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These pretty Tiramisu Cake Pops are the perfect party treat – we’re sharing all of our tips for making cake pops like a pro, including how to make them in advance. They’re egg free, dairy free and vegan!
Learn how to make tiramisu cake pops from scratch – including a homemade coffee cake and coffee frosting interior with a dark and white chocolate coating. These delicious coffee cake pops are egg free, dairy free and completely vegan; a treat for any coffee lover.
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 tiramisu cake balls in advance and freeze them – super handy if you’ve got a party coming up.
Quick links:
- The written recipe
- Why these cake pops are special
- Success tips
- Step by step instructions with photos
- FAQs
- Other ‘must try’ vegan recipes!
What are cake pops?
Cake Pops are little truffle-like balls made of crumbled up sponge cake mixed into frosting. These cake balls are chilled, popped on a stick and then coated in chocolate to form bite-size single serve cakes that are easy to eat.
Cake Pops are a fantastic party treat that can be made with many different flavours of cake, frosting and coating and they can be decorated to suit any special occasion. They’re fantastic mini desserts for baby showers, birthdays, gifts and wedding favours!
Why these Tiramisu Cake Pops are special
If you’re looking for a special gift or party treat, this is it! Not only do these cake pops look as pretty as a picture, but they taste great too. Inspired by the classic Italian dessert, these Tiramisu Cake Pops feature a moist coffee sponge, rich coffee buttercream and double chocolate coating.
Most cake pops are made with shop-bought cake or cake mix and buttercream (and you can make them like this, we explain how here) but these are 100% homemade. So, if you enjoy baking and cake decorating, and coffee-flavoured treats are your jam, these Tiramisu Cake Pops are for you!
We’re sharing with you all of our success tips for creating perfect cake pops, including the recipe for our beautifully moist coffee sponge and creamy coffee frosting to make up the centre of these delicious coffee cake pops.
This recipe is 100% vegan meaning that it is free of egg, milk and all animal products, without sacrificing flavour or texture.
Making cake pops from scratch isn’t complicated but it does take a little bit of extra time, so we recommend making the cake the day before. Here is an overview of the steps involved in making these delicious Tiramisu Cake Pops:
- Make homemade vegan coffee cake
- Make homemade coffee frosting
- Crumble the cake into fine crumbs
- Mix the cake crumbs with the coffee frosting
- Roll the mixture into balls
- Coat the coffee cake balls in chocolate
- Decorate
- Enjoy!
Steps 1 to 5 can all be completed the day before if you prefer.
Success Tips
- Make the cake the day before. Making cake pops isn’t difficult but it does take time, with cooling, chilling and setting time required between the steps, so we recommend making the cake the day before so that it is cool and ready to use in the morning.
- You can use pre-made sponge cake and frosting. If your local shop sells a vegan coffee cake and frosting that you like, by all means use that for this recipe if you prefer. Just skip straight to the ‘to make the tiramisu cake pops’ section on the recipe card.
- Use coconut oil to create a smooth chocolate coating. We add a tablespoon of coconut oil to the melted chocolate before coating our cake pops. Coconut oil loosens the melted chocolate a little, making it easier to coat the cake pops smoothly.
- Let the melted chocolate cool before coating. Before dipping your tiramisu cake balls into the melted chocolate, let it cool for 10 minutes. In this recipe we recommend that you chill the cake pops before dipping them into the melted chocolate because this speeds up the drying process of the chocolate (so there is less chance of smudging the chocolate). However, the melted chocolate must be cool before doing this because dipping cold cake balls into hot chocolate could result in a cracked chocolate coating.
- Store cake pops in the fridge. To make your coffee cake pops last longer we recommend storing them in the fridge. Once the chocolate coating and decoration has dried fully, they can be laid on their side in an airtight container and placed in the fridge for up to 3 days until you are ready to serve them.
- Serve cake pops at room temperature. For optimal enjoyment, serve these coffee cake balls at room temperature.
How to make these Tiramisu Cake Pops
Ingredients
To make these cake pops from scratch, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Pantry ingredients
Coconut oil
Self-raising flour – the recipe calls for 260g self-raising flour plus 3/4 tsp baking powder. If you only have plain flour (all purpose flour) then you can use 260g plain flour plus 3 tsp baking powder instead.
Instant coffee powder (or granules ground into powder)
Baking powder
Soft light brown sugar
Icing sugar (confectioners’ sugar)
Vegan dark chocolate
Vegan white chocolate
Chocolate-covered coffee beans (or you can use chocolate chips if you prefer)
Edible gold leaf or sprinkles (optional)
Chilled ingredients
Dairy-free milk – we use almond milk but soya milk also works well
Vegan block butter – not the spreadable margarine kind
Equipment
In addition to mixing bowls, saucepans and utensils, you’ll need the following equipment to make this recipe:
- Cake pop sticks (or lollipop sticks). We used 15cm (6”) tall paper sticks.
