuts into it.
- Sprinkles
How To Make Classic Cake Pops The Easy Way With Donut Holes
Prepare a baking sheet (12″x17″ – cookie sheet) and line it with parchment paper or wax paper. Set aside.
Melt the candy melts, or melting wafers, and the coconut oil inside a microwave-safe bowl according to the package directions. The directions will probably say to microwave in 30 second increments making sure to stir after each one. Mine took about 4 times, or 2 minutes total, to get a smooth candy melt mixture.
Working one at a time, take a lollipop stick and dip one end into the melted chocolate. Insert the stick (the end with chocolate on it) into the center of the donut hole about halfway. Ensure that you don’t poke it all the way through. Place it on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining donut holes.
Let the donut holes set for 5 minutes in the fridge. This just helps the chocolate firm up so the stick is really well stuck in there when we go to dip the entire thing in the next step.
Dip the donut hole into the melted chocolate, holding it at the other end of the stick. Let the excess drip off of the cake pop and swirl it around in a circular patter, gently, to make sure any excess comes off.
If making donut hole truffles, use a plastic fork with the middle prong broken off to pick the donut holes up out of the chocolate. Then gently tap the fork against the cup to allow the excess chocolate to fall off the bottom. Place the truffles onto the baking sheet. Sometimes it helps to use a toothpick to help the donut hole truffle slide off the fork and onto the baking sheet.
Immediately add the sprinkles.
Place the cake pop on it’s side on the baking sheet OR you can use a cake pop stand to avoid a small flat spot in the cake pops (from setting them on their side to dry).
Allow them to set either at room temperature for about 30 minutes or you can pop them in the fridge for 10 minutes or so to quickly set and harden the chocolate. Enjoy!
What Dipping Chocolate Is Best To Use?
Use candy melts of any color or melting wafers. These are the two best choices for this recipe because the chocolate melts very smooth and there is no need to worry about it seizing and clumping up.
I use candy melts if I want to do a different color because they have so many color options. But normally, I prefer using the candy melts from the Ghiradelli brand which you can find in the baking aisle. Either milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or white chocolate will all work fine.
Almond bark or chocolate baking bars (chopped up) are other good options if you can’t find either of the other two. Check the baking aisle and the cake decorating aisle for the candy melts and melting chocolate.
What Donut Holes Should I Use?
You can find donut holes at your favorite donut place – I have gotten some at Dunkin Donuts before. You can also get them at your local grocery store in the bakery section, or go to the packaged snack aisle and buy a box of them there. I know the Hostess brand and Entenmann’s brand both make donut holes.
Make sure you are using the old-fashioned cake donut holes and not the yeast kind. I also recommend using plain donut holes or chocolate ones, and not donut holes that have been coated in powder sugar, coconut, or sprinkles.
Flavor Combination Ideas
Here are some ideas to get you started on making this delicious treat for any special occasion.
- Peppermint Chocolate : Chocolate donut holes + white peppermint candy melts (or white chocolate melting wafers with peppermint extract) + crushed candy cane
- Birthday Cake Pop : Vanilla donut holes + confetti candy melts + rainbow sprinkles
- Chocolate Lover’s Cake Pop : Chocolate donut holes + chocolate melting wafers + mini chocolate chips or crushed Oreo cookies
- Christmas Cake Pops : Vanilla Donut Holes + red & green candy melts + Christmas sprinkle mix
- Baby Showers : Vanilla donut holes + light blue or light pink candy melts + matching sprinkles (blue or pink)
- Mint Chocolate Cake Pops : Chocolate donut holes, chocolate melting wafers with mint extract + chopped Andes chocolates
Tips and Tricks For Making Cake Pops
- Special Occasions, Party Favors, and Holidays : I love making these cake pops for birthdays, parties, Holidays, and packaging them inside little square plastic bags and then tying a ribbon around the stick. This Cake Pop Set has everything you need – from the sticks, to the stand, and some clear plastic wrappers to tie around the cake pops for a fun way to present them at parties.
- Use a Deep Glass Measuring Cup : You want to make sure that you use something that is deep which will make it much easer to dip the donut pops into the chocolate and get it completely covered. I use a 2-cup Glass Measuring Cup for melting the chocolate in the microwave and dipping.
- Excess Chocolate Drip : After the donut cake pop has been completely covered and dipped in the chocolate, gently swirl it around in a circle in order to keep that round shape of the chocolate coating and to help shake off any excess globs of chocolate.
- Coconut Oil : This is the most important ingredient! It makes the dipping chocolate smooth and glossy, which will yield really pretty dipped cake pops.
- Cake Pops or Truffles : The only difference between making cake pops or truffles is the lollipop stick. If you want to make truffles simply omit the stick part and instead coat the donut holes in the melted chocolate and use a plastic fork to lift it out and let the excess drip off. A tip I always tell people when making truffles is to break off the middle prong of the fork. It helps the extra chocolate drain off and holds the donut hole better.
Donut Cake Pops (or Donut Hole Truffles)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 24 (6-inch) cake pop sticks (only if making cake pops)
- 24 old-fashioned cake donut holes
- 10-12 ounces melting wafers OR candy melts (any color)
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- sprinkles
Instructions
- Prep : Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or wax paper.
- Add the melting wafers, or candy melts, and coconut oil into a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 30-second increments, stirring after each one, until completely melted and smooth .* Mine took 1½ minutes total with stirring every 30 seconds. * I recommend using a deeper glass cup so you have plenty of room to dip the donut cake pops into it. I use a 2-cup glass Pyrex measuring cup. * Read directions below in the notes if wanting to make donut hole truffles.10-12 ounces melting wafers OR candy melts, 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- Dip the end of the cake pop stick into the melted chooclate and then insert the stick 2/3 of the way into the donut hole. Place it on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining donut holes and cake pop sticks.24 (6-inch) cake pop sticks, 24 old-fashioned cake donut holes
- Place the donut cake pops into the freezer for 5 minutes, or the fridge for 10 minutes, to set and chill.
- Dip the donut cake pops into the melted chocolate. Swirl the cake pop in a circular pattern over the chocolate to allow the excess chocolate to drip off.
- Immediately add sprinkles to the cake pop. Place the cake pop onto the baking sheet (lay it gently on it's side) OR into a cake pop stand.sprinkles
- Let the cake pops set at room temperature for 15-20 minutes until the chocolate is set and hardened.
Notes
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