Gingerbread cookies capture the spirit of the holidays with their cheerful faces and delicate icing details. This year I wanted to try something a little different: gingerbread cake pops. The warm blend of spices and molasses in gingerbread cake creates a rich base that works perfectly for sweets on a stick. These Gingerbread Cake Pops are festive, fun to make, and a great addition to any Christmas dessert spread.
Gingerbread Cake Pop Supplies
Making cake pops is easier than it looks if you have the right supplies. For these gingerbread cake pops you’ll need lollipop sticks and coating options like milk chocolate chips, brown candy melts, or white candy melts for a base coat. To decorate the gingerbread faces, use a simple buttercream in a piping bag fitted with a small round tip (Wilton #5 is ideal) plus black and pink decorating icings for the eyes and cheeks. Pre-made icing can speed things up, especially for achieving darker colors like black.
How to Make Gingerbread Cake
If you love ginger-flavored holiday treats, this gingerbread cake makes a sturdy and flavorful base for cake pops. The ingredients below yield a moist 9-inch round gingerbread cake that bakes quickly and crumbs easily for shaping into pops.
- ½ stick butter, softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup molasses
- 1 cup + 6 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch of salt
- ½ tablespoon ground dry ginger
- ½ tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ cup buttermilk
- Extra butter (softened) and flour to coat the pan
The cake bakes in a 9-inch round pan. Grease the pan with butter and dust with flour for easy removal. Sifting the dry ingredients helps lighten the flour and distributes the leavening and spices evenly; if short on time, whisking the dry ingredients achieves a similar result.
Tip: If you prefer a vegan base, a vegan gingerbread loaf can be used instead for these cake pops.
How to Make Gingerbread Cake Pops
After baking and cooling your gingerbread cake, crumble it into a large bowl and mix in about one third of the prepared buttercream until the crumbs hold together when pressed. Shape the mixture into thick, flat circles—using a small cookie cutter about 1.5 inches across helps create uniform shapes. Place the shaped cakes on a lined baking sheet.
Melt white candy melts in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between intervals. Dip the tip of each lollipop stick into the melted candy, then insert the stick into each shaped cake to secure. Chill the cake pops in the refrigerator for at least one hour so they are firm enough for coating. When ready, dip each chilled cake pop into melted brown candy melts or chocolate, allow excess coating to drip off, then return to the lined baking sheet and chill another 30 minutes to set.
Baker’s tip: For a smoother, glossier coating, stir in a teaspoon or two of vegetable or canola oil into the melted candy or chocolate.
Decorating Holiday Cake Pops
Once the coating is set, use the remaining buttercream in a piping bag fitted with a small round tip to pipe smiles and icing trim around each gingerbread face. Use black decorating frosting for the eyes and pink decorating frosting for rosy cheeks. Have fun—vary the expressions and trims to give each pop its own personality.
I was pleasantly surprised by how well these turned out—what seemed intimidating at first became a delightful and rewarding project. The finished cake pops are adorable, portable, and perfect for parties, gift boxes, or a festive dessert table.
Gingerbread Cake Pops
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Ingredients
For the cake:
- ½ stick butter softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup molasses
- 1 cup + 6 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch of salt
- ½ tablespoon ground dry ginger
- ½ tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ cup buttermilk
- Extra butter softened and flour to coat the pan
To decorate:
- White candy melts
- Lollipop sticks
- 1 stick butter softened
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons milk
- 1 ½ cups brown candy melts
- ¼ cup white candy melts
- Black decorating frosting
- Pink decorating frosting
Instructions
To make the cake:
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Coat a 9-inch round pan with butter and dust with flour. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
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Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs and continue beating.
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Stir in molasses until combined.
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Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg.
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Alternate adding the dry ingredients and buttermilk to the wet ingredients in three additions, mixing until just combined.
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Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake about 25–27 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
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Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack before crumbling.
To decorate:
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Crumble the cooled cake into a large bowl and line a baking sheet with wax paper.
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Make buttercream by beating butter, confectioners’ sugar and milk until smooth and semi-stiff peaks form.
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Mix one third of the buttercream into the crumbled cake until the mixture holds together when pressed.
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Shape the mixture into thick, flat circles using a 1.5-inch cookie cutter or by hand, and place them on the lined baking sheet.
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Melt white candy melts in 30-second microwave intervals. Dip each lollipop stick into the melted candy and insert into each cake piece. Refrigerate at least one hour.
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Melt brown candy melts in 30-second intervals. Dip each cake pop into the brown candy melts to coat, then return to the lined sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes to set.
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Pipe smiles and icing trim with buttercream using a small round tip. Add eyes with black decorating frosting and cheeks with pink frosting.
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Serve and enjoy. Happy holidays!
Recipe Notes
Yields 15 to 20 cake pops depending on size.
I can’t wait to serve these gingerbread cake pops at this year’s holiday gathering. They also make charming gifts when placed in small treat bags. Thanks to Lisa for this guest recipe—these pops are a festive and delicious way to celebrate the season.
If you enjoy holiday treats on a stick, try other seasonal ideas like candy cane reindeer pops or Christmas tree Rice Krispie treats for more edible fun and decorations.