Christmas Cakesicles (Christmas Cake Popsicles)

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Christmas cakesicles are festive holiday cake popsicles (a.k.a., jumbo cake pops!) dipped in chocolate and decorated. This fun and delicious Christmas cake idea can be made ahead of time and will make your favorite treats for parties and handmade gifts.

A cakesicle is a cake pop in the shape of a popsicle. You know what that means – more decorating and eating fun! Previously I made Ice Cream Cakesicles, which are fun and perfect for birthday parties or summer parties.

These Christmas Cakesicles are festive holiday treats, and they are perfect for cookie tins, holiday parties, fun activities with the kids, or DIY gifts!

Why You’ll Love These Christmas Cake Popsicles

Customizable – Christmas-themed cakesicles can be made using any cake flavor you’d like! Vanilla, chocolate, red velvet, lemon, homemade, box mix, vegan mix, etc. Make them gluten-free, dairy-free, and even vegan!
Easy dessert – This is an easy single-serve treat everyone will go crazy for.
Personalize the decorations – Have fun playing around with candy melt colors, sprinkles, drizzles, and more!
Perfect for ANY holiday – Easily adjust the colors and flavors to make these treats for Halloween, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, 4th of July, or any holiday!
Fantastic DIY Gift – Simply wrap each cakesicle cake pop in cellophane and tie a ribbon around them with a gift tag. They’re perfect for neighbors, friends, family, Christmas gift tins, and bake sales!

How To Make Christmas Cakecicles

Here’s everything you need to know about making this festive treat this year.

Equipment Needed

Colored Candy Melts, Almond bark, or Ghirardelli melting wafers.
Parchment-lined baking sheets
Piping bags
Microwave-safe bowls with lids
Ice cream silicon molds

Christmas Cakesicles Ingredients Needed

Cake pop dough – crumbled cake and frosting mixed together = the cake pop dough. NOTE: You can use homemade cake (your favorite cake recipe) or box cake mix
Colored candy melts, (red, green, and white candy melts)
Popsicle sticks
Sprinkles
Vegetable oil, coconut oil, or paramount crystals

Holly Jolly Cakesicle Instructions

Follow these step-by-step directions to make Christmas cake popsicles and spread some holiday cheer this holiday season!

Step 1

Bake your cake and let it cool. Then crumble it up.

In a large bowl, mix it with just enough frosting so that it’s moist enough to hold together in a cake ball. (TIP: You can use a hand mixer or a stand mixer to do this, but I find it easier to just use my hands)

Step 2

Melt the first color of candy coating in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl per package instructions.

If it’s too thick, add 1 tsp of oil and mix until smooth.

Step 3

Pour 1 spoonful of melted candy coating into the mold. Spread it up the sides of the mold. If you need more chocolate to create a good (but not too thick) covering, add it.

Step 4

Slide the popsicle sticks into the center of the dough. Make sure they are as straight and centered as possible.

Step 5

Freeze for 10-15 mins (set a timer, so you don’t risk cracking the chocolate).

Note: When placing your cakesicles into the freezer, they need to be flat with the sticks not pointed down inside the chocolate. They should hover above it.

Step 6

Remove trays from the freezer and use a small cookie scoop to portion out the cake dough.

Step 7

Press gently into the mold, taking care not to break the chocolate.

Step 8

Cover the back with melted chocolate. Clean up the edges as much as possible.

Step 9

Freeze for another 5-10 minutes until the chocolate is hardened. Carefully remove your cakesicles from molds by peeling them from the top down.

Removing Cakesicles From The Mold

Very carefully loosen one of the end pieces.
Peeling the mold from the top, very carefully peel the entire pop free. Carefully push the sticks up through the mold.
Rest on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Decorating The Top Of Your Christmas Cakesicles

Melt the green candy melts and add it to a piping bag.
Cut a small hole and draw lines across the top of the cakesicle.
Add sprinkles immediately.
For the wreath, make several circles of overlapping lines. Let dry. Add decorations and let dry completely (about 20-30 mins)

Troubleshooting Cakesicles

If the stick won’t stay inside the dough, remove it from the mold, dip it in melted chocolate, and insert it back into the pop. Let set for 10-15 mins.

If the chocolate cracks, peel the chocolate off. Don’t see any cake in the chocolate? In that case, remelt the chocolate and start over.

