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These vegan banana bread cake pops feature a moist banana bread interior combined with cream cheese frosting and a white chocolate coating. Find out how to make perfect cake pops, including how to coat them smoothly and make them in advance!
Learn how to make these scrumptious Banana Bread Cake Pops, with an easy homemade banana bread and cream cheese filling, a white chocolate coating and a sprinkling of crumbled banana chips and crunchy walnuts. If you love banana bread, you’ll love these! They’re egg free, dairy free and completely vegan.
We’ve made a few hundred cake pops in our time and we’re sharing our tips and tricks for making perfect cake pops every time, so read on to learn the art of cake pop making! You can even make these Banana Cake Pops in advance and freeze them – super handy if you’ve got a party coming up.
Quick links:
- The written recipe
- Why you’ll love this recipe
- Success tips
- Step by step instructions with photos
- FAQs
- Other incredible recipes like this one
What are cake pops?
Cake pops are bite-sized treats made from cake crumbs mixed with frosting and rolled into balls. Cake pops are usually served coated in chocolate and decorated with sprinkles.
They’re a star dessert at parties such as baby showers and birthdays and can be made in a variety of different flavors. They also make great gifts and wedding favours!
Why these Banana Bread Cake Pops are special
These banana cake pops flew off the table when we made a batch for work recently!
You can’t go wrong with a flavour combination like this – moist and sweet banana bread, cream cheese frosting and white chocolate. Do you need a sweet tooth? Yes. But do they hit the spot? Oh yes indeed!
Perfect for wedding showers, birthdays and anniversaries, these cake pops are made with real banana and are egg free, milk free and 100% vegan.
We’re showing you how to make an easy vegan banana bread that is moist, flavoursome and well-risen. Making cake pops isn’t complicated but it does take a bit of time, so we recommend making the cake the day before.
Here is an overview of the steps involved in making these Banana Bread Cake Pops:
- Make a homemade banana bread cake
- Once cooled, crumble the cake into crumbs
- Make the cream cheese frosting and combine this with the crumbled banana bread
- Roll the mixture into balls
- Coat the banana bread balls in melted white chocolate
- Decorate with crumbled banana chips and walnuts
- Enjoy!
Steps 1 to 4 can all be completed the day before if you prefer.
Success Tips
- Bake the cake the day before. Making cake pops isn’t difficult but it does take a little time, with chilling time between steps, so we recommend baking the cake the day before so that it is ready to use.
- The secret to creating a silky smooth chocolate coating is… adding coconut oil to the melted chocolate before coating the cake pops! Coconut oil thins the chocolate, giving a smoother finish to the finished cake pops. Voila!
- Cool the melted chocolate before dipping the banana bread balls. Once your chocolate has melted, set it aside to let it cool for around 10 minutes. We recommend that you chill the cake balls before dipping (the chocolate dries quickly this way) so it’s important that the melted chocolate isn’t hot at the time of dipping otherwise it could crack as it dries.
- Keep your cake pops cool! Everything becomes easier in the land of cake pop making when your cake balls are cold – rolling them into smooth balls is easier if they’re firm, dipping them in chocolate when they’re cold sets the chocolate quickly meaning less chance of smudging and storing them in the fridge once decorated keeps them fresh. Once the chocolate has fully dried you can lay them on their side in an airtight container and refrigerate them for up to 3 days until you are ready to serve.
- Serve at room temperature. These banana cake pops taste best at room temperature so bring them out of the fridge an hour before serving.
How to make these Banana Bread Cake Pops
Ingredients
To make these banana cake pops, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Pantry ingredients
Soft light brown sugar
Icing sugar (powdered sugar)
Coconut oil
Self-raising flour – the recipe calls for 225g self-raising flour. If you only have plain flour (all purpose flour) then you can use 225g plain flour plus 2.25 tsp baking powder instead.
Vegan white chocolate
Dried banana chips
Walnuts
Chilled ingredients
Dairy-free milk – we use almond milk but soya milk also works well
Vegan cream cheese
Vegan block butter – not the spreadable margarine kind
Fresh ingredients
Bananas – it’s important to use ripe bananas with a skin that is dotted with brown spots
Equipment
In addition to bowls, saucepans and utensils, you’ll need the following equipment to make this recipe:
- Cake pop sticks (or lollipop sticks). We used 6” (15cm) tall paper sticks.
- A 20cm (8”) round sandwich cake tin
- A cake pop stand*
*A cake pop stand will make it easier to decorate your banana bread balls. You can create a makeshift stand by pressing holes into a cardboard box or piece of polystyrene with the cake pop sticks.
Note: If you’re making a cake pop stand out of a cardboard box, opt for a shallow box – you want the cake pop sticks to be taller than the box so that the cake pop sticks don’t slip all the way in.
Step-by-Step Guide to Making Banana Bread Cake Pops
Make sure to head to the recipe card below for the full recipe and instructions for making these banana bread cake pops!
