# What You’ll Need:
→ Cake
01 - 1 box vanilla cake mix
02 - Eggs as required by cake mix
03 - Oil as required by cake mix
04 - Water as required by cake mix
→ Frosting
05 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
06 - 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
07 - 2 tablespoons milk
08 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
→ Coating
09 - 12 ounces white candy melts or white chocolate
10 - Blue gel food coloring, oil-based
11 - 2 tablespoons coconut oil or vegetable shortening, optional
→ Decoration
12 - 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
13 - 1 to 2 teaspoons vodka or clear extract
14 - Edible gold or silver luster dust, optional
→ Assembly
15 - 24 lollipop sticks
16 - Styrofoam block or cake pop stand
# How-To:
01 - Preheat oven and bake vanilla cake according to package directions. Cool completely before proceeding.
02 - Cream softened butter in a medium bowl, then gradually beat in powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined.
03 - Crumble cooled cake into fine crumbs in a large bowl. Add frosting incrementally while mixing by hand until mixture holds together but is not overly sticky. Do not overwork.
04 - Roll mixture into 24 uniform balls, approximately 1 tablespoon each. Arrange on parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for 15 minutes.
05 - Melt white candy melts in heatproof bowl over simmering water or microwave in 20-second intervals, stirring until smooth. Tint with blue gel food coloring to robin's egg shade. Add coconut oil or shortening if needed for consistency.
06 - Dip tip of each lollipop stick into melted coating, then insert halfway into each cake ball. Repeat with all balls and refrigerate 10 minutes to set.
07 - Fully immerse each cake pop into blue coating, allowing excess to drip off. Stand upright in Styrofoam block or cake pop stand to set completely.
08 - Mix cocoa powder with vodka or extract to form thin paste. Using clean brush, gently flick mixture across cake pops to create speckles. Optionally dust with edible luster for enhanced shine.
09 - Allow cake pops to set completely at room temperature before serving or packaging.