- A 20cm (8”) round sandwich cake tin
- A cake pop stand*
*A cake pop stand will make your life easier when decorating your tiramisu cake pops. You can create a makeshift stand by pressing the cake pop sticks into a 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.
Steps
Here is an overview of the steps involved in making these tiramisu cake balls. Make sure to head to the recipe card below for the full recipe and instructions!
Gather together your ingredients.
First, make the coffee cake. Stir together the dry ingredients in a large bowl and then add the wet ingredients. Stir until combined and then pour the batter into a prepared pan (20cm round cake tin lined with parchment) and bake in a preheated oven. Set the cake aside to cool fully on a wire rack.
Make the coffee frosting by beating together the ingredients until smooth and the texture is light and fluffy. You can use a wooden spoon or an electric mixer at medium speed.
Note: The mixture may go through a stage of looking quite dry, like in the first photo below. Trust the process and keep stirring the ingredients; they’ll come together into smooth buttercream.
Lightly trim any golden, firm or caramelised edges off of the cake (you can eat these to keep you going!). Crumble the cooled cake into fine crumbs and then stir this into the coffee frosting. Stir to combine – it should be the consistency of wet sand.
Tip: Don’t crumble the cake straight into the buttercream, crumble it into a separate bowl. This enables you to go back into the bowl and crumble the cake up into fine crumbs.
Scoop approximately 1 tablespoon of mixture per cake pop, roll it into a ball and place it on a lined tray or baking sheet. Refrigerate or freeze until firm and then re-roll until smooth.
Melt the chocolate coating. Press a hole in each cake pop using the cake pop stick. Dip the cake pop stick in melted chocolate and then place it into the hole. The chocolate will help to keep the stick in place. Allow the chocolate to cool and set.
Dip each cake pop in the melted chocolate to coat and then place them in a cake pop holder somewhere cool to set.
Decorate with melted white chocolate, a chocolate coffee bean and gold leaf or gold sprinkles for an extra special treat – the perfect dessert for a party.
FAQs
How to get cake pops to stick together?
If you’re wondering why your cake pops won’t form balls, this will be because there is not enough frosting to hold the cake crumbs together. Add a little more frosting and this should solve the issue.
This recipe for tiramisu cake pops should give you the perfect ratio of cake crumbs to frosting.
How do you thin melting chocolate for cake pops?
A simple trick to thin melted chocolate is to add a little coconut oil or vegetable oil (around 1 tbsp of oil for 400g chocolate). This will create a silky smooth, slightly thinner melted chocolate that should coat your cake pops more easily.
Should cake pops be cold before dipping?
If your cake pops are cold when you dip them in melted chocolate, it will set the chocolate more quickly than if the cake pops are at room temperature. Allow the melted chocolate to cool for 10 minutes before dipping your cake pops because dipping cold cake balls into hot melted chocolate could result in a cracked chocolate coating.
How do you dip cake pops without sticks?
If you’d like to make cake pop truffles or bites without the sticks, you can do this by using a toothpick, skewer or fork to hold the cake pop whilst it is dipped in chocolate. Once coated, set the cake pops down on a tray lined with parchment paper and put the tray in a cool place to allow the chocolate to set.
It’s easy to turn these tiramisu cake pops into delicious tiramisu truffles by following this method.
How far in advance can I make cake pops?
Cake pops can be prepped 1-2 days ahead of time or frozen for up to 6 weeks, making them a fantastic make-in-advance party treat.
To make the cake pops 1-2 days ahead of time. The cake can be baked two days in advance and you can put the cake pops together the day before you plan to serve them. Once the coating and decoration are fully dry, store them in the fridge in an airtight container.
To make the cake pops a few weeks in advance. Cake pops freeze well so you can make them several weeks in advance! Once the decoration on your cake pops is fully dry, put them in an airtight container and store them in the freezer for up to 6 weeks. 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 can use a small cardboard box or piece of polystyrene to make a homemade stand to display them. Cover your homemade stand in wrapping paper and then pierce holes in it using the cake pop sticks.
Alternatively, you could serve these cake pops on a decorative serving plate as individual truffles without a stick.
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. Alternatively, place something in the box to hold up the cake pops, or just be careful making the holes – as long as the holes are not too big the cake pops should stay put.
How should you store cake pops? Should cake pops be frozen?
Store your finished and fully dry cake pops in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days, or in the freezer for up to 6 weeks.
