Save yourself a trip to the pumpkin patch! These adorable pumpkin cake pops look like they were just plucked from the vine. Crumbled cake, mixed with frosting, dipped, and served on a stick make the cutest and festive fall treats.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.
Cream butter and both sugars with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.
Add the buttermilk and pumpkin puree, blending well and scraping down the sides as needed.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake about 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy, about 2 minutes on med/high speed with an electric mixer. Gradually add in confectioners sugar, mixing well to combine.
Crumble cooled cake by hand or in a food processor until you have fine crumbs.
In a mixing bowl, pour in crumbs and add 1 - 1½ cups frosting (the rest can be refrigerated and stored for another use). Start with a small amount and add more to reach desired consistency. (Pumpkin cake is very moist, so you may not need as much icing as used with other types of cake.)
Using a bamboo skewer or toothpick, make six indentations on the sides of each ball to create a pumpkin shape. Place back in the refrigerator if the balls become too soft and chill until firm.
Remove about 10 balls at a time and allow to to sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes before dipping. The balls should be firm, but not too hard.
While the balls are sitting at room temperature, melt the orange coating according to package instructions. If necessary, thin with a few drops of canola oil and stir well.
Dip the end of each lollipop stick into the coating, then stick in each ball and allow to harden before dipping. This ensures the stick will stay in the cake pop.
Dip each ball and tap off extra coating, tapping on your hand holding the stick, not the stick directly (to prevent the cake ball from falling off the stick). Place the cake pops back on the lined baking sheet (sticks up!) to harden and dry.
Special equipment needed:
Tips for Success