These healthier chocolate cake pops are made with minimal sugar and better ingredients, but will still fully satisfy your chocolate craving! This recipe combines my favorite chocolate cake and chocolate pudding recipes to make a whole new treat.
I'm going to be totally honest, the only time I make these is when I've made a 3 layer chocolate cake and frosted it with my guilt-free chocolate pudding. I always have leftovers of both, so I put them together to make another treat!
That's the best way to use leftovers. So perfect for chocolate lovers like us.
If I have more of one than the other, I just freeze it in a freezer bag and enjoy it later or make cake pops later, when I have enough of the other ingredient.
I just can't stand traditional cake pops. They are so darn SWEET. You can get them at grocery stores, and bakeries, or make your own sickly sweet ones at home with boxed cake mix and chocolate candy melts. If you're going to make them at home, why not make them perfectly sweet and waaaaay healthier?
These homemade cake pops have the perfect amount of sweetness and are so chocolatey. Mmm.
It's also a really easy recipe. Food processor, shape into balls and dip in chocolate!
Are Chocolate Cake Pops Healthy?
Usually not! Most cake pops are made of conventional cake, frosting and a candy coating which are full of refined sugar, inflammatory vegetable oil, and artificial colors and flavors. These are all highly refined substances that aren't real food and can wreak havoc on the body in many ways.
This chocolate cake pop recipe joins together a healthier cake and chocolate pudding recipe (in place of chocolate frosting) with wholesome ingredients and WAY less sugar. Some of these ingredients are sweet potato, butter, eggs, almond butter and maple syrup.
Can YOu Use Normal Chocolate for Cake Pops?
I do! I use a 70% chocolate bar or chocolate chips for the chocolate coating. It's not tempered chocolate, so it's best if the pops are kept refrigerated or frozen, but it's the easiest option and I always have dark chocolate on hand...
How Long Do Chocolate Cake Pops Last?
In the fridge, these cake pops will be best for about 2 weeks and in the freezer will be good for about 3 months.
Tips for Making Chocolate Cake Pops
- If you need to make a large number of cake pops, make the full cake and pudding recipe. I can't say for sure how many balls that will make, but it will be a lot! And if you don't need to use them all, the cake and pudding freeze well. Or you could make a chocolate trifle with the extras!
- If you didn't come here needing to make a ton of cake pops, make the full recipes anyway! You'll have dessert stocked in the freezer for months. It's worth it.
- Don't stick the lollipop sticks all the way through the ball, you only want to go about halfway so the tip of a lollipop stick sits in the middle of the pop.
- The balls need to be very cold before coating them in chocolate. Ensure they are in the freezer for at least one hour before coating.
- An easy DIY cake pop stand is using a jar or glass with a wad of aluminum foil at the bottom. This gives the sticks something to rest against so they can stand up straighter.
Tools You May Need
Medium saucepan, double boiler or vegetable steamer
How to Make Chocolate Cake Pops
Cake Ingredients (makes 3 layer cake)
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1½ cups granulated sugar, separated
- 7 large eggs, separated
- 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ cups cake flour
- ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ cup buttermilk
Pudding Ingredients (makes 2½ cups pudding)
- 2 cups peeled and diced sweet potato (approximately 2 small sweet potatoes)
- 3 tablespoon maple syrup
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoon almond butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 3 tablespoon filtered water (or more, to desired consistency)
Cake Pop Ingredients (if using leftover cake and pudding)
- 2 cups cake crumbs
- ¼ cup chocolate pudding
- 1 cup dark chocolate, chopped
- optional toppings: sea salt flakes, coconut, hemp hearts, chopped nuts, sprinkles, etc.
- optional popsicles sticks or lollipop sticks (can be found at the craft store or online)
Cake Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Grease three 9-inch cake pans. Cut rounds of parchment paper to fit on the bottom of each cake pan (it's easiest to put the pan on the parchment, lightly trace the bottom of the pan and then cut). Place the parchment rounds in the cake pans, then turn the greased side up.
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer on low speed to cream butter and ¾ cup of the sugar until fluffy. Add in egg yolks one at a time and beat well after each addition. Add vanilla and beat until incorporated.
In a medium bowl, sift flour, cocoa and baking soda together.
Using a wooden spoon (not the electric mixer) stir flour/cocoa mixture into butter mixture, alternating with buttermilk. Make 3 additions of the dry ingredients mixture and 2 additions of buttermilk.
In a separate bowl, use clean beaters on high speed to beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Beat in remaining ¾ cup sugar gradually until stiff peaks form.
Use a spatula to fold the meringue mixture into the cake batter in 3 separate additions.
Pour the chocolate cake mixture into prepared pans, dividing evenly and smooth the tops.
Bake for 25-30 minutes. A toothpick should come out clean and when lightly touched, the top should spring back.
Place on a wire rack (still in pans) and let cool for 30 minutes.
Gently run a knife around the edge of the pan to ensure the sides of the cake aren't sticking. Remove from pans and let cake cool completely, with the parchment side down on the rack.
When cool, peel off the parchment paper and place on a cutting board. Assess how flat the tops of the chocolate cake layers are. Use a serrated knife to trim some of the top of each cake layer to make it level, so your cake won't end up lopsided. Use this trimmed cake for the cake pops.
Pudding Instructions:
Steam or boil diced sweet potatoes over medium-high heat until soft, about 15 minutes. Make sure they're soft enough to easily smash, or you'll end up with lumpy pudding!
Strain sweet potatoes, add to a food processor along with all remaining ingredients.
Blend until very smooth, stopping occasionally to scrape the sides of the bowl.
Wait about 30 minutes until the pudding cools to room temperature before using it in the cake pops.
