In this post I’ll show you the easiest way to make Soccer Ball Cake Pops. These cake pops and the cakesicles were the first treats to “disappear” at our two soccer-themed birthday parties. Kids just love these desserts as they are visually appealing, delicious and super easy to eat! 

Make sure to check out all the soccer-themed posts on my website to see lots of soccer-themed dessert ideas, party games, snacks, decorations and much more!

Ingredients/Supplies (50 cake pops)

• 750 g (1.7 lbs) moist chocolate or vanilla cake / cake scraps; follow the directions in this Moist Chocolate Cake recipe or this Moist Vanilla Cake recipe to make your cake (use half of the ingredients listed in the recipe) 
• 200 g – 250 g (up to 1 cup / 0.5 lbs) frosting; I used raspberry cream cheese buttercream 
• 600 g (1.3 lbs) white candy melts 
• for the soccer hexagon pattern:
  • black fondant or modeling chocolate
  • 1.25 cm (1/2’’) small hexagon cutter (I have these Ateco ones)
  • a fondant rolling pin
  • powdered sugar or cornstarch for dusting the surface
• 50 lollipop sticks; use short and tall ones if you want to arrange them as I did on this cake pop stand ; optionally, you can also use artificial grass squares like these ones for the green turf look
• styrofoam board or cake pop stand for drying the chocolate-dipped cake pops 

Directions

Watch this video tutorial or read the instructions below:

Crumble the cooled cake into a bowl. Add the frosting and mix to combine. The ratio of cake to frosting is typically close to 4:1 but it all depends on the consistency of your cake and frosting. So it’s better to start adding a few tablespoons of frosting to your cake crumbs and then knead with your hands. You should have a firm, dough-like consistency – if needed, add more frosting. You can blend everything together with your hands or a food processor. 

Take about 1 teaspoon of the mixture and roll it into a golf ball-sized ball. Each ball should have ~ 20 g (3/4 oz) to 26 g (1 oz); weight will depend on ingredients used. 

I do own a Cake Pop Easy Roller that’s supposed to make it easier to cut and shape the cake pops. I honestly use it mostly for cutting to make equally-sized cake pops; I can’t really produce consistent results when shaping so I don’t typically use it to roll the balls as well. 

Place the balls on a tray or a pan and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight.

Dipping the Cake Pops in Melted Chocolate

We’ll dip the cake pops in candy melts (i.e. chocolate that is already tempered). 

Start by melting the candy melts in a microwave-safe bowl. Melt it in three 30-second increments, stirring after each; then reduce the time to 10-second increments, stirring after each, until the candy melts reach a temperature of 42°C (107°F). 

Allow the chocolate to cool, at room temperature, to 32-33°C (89-91°F) before you start working with it. 

Dip the end of a lollipop stick into the melted coating and insert it into the cake pop. Use short and tall ones if you want to arrange them as I did on this cake pop stand . Don’t insert the stick all the way through the ball as it will crack. Let the chocolate harden before fully dipping the cake pops in the melted coating.

Dip the cake ball into the melted coating, don’t swirl the cake pop around in the coating, just dip and get out. Gently tap the lollipop on the edge of the glass to remove excess melt.

Place the cake pops in the styrofoam board or on your cake pop stand to dry.

Repeat the steps to make all the remaining cake pops.

Decorating the Soccer Ball Cake Pops

Dust your work surface with powdered sugar or cornstarch to ensure the fondant does not stick to it. Use a fondant rolling pin to roll out the black and white fondant about 1/3 cm (1/7’’) thick . Cut out black hexagons using the hexagon cutter.

Place the fondant hexagons on the cake pops, using a bit of water or edible glue to attach them. 

Arrange the soccer ball cake pops on a cake pop stand. You can also use artificial grass squares like these ones for the green turf look. I really liked adding this nice touch to the display. 

Note that i you need to refrigerate the cake pops, place them in a cardboard box to limit the amount of moisture that the cake pops might attract from the refrigerator. Then, let them come to room temperature before serving.