# What You’ll Need:
→ Cake
01 - 1 box (about 15 oz) vanilla or chocolate cake mix
02 - Eggs, oil, water as required by cake mix
03 - Alternatively: 1 fully cooled 9-inch homemade cake
→ Frosting
04 - 1/2 cup cream cheese frosting or buttercream frosting
→ Coating and Decoration
05 - 12 oz candy melts in school colors or white chocolate with colored food coloring
06 - 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening (optional, to thin chocolate)
07 - Sprinkles, edible glitter, or colored sugar in coordinating colors
08 - 24 lollipop sticks
09 - 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
10 - Fondant in school colors (optional, for cap decorations)
# Directions:
01 - Bake cake according to package or recipe instructions. Allow cake to cool completely.
02 - Break cooled cake into fine crumbs in a large mixing bowl.
03 - Blend in frosting using a spatula or clean hands until mixture comes together and holds when pressed. Do not add all frosting at once; use enough to achieve a cohesive texture.
04 - Portion mixture by tablespoon and roll into 24 uniform balls, placing them on a lined baking sheet.
05 - Cover and refrigerate cake balls for at least 1 hour or freeze for 20 minutes to firm up.
06 - Melt candy melts or chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl, heating in 30-second increments and stirring until smooth. Add vegetable shortening, if desired, to thin the consistency.
07 - Dip tip of each lollipop stick into melted coating, then insert halfway into each cake ball.
08 - Immerse each cake pop entirely in melted coating, gently tap to remove excess.
09 - Add sprinkles or colored sugar while coating is wet. For graduation caps, place fondant square and attach a mini chocolate chip with melted chocolate for tassel.
10 - Stand coated pops upright in a styrofoam block or cake pop stand. Allow coating to harden fully before serving.