Cake Pop Instructions (SKIP HERE IF USING LEFTOVER CAKE AND PUDDING)
Pulse the cake in a food processor to make it into crumbs.
Add pudding to food processor and pulse to combine.
The mixture should still be somewhat crumbly but stay together when pressed together.
Take a cookie scoop of the mixture (about a heaping tablespoon) and form it into a ball in your hands.
Insert a cake pop stick or popsicles stick about half way through the ball.
Freeze for 1 hour.
Melt dark chocolate in a double boiler. In the meantime, prepare any toppings you will use and the place you will set the cake pops to dry. You could use a baking sheet and place them stick up, or I wadded up some tin foil in the bottom of a jar and was able to stand them up in the jar. The foil helped keep them upright. If you have a styrofoam block, you can also stand them upright in that.
Remove cake pops from the freezer and roll them in the melted chocolate. Take a moment to allow the excess chocolate to drip off.
Work quickly to sprinkle with your desired topping, as the chocolate will set fairly quickly to the frozen cake pop.
Allow the chocolate to set, which won't take very long, and enjoy!
How to Store Chocolate Cake Pops
Chocolate cake pops can be stored in the fridge or freezer in an airtight container, such as a Ziploc bag.
Did you try this recipe? If so, I would really appreciate a 5-star rating and your comments below! Thanks!
MORE GUILT-FREE DESSERT RECIPES
- DAIRY FREE BROWNIES
- HEALTHY NANAIMO BARS
- VANILLA CUPCAKES
- MAPLE NO BAKE COOKIES
- HOMEMADE CHERRY POPSICLES
- HEALTHY RHUBARB CRISP
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Cake Pops
These healthier chocolate cake pops are made with minimal sugar and better ingredients, but will still fully satisfy your chocolate craving! This recipe combines my favorite chocolate cake and chocolate pudding recipes to make a whole new treat.
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients (makes 3 layer cake)
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1½ cups granulated sugar, separated
- 7 large eggs, separated
- 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ cups cake flour
- ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ cup buttermilk
Pudding Ingredients (makes 2½ cups pudding)
- 2 cups peeled and diced sweet potato (approximately 2 small sweet potatoes)
- 3 tablespoon maple syrup
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoon almond butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 3 tablespoon filtered water
Cake Pop Ingredients (Makes about 10)
- 2 cups cake crumbs
- ¼ cup chocolate pudding
- 1 cup dark chocolate, chopped
- optional toppings: sea salt flakes, coconut, hemp hearts, chopped nuts, sprinkles, etc.
- optional popsicles sticks or lollipop sticks (can be found at the craft store or online)
Instructions
Cake Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Grease three 9-inch cake pans. Cut rounds of parchment paper to fit on the bottom of each cake pan (it's easiest to put the pan on the parchment, lightly trace the bottom of the pan and then cut). Place the parchment rounds in the cake pans, then turn the greased side up.
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer on low speed to cream butter and ¾ cup of the sugar until fluffy. Add in egg yolks one at a time and beat well after each addition. Add vanilla and beat until incorporated.
In a medium bowl, sift flour, cocoa and baking soda together.
Using a wooden spoon (not the electric mixer) stir flour/cocoa mixture into butter mixture, alternating with buttermilk. Make 3 additions of the dry ingredients mixture and 2 additions of buttermilk.
In a separate bowl, use clean beaters on high speed to beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Beat in remaining ¾ cup sugar gradually until stiff peaks form.
Use a spatula to fold the meringue mixture into the cake batter in 3 separate additions.
Pour the chocolate cake mixture into prepared pans, dividing evenly and smooth the tops.
Bake for 25-30 minutes. A toothpick should come out clean and when lightly touched, the top should spring back.
Place on a wire rack (still in pans) and let cool for 30 minutes. Gently run a knife around the edge of the pan to ensure the sides of the cake aren't sticking. Remove from pans and let cake cool completely, with the parchment side down on the rack.
When cool, peel off the parchment paper and place on a cutting board. Assess how flat the tops of the chocolate cake layers are. Use a serrated knife to trim some of the top of each cake layer to make it level, so your cake won't end up lopsided. Use this trimmed cake for the cake pops.
Pudding Instructions:
Steam or boil diced sweet potatoes over medium-high heat until soft, about 15 minutes. Make sure they're soft enough to easily smash, or you'll end up with lumpy pudding!
Strain sweet potatoes, add to a food processor along with all remaining ingredients. Blend until very smooth, stopping occasionally to scrape the sides of the bowl.
Wait about 30 minutes until the pudding cools to room temperature before using it in the cake pops.
Cake Pop Instructions (SKIP HERE IF USING LEFTOVER CAKE AND PUDDING)
Pulse the cake in a food processor to make it into crumbs.
Add pudding to food processor and pulse to combine. The mixture should still be somewhat crumbly but stay together when pressed together.
Take a cookie scoop of the mixture (about a heaping tablespoon) and form it into a ball in your hands.
Insert a cake pop stick or popsicles stick about half way through the ball.
Freeze for 1 hour.
Melt dark chocolate in a double boiler. In the meantime, prepare any toppings you will use and the place you will set the cake pops to dry. You could use a baking sheet and place them stick up, or I wadded up some tin foil in the bottom of a jar and was able to stand them up in the jar. The foil helped keep them upright. If you have a styrofoam block, you can also stand them upright in that.
Remove cake pops from the freezer and roll them in the melted chocolate. Take a moment to allow the excess chocolate to drip off. Work quickly to sprinkle with your desired topping, as the chocolate will set fairly quickly to the frozen cake pop.
Allow the chocolate to set, which won't take very long, and enjoy!
Notes
Chocolate cake pops can be stored in the fridge or freezer in an airtight container, such as a Ziploc bag.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10Amount Per Serving: Sugar: 3g
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