Christmas Tree Cake Pops Recipe

Christmas tree cake pops are cake crumbs mixed with frosting, shaped into small cones, dipped in green candy melts, and decorated with sprinkle ornaments, white chocolate tinsel, and a red star. One box of cake mix and ½ cup of frosting makes 18 to 22 trees in about 2 hours, most of it chilling time.

The whole trick is temperature. Cones that are firm but not frozen solid keep their point, hold the stick, and take a smooth coat without cracking.

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What You Need for 18 to 22 Cake Pop Trees

• Cake: 1 box vanilla or chocolate cake mix, plus the eggs, oil, and water on the box
• Binder: ½ cup frosting, vanilla or cream cheese
• Coating: 2 cups green candy melts and up to 1 tablespoon coconut oil or shortening to thin them
• Decorating: round sprinkles in red, white, green, and gold, red star sprinkles or fondant stars, and white chocolate or vanilla candy melts for the tinsel
• Tools: lollipop sticks or wooden skewers, a tall narrow glass for dipping, and marshmallows, white candy disks, or a styrofoam block to stand them in

Some years I skip the boxed cake and use Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes when time is short. They already have icing and a creamy filling, so crumble them and add frosting one spoonful at a time. Often you need very little. If you would rather make your own binder, cream cheese frosting or vanilla buttercream both work.

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Vanilla or Chocolate Cake Under the Green Coating?

I have made these with both. Vanilla cake is the better pick when the decorations are the point: it stays pale inside, so a bitten tree looks bright against the white tinsel and red star. Chocolate cake tastes richer and is the one I make for adults or a tray next to coffee.

For the binder, cream cheese frosting holds a sharper tip than vanilla, so that is the one I stick with for tall, pointed trees. Its little bit of tang is also good with chocolate cake.

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Mixing and Shaping Cones That Hold a Point

Bake the cake and let it cool completely. Warm cake turns to paste the moment frosting touches it. Crumble it into a large bowl with your hands until there are no big pieces left.

Add the frosting a little at a time and mix with your hands. Stop when the dough holds together when squeezed and leaves your fingers almost clean. If it feels sticky, you have enough frosting already, so work in a bit more crumbled cake instead of adding more.

Scoop about 2 tablespoons per tree. Roll it into a smooth ball first, then roll one side against the counter, pressing lightly, until it narrows into a cone, and pinch the top into a point. Starting from a ball gives you a tree without cracks. A slightly uneven cone looks handmade, which I like. Set the cones on a parchment-lined tray and freeze for 20 to 30 minutes, until firm.

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Setting the Sticks So the Trees Stay Put

Melt a small amount of the green candy melts. Dip the tip of each stick about ½ inch into it, then push the stick halfway up into the flat base of a chilled cone. The coating sets like glue around the stick. Put the tray back in the fridge for 10 minutes before you dip.

Firm is what you want here, not frozen solid. A cone that is rock-hard expands a little as it warms up inside the shell, and that is what cracks the coating an hour later. The same stick method holds my snowman cake pops together, if you want to make both from one baking day.

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Thinning Green Candy Melts for a Smooth Dip

Melt the rest of the 2 cups of candy melts in a microwave-safe glass, in 30 second bursts at half power, stirring between each one. Overheated melts go thick and dull. The coating is ready when it falls off the spoon in a thin, steady ribbon.

If it is too thick, stir in coconut oil or shortening 1 teaspoon at a time, up to 1 tablespoon. Never add water or milk. Even a drop makes candy melts seize into a stiff paste.

Hold each pop by the stick, lower the whole cone into the glass, and turn it once to coat. Lift it out and tap your wrist gently so the extra drips back. Stand it upright in a marshmallow, a candy disk, or a styrofoam block.

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Ornaments, Tinsel, and a Star on Top

Work on one tree at a time. Press the round sprinkles on in the first minute after dipping, while the coating is still shiny. Once it dulls, they bounce off.

When the green coating is completely dry, melt the white chocolate or vanilla melts and drizzle it back and forth across each tree for tinsel. A zip-top bag with a tiny corner snipped off gives the thinnest lines. Set a red star sprinkle or fondant star on the point while the drizzle is wet so it sticks.

Let the finished pops stand at room temperature until every layer is set and dry to the touch.

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Cracked Coating, Lumps, or Trees Sliding Down the Stick?

• Cracks after the coating sets: the cones were frozen too hard. Let them sit in the fridge for 10 minutes before dipping. Patch small cracks with a dab of melted coating.
• Thick, lumpy coating: the melts overheated or are too cool. Warm them gently in short bursts and thin with a teaspoon of coconut oil.
• Tree slides down the stick: the stick went in without coating, or the dough is too soft. Add more cake crumbs next time and always glue the stick.
• Tip droops: too much frosting in the dough. Firm the cones a few minutes longer and pinch the point again before dipping.

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Storing, Gifting, and Making the Trees Ahead

Once fully set, the trees keep 2 to 3 days in a cool, dry room if you used vanilla frosting. With cream cheese frosting, keep them in the fridge, loosely covered, for about a week. Take them out 15 minutes before serving and leave them covered while they warm, so they do not sweat.

To get ahead, shape the cones, freeze them on the tray until hard, then pack them in an airtight container for up to a month. Thaw them in the fridge before you set the sticks and dip. For gifts, slip each dry tree into a cellophane bag and tie it with red ribbon or twine.

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Ornament, Snowy Tree, and Other Holiday Cake Pop Ideas

The same dough makes more than trees. Roll it into round balls and dip them in red or white melts for ornament cake pops, with a small candy on top as the hanger. Coat the cones in white melts with white sprinkles for snowy trees. Chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting under green coating is the flavor I make for grown-ups.

For the rest of the tray, gingerbread crinkle cookies and stained glass cookies add color and crunch, and gingerbread truffles use the same roll and dip rhythm. For a centerpiece, set the trees beside a classic yule log or a Christmas tree pull-apart cupcake cake.

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Quick Answers Before Your Cake Pop Day

What sticks are best for cake pops?

Paper or plastic lollipop sticks, about 6 inches long, are the easiest to handle. Wooden skewers work too; trim them to the same length so the trees stand evenly.

Can I use homemade cake instead of cake mix?

Yes. Any cooled 9×13 inch cake works. Moist cakes need less frosting, so add it slowly.

Can I use chocolate chips instead of candy melts?

Chocolate needs tempering or a little coconut oil to set firm, and you cannot get the green color without oil-based food coloring. Candy melts are the simpler choice for these trees.