Gather together your ingredients.
First up, make the banana bread. Mash the banana and combine it with the brown sugar, coconut oil and milk. Stir in the flour gently until just combined and then pour the cake mixture into a 20cm round cake tin lined with parchment.
Bake in a preheated oven and then set aside to cool fully on a wire rack.
To make the cream cheese frosting first beat the butter, cream cheese and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the icing sugar and mix the ingredients into a thick frosting.
Tip: The frosting will look as if it is too dry to come together (see the left hand photo below) but trust the process – it’ll come together in a minute or two!
Once the cake is cool, use a sharp knife to lightly trim off any golden, firm or caramelised edges from the cake.
Crumble the cooled cake into crumbs into a large bowl and then add the cream cheese frosting. The cake pop filling should be the consistency of wet sand once combined.
Tip: Don’t add the cream cheese frosting to a bowl and then crumble the cake on top, crumble the cake into a clean bowl first. This enables you to go back into the bowl and crumble the cake up into finer crumbs before adding the frosting.
Scoop approximately 1 tablespoon of mixture per cake pop, roll it into a ball and place it onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Place the tray in the fridge or freezer until the cake pops are firm and then re-roll them between your palms for a few seconds to smooth out the surface.
Melt the white chocolate using a bain marie (place the bowl of chocolate over a saucepan of simmering water). Press a hole in each cake pop using the cake pop stick. Dip the cake pop stick in the melted chocolate and then push it into the hole. As it sets, the chocolate will help to keep the stick in place.
Dip each cake pop into the melted white chocolate, swirling it around to coat it fully. Allow any excess chocolate to drip off and then place the cake pops stood up in a cake pop stand/holder. Immediately sprinkle crushed banana chips and walnuts on top of the wet chocolate and then place the cake pops somewhere cool to set.
Note: You could top the banana cake pops with dark chocolate shavings or chocolate chips instead if you prefer!
FAQs
What is the secret to coating cake pops?
The secret to coating cake pops is to add coconut oil to the melted chocolate (1 tbsp oil to 400g chocolate). This thins the chocolate slightly and makes it beautifully glossy, creating a smooth, even coating on the cake pops.
Should cake pops be cold before dipping?
We recommend dipping the cake pops in melted chocolate when they are cold because this will set the chocolate more quickly. However, make sure that you leave your melted chocolate to cool to room temperature first (around 10 minutes) before dipping the cake pops, otherwise, the chocolate could crack.
Can I make banana bread balls instead of cake pops?
If you’d prefer to make banana bread truffles (cake pops without the sticks!) then use a skewer, toothpick or fork to dip the cake pop into the melted chocolate. Once the banana bread truffle is coated in chocolate, place it on a lined baking sheet and set it aside somewhere cool to allow the chocolate to set.
How far in advance can I make cake pops?
Cake pops can be prepped 1-2 days in advance or frozen for up to 6 weeks, making them a fantastic party dessert to make ahead.
To make the cake pops up to 2 days in advance. The cake can be baked up to two days in advance and you can put together and decorate the cake pops the day before you plan to serve them. Once the chocolate has fully dried they can be stored lying down in an airtight container.
To make the cake pops up to 6 weeks ahead. Cake pops can be stored for up to 6 weeks in the freezer. To freeze them, allow the chocolate coating and decoration to dry fully and then store them in an airtight container (you can lie them down) in the freezer. Allow the cake pops to defrost in the refrigerator overnight before serving them.
How do you display cake pops without a stand?
If you don’t have a cake pop stand you could choose to make cake pop truffles instead without the sticks. Serve them on a pretty plate in petit four cases, or as they are.
Alternatively, you could make a cake pop stand by covering a cardboard box with wrapping paper and piercing holes in the box using your cake pop sticks.
How should you store cake pops?
Once the chocolate coating is dry, cake pops can be stored in an airtight container (lying down) in the fridge for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 6 weeks.
Loved these Banana Bread Cake Pops? Here are some more popular recipes to try
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The Written Recipe:
White Chocolate Banana Bread Cake Pops (Vegan Recipe)
Ingredients
For the banana bread:
- 315 g ripe spotty bananas (approximately 2.5 bananas, or 1.4 cups of mashed banana)
- 125 g soft light brown sugar
- 100 g coconut oil (melted and cooled to room temperature* (see note))
- 45 g dairy-free milk (at room temperature* (see note))
- 225 g self-raising flour
Cream cheese frosting:
- 40 g vegan cream cheese (at room temperature (left out of the fridge for 1 hour))
- 10 g vegan block butter (at room temperature (left out of the fridge for 1 hour))
- 200 g icing sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Toppings:
- 425 g vegan white chocolate
- 1 tbsp coconut oil (or vegetable oil)
- 30 g dried banana chips (crumbled into pieces)
- 30 g walnuts (crumbled into pieces)
Equipment
- Cake Pop Stand
- Cake Pop Sticks
Instructions
To make the banana bread:
- Preheat the oven to 170°C fan oven (190°C conventional / 375°F / gas mark 5) and line a 20cm (8”) round cake tin with parchment paper.