Loved these Tiramisu Cake Pops? Here are some more popular recipes to try
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The Written Recipe:
Tiramisu Cake Pops Recipe (Vegan Coffee Cake Balls)
Ingredients
For the coffee sponge:
- 75 g coconut oil
- 260 g dairy free milk
- 260 g self raising flour
- 1.5 tbsp instant coffee powder (or granules ground to a powder)
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- 125 g soft light brown sugar
For the coffee frosting:
- 100 g vegan block butter (left out of the fridge for 1 hour)
- 225 g icing sugar
- 4 tsp instant coffee
- 2 tsp boiling water
Toppings:
- 400 g vegan dark chocolate (broken into small pieces)
- 200 g vegan white chocolate (broken into small pieces)
- 1 tbsp coconut oil (or vegetable oil)
- 25 coffee beans (chocolate covered are best!)
- edible gold leaf
You’ll also need:
- 25 tall (15cm / 6") paper cake pop sticks
Equipment
- Cake Pop Stand
- Cake Pop Sticks
Instructions
To make the coffee sponge:
- Add the coconut oil and dairy free milk to a saucepan and warm gently until the coconut oil has melted. Leave to cool to room temperature (don’t refrigerate).75 g coconut oil, 260 g dairy free milk
- Preheat the oven to 160°C fan (180°C conventional / 350°F / gas mark 4) and line one 20cm (8”) round sandwich cake tin.
- Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl.260 g self raising flour, 3/4 tsp baking powder
- Add the sugar and coffee to the bowl and mix the dry ingredients.125 g soft light brown sugar, 1.5 tbsp instant coffee powder
- Once cooled to room temperature, add the oil and milk to the bowl with the dry ingredients.
- Use a large whisk to mix gently for a few seconds until the cake batter is smooth and combined, don’t beat the mixture.
- Pour the cake batter into the lined cake tin.
- Place the cake tin in the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until a knife or skewer 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 coffee frosting:
- Add 4 tsp instant coffee granules and 2 tsp boiling water to a small ramekin or cup. Stir the mixture to dissolve the coffee granules and then set it aside to cool completely.Note: It’s important that you do not use more than 2 tsp water to dissolve the coffee, otherwise it could make the frosting too soft.4 tsp instant coffee, 2 tsp boiling water
- Add the butter to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric whisk or wooden spoon until light and fluffy.100 g vegan block butter
- Add the icing sugar and cooled coffee and beat again until combined.225 g icing sugar
To make the tiramisu cake pops:
- Place your cooled cake on a chopping board and lightly trim off any golden, firm or caramelised edges. Trim a very thin layer off the top and bottom of the cake to leave the soft interior. You can enjoy the offcuts to fuel your cake pop decorating!
- Crumble the soft cake interior into fine crumbs by breaking off chunks and rubbing them between your hands into a large mixing bowl.
- Add the cake crumbs to the bowl of frosting and stir well to combine. The consistency should be similar to wet sand.Note: Don’t crumble the cake straight into the bowl of frosting because you need to be able to pick up any larger pieces and rub them in your hands again to break the cake down into small crumbs. You won’t be able to do that if they’ve got frosting stuck to them.
- Use a spring-loaded small ice cream scoop (4cm / 1.6“) (or a 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.
- 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 tiramisu cake pops:
- Set aside a cake pop stand and 25 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.25 tall (15cm / 6") paper cake pop sticks
- First up, melt the dark 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.400 g vegan dark chocolate
- Add the dark chocolate to the bowl along with 1 tbsp coconut oil (or vegetable oil) and allow the chocolate to melt gently, stirring occasionally until it has fully melted.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 so that it’s 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 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, this will help to keep it in place. Set it down, cake pop stick facing up, to allow the chocolate a few minutes to set.
- Pick up the cake pop by the stick and dip it in the melted dark chocolate, using a spoon to pour extra chocolate over the ball as necessary to fully coat it. Place the cake pop in the cake pop holder and set it aside somewhere cool to allow the chocolate to dry (ideally in the fridge if you’ve got space).Note: 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 you’ve coated all of the cake pops in dark chocolate and the chocolate has dried, it’s time to add the decoration.
- You’ll want to melt the white chocolate in the same way that you melted the dark chocolate. Place a 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.200 g vegan white chocolate
- Add the white chocolate to the bowl (you don’t need coconut oil this time as you want a thicker chocolate). Allow the chocolate to melt gently, stirring occasionally until it has fully melted.
- Carefully take the bowl of melted chocolate off the top of the saucepan and set it aside to cool for 10 minutes so that it’s still liquid but cool to the touch.
- Take your cake pops out of the fridge (you can decorate all of them at once). Drizzle a little white chocolate on top of each cake pop and immediately place a chocolate-covered coffee bean on top (so that it sticks to the melted chocolate).25 coffee beans
- If your cake pops are for a special occasion, you might like to add a little gold leaf or vegan gold sprinkles to each coffee bean for decoration.edible gold leaf
- Set the cake pops aside somewhere cool in the cake pop stand to allow the chocolate to set fully (ideally in the fridge if you’ve got space).
- 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.