There are holes in the sides of the chocolate coating. If this happens, dab a bit of the melted chocolate into the exposed areas and let dry.

There’s extra chocolate on the outer rim. Use a pair of clean scissors to carefully trim it off.

Christmas Cakesicle Variations

Adjust this recipe to fit a variety of dietary needs! You can make it dairy-free, gluten-free, etc. with some simple swaps (see more about that below).

Decorate your popsicle cake pops with any color of candy coating and sprinkles for any holiday or any time of the year.

Make this recipe super easy by using boxed cake mix and store-bought frosting! Or, you can always make these completely from scratch!

If you use white chocolate or white cake, you can use food coloring to make these Christmas cakesicles any color you’d like!

Mix some cookie crumbles into the cake and frosting mixture for a cookies and cream-style cakesicle.

You can make these in a popsicle shape using standard cakesicle molds, christmas tree molds, or a variety of Christmas images (stockings, Santas, etc)

How To Make Vegan Christmas Cakesicles

To make Christmas cake popsicles vegan, use this vegan chocolate cake boxed cake mix and vegan frosting. For the chocolate coating, use vegan candy melts or chocolate chips.

How To Make Gluten-Free Christmas Cake Popsicles

To make gluten-free Christmas cakesicles, swap out the cake for your favorite gluten-free cake box mix. Be sure to also use gluten-free candy melts.

Frosting Notes And Tips

Instead of giving you an exact amount of frosting to use in this recipe, I simply said that you need cake pop dough (or cake dough).

How much frosting you need depends on how moist the cake you use is. I would recommend starting with around 3 tablespoons of frosting, but that can vary.

How To Tell How Much Frosting You Need: Your cake pop dough mixture shouldn’t be wet, but you don’t want it to be dry and crumbly either!

Christmas Cakesicles Decorating Tips

Once you coat your Christmas cakesicles in candy coating (or chocolate) and harden the coating, you’re ready to decorate!

And the decoration possibilities are seriously ENDLESS!

Create any designs you want! Add on sprinkles, edible glitter, cookie crumbles, crushed candy canes, edible candy, coconut flakes, broken pretzels for antlers, google eyes, or keep it simple like I did.

Drizzle on melted chocolate. If you want to add drizzles of colored chocolate or candy coating, just melt chocolate and put it in a piping bag. Cut off the tip and drizzle to your heart’s desire! I went back and forth to create that drizzle look, and then quickly added festive sprinkles so they would stick.

To make Christmas Wreaths, just make a circle over and over in the same place. After you drizzle several circles, cover them with some sprinkles to imitate a holiday wreath.

Use an edible pen to draw fine details on the cakesicles!

Christmas Cakesicles FAQs

Here are some common questions that readers ask about making Christmas cake popsicles.

Can I freeze cakesicles?

Yes! Feel free to make them ahead of time and toss them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Then thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.

How do I store Christmas cakesicles?

Store your cake pop bars in an airtight container at room temperature (unless you live in a hot climate because the chocolate will “sweat”) for 2-3 days.
Or store your cakesicles in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

How long do cakesicles last?

If stored in an airtight container (or individually wrapped in plastic wrap), your cakesicles last at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Or you can store them for up to 2 weeks in the fridge and in the freezer for up to 3 months.

What is the best chocolate for cakesicles?

I find the flavor and workability of white confectionery coating to be better than pure white chocolate since it doesn’t require tempering. I recommend Peter’s IceCaps, Merckens, Girardelli, or Wilton’s Candy Melts.

What happens if you put too much icing inside the cake pops?

Adding too much icing to your cake pop dough makes cake pops mushy and can cause them to have a grainy texture.

If you don’t like that, you could try substituting the frosting with a creamy ganache to bind the cake crumbles. The final result is luxurious without any hint of grainy texture.

Can I make these without a silicone mold?

Yes, you can make cakesicles without a silicone mold, but your shapes will likely be “off,” and you won’t get a clean final appearance.

The silicone molds also give the chocolate a finished, professional glossy appearance.

Can I dip the cakesicles in chocolate instead of painting the coating into the mold?

I wondered that too, so I tried it. My experience was that I found the process to be messier, more challenging, and yielded inferior results. I recommend painting the chocolate into the mold.

I hope you love these Christmas cakesicles as much as I loved making (and eating) them! The first time you make them may feel difficult, but if you make more than one batch, the second set will be a breeze!

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