- Add the brown sugar to a large mixing bowl and rub out any lumps in the sugar.125 g soft light brown sugar
- Peel the bananas and add them to a large bowl. Mash them throughly using the back of a fork.315 g ripe spotty bananas
- Add the coconut oil and milk to the bowl with the mashed bananas and mix everything together.100 g coconut oil, 45 g dairy-free milk
- Add the flour and stir together until just combined.225 g self-raising flour
- Pour the mixture into the lined cake tin and bake for approximately 35 minutes, until a knife inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
- Leave the cake in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool fully (around 1 hour).
To make the cream cheese frosting:
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, cream cheese and vanilla with a wooden spoon until light and fluffy.40 g vegan cream cheese, 10 g vegan block butter, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Add the icing sugar and use the wooden spoon to mix the ingredients together into a thick frosting. Note: The frosting will look as though it is too dry to come together but give it a minute or two and it will. Keep smoothing the wooden spoon over the mixture, pressing it into the side of the bowl and it’ll start to combine into a thick frosting. The frosting needs to be thick in order to hold the banana bread crumbs together.200 g icing sugar
To make the Banana Bread Cake Pops:
- Place the cooled cake on a chopping board and lightly trim off any golden, firm or caramelised edges. You can enjoy the offcuts to fuel your cake pop decorating!
- Crumble the soft cake interior into crumbs by breaking off chunks and rubbing them between your hands into a large mixing bowl.
- Add the cream cheese frosting to the bowl of cake crumbs and stir well to combine. The consistency should be similar to wet sand.
- Use a spring-loaded small ice cream scoop (4cm / 1.6“) (or tablespoon) to scoop out a ball of cake mixture. Roll the ball gently between your hands to smooth it out, it won’t be perfect but you will be able to smooth it out again later. Repeat for the remaining mixture - you should get around 24 balls.
- Place the balls of cake mixture on a tray lined with parchment paper and place the tray in the fridge for 3 hours or the freezer for 30 minutes for the cake balls to firm up. Don’t skip this step - you need them to be firm.
- Once the cake pops have chilled and are firm, remove them from the fridge/freezer and roll them between your hands again to smooth out some of the lumps and bumps. Pop them back in the fridge whilst you prepare your toppings.
To decorate the Banana Bread Cake Pops:
- Set aside a cake pop stand and 24 cake pop sticks. If you don’t have a cake pop stand then use the cake pop sticks to press holes in a small cardboard box or piece of polystyrene. Note: if you’re making a stand out of a cardboard box, opt for a shallow box - you want the cake pop sticks to be taller than the box so that the cake pops don’t slip all the way in.
- Next, you want to melt the white chocolate. Place a small saucepan of water on the hob and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat so that it is very gently simmering and place a bowl over the top of the saucepan. Make sure that the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water underneath.
- Add the white chocolate to the bowl and allow it to melt gently, stirring occasionally until it has fully melted. Once it has melted, stir in 1 tbsp coconut oil (or vegetable oil); the chocolate should be smooth and glossy.425 g vegan white chocolate, 1 tbsp coconut oil
- Carefully take the bowl of melted chocolate off the top of the saucepan and set it aside to cool for 10 minutes until it is still liquid but cool to the touch.
- Take 5 cake pops out of the fridge. Press the cake pop stick into the centre of each cake ball to make a hole. Remove the stick, dip the end in the melted chocolate and then place it back in the hole you just made. The melted chocolate will set, helping to keep the stick in place. Set the cake pop down with the stick facing up, to allow the chocolate a few minutes to set.
- Pick up the cake pop by the stick and dip the cake ball in the melted white chocolate, using a spoon to pour extra chocolate over the ball as necessary to fully coat it. Hold the cake pop over the bowl for a few seconds to allow any excess chocolate to drip off.
- Place the chocolate-coated cake pop in the cake pop holder and immediately sprinkle crumbled banana chip and walnut pieces on top (they’ll stick to the chocolate).30 g dried banana chips, 30 g walnuts
- Repeat with the rest of the cake pops and then set them aside somewhere cool to allow the chocolate to dry (ideally in the fridge if you’ve got space). Note: Coat and decorate a few cake pops at a time and leave the rest in the fridge because dipping a cold cake pop into melted chocolate has the benefit of setting the chocolate quickly - less chance of smudging the chocolate!
- Once the cake pops are fully dry, remove them from the stand and store them on their sides in an airtight container for easier storage. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Tara
Hi, I’m Tara! I’m taking you on a trip around the world in vegan cuisine and bringing the world’s most delicious dishes to your kitchen.
