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carrot cake pops recipe

No-Fail Carrot Cake Pops Recipe Perfect for Any Beginner

Need an easy, foolproof, and incredibly delicious carrot cake pops recipe? Something that gets the job done with minimal hassle? This post will have you covered with 10 effective tips for the easiest carrot cake pops ever!
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Prep Time:20 minutes
Cook Time:30 minutes
Total Time:2 hours
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: carrot cake pops recipe
Servings: 48

Ingredients

Carrot Cake Recipe

  • 2 cups flour
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 4 eggs room temperature
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup white sugar
  • 4 cups shredded or grated carrots
  • ½ cup raisins or shredded coconut optional
  • ½ cup finely chopped pecans toasted

Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
  • 4 ounces full-fat cream cheese block room temperature
  • ¼ cup brown sugar remove any clumps
  • 1 cup powdered sugar sifted
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • pinch of salt
  • ½ teaspoon molasses optional

Candy Melts

  • 20 ounces candy melts or melting chocolate wafers
  • 4 teaspoons shortening see note below

Toppings (optional)

  • ½ cup pecans finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar

Instructions

Carrot Cake Recipe

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease then line one 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper. If you haven't done so already, toast the chopped pecans by placing on a lined baking sheet and placing in a toaster oven or oven at 400°F for 3 minutes.
  • In a medium bowl, mix together your dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg). Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients (oil, eggs, sugar, and brown sugar).
  • Sift the dry ingredients into the large bowl with the wet ingredients. Fold JUST UNTIL COMBINED. Don't overmix! Once mixed, add the shredded carrots, toasted chopped pecans, and shredded coconuts or raisins (if using). Fold until combined.
  • Pour or spoon the batter into the cake pan. Bake for 30-34 minutes until a toothpick pulls from the center clean. Transfer the cake to a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes.
  • Flip the cake by running a thin knife along the edge of the cake pan to loosen the cake. Flip the cake onto the wire rack until completely cooled.

Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

  • Using a stand or handheld mixer with the paddle attachment, whisk the unsalted butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy for 3-4 minutes on medium-high speed.
  • Add the brown sugar (free of clumps) and whisk for another 3 minutes on medium-high speed. Take a spatula and scrape alongside the bowl to remove any sugar stuck to the side. Let this sit for at least 5 minutes. This gives it time to incorporate with the rest of the icing and avoid grittiness.
  • Sift the powdered sugar into the frosting gradually over medium-low speed. Add the vanilla, pinch of salt, and molasses (if using) and whisk until combined.

Carrot Cake Pops

  • Crumble the cooled cake on top of the frosting. Still using the paddle attachment, mix the cake with the frosting until there are no lumps over low speed.
  • Measure about 2 tablespoons of the batter to roll into a ball. Make sure the balls are perfectly round as this will be the shape of the cake pops. Place the balls on a lined baking tray and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to 2 hours.
  • While the cake pops are in the refrigerator, get your toppings ready and plan where you want the cake pops to set upright. You can use either a Styrofoam box or a box with little holes for the lollipop sticks.
  • Melt the candy melts or melting chocolate wafers in a 2-inch measuring cup following the directions on the back of the package.
  • Taking 3 balls out of the refrigerator at a time, take a lollipop stick and dip into the melted candy melts about a ½ inch. Push the dipped lollipop stick into the center of the cake pop until halfway. Be very careful not to push the lollipop stick too far into the other side.
  • Dip the cake pop into the melted candy melts until completely covered with the base of the lollipop stick covered. Very gently, tap the lollipop stick against the side of the measuring cup to remove any excess. It also helps to sometimes roll the cake pops until the excess drips off.
  • Decorate the cake pops with the toppings and let it set in an upright position. Repeat with the remaining cake pops, only pulling out the cake pops from the refrigerator as needed. Please try to work fast during this time as the melting candy melts could start to set in the measuring cup.
  • The coating for the cake pops should set within the hour. Enjoy!

Notes

  1. If this is your first-time making cake pops, I highly recommend reading the Sam’s Pro Tips for this Carrot Cake Pops Recipe section listing our top 10 TIPS to make this a successful experience! Also, for your first time, it never hurts to grab an extra bag of melting wafers in case an accident was made saving you an extra trip to the store!
  2. I made 48 cake pops with this recipe. The recipe can be halfed for a smaller amount using a 6-inch cake pan. The frosting in this recipe makes about 1 cup.
  3. The shortening added to the melted candy melts will depend on the brand and type you're working with. I used the Ghirardelli White Chocolate Melting Wafers and used about 2 teaspoons of shortening per pack of melting wafers. Add a teaspoon at a time of the shortening until you reach the desired consistency. Remember, you don't want the melted wafers to be too thin otherwise it won't coat the cake pop evenly.
  4. Don't want to use lollipop sticks? No problem! Skip the step with the lollipop sticks and dunk the cake pops into the melted wafers using a fork and let it set on a lined baking tray for delicious carrot cake truffles!