Anatomy

• A cake pop is a small ball of baked cake that has been crumbled and bound with a sticky substance such as frosting or cream cheese. The cake pop is then coated in a melted chocolate coating to keep its shape and then decorated with sprinkles, drizzled chocolate or other edible embellishments.

Filling

• Most cake pops aren’t filled. If, however, your cake pops are filled -- such as pastry crème filled or fruit filled -- they’ll need to be stored in the refrigerator. You can store your cake pops in the refrigerator in an airtight container for three to four days.

Room Temperature

• Plain cake pops don’t require refrigeration. Instead, they can be stored on the countertop at room temperature in an airtight container for three to four days.

Preparation

• When you’re making cake pops at home, refrigeration is required before dipping the cake pops into the chocolate. After you’ve rolled the cake balls and inserted the Popsicle stick, you need to tighten the cake’s crumb by placing the balls to chill in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes to one hour. Once chilled you can remove them from the refrigerator and dip them directly into the coating.

Considerations

• Instead of storing cake pops in a plastic bag, use a large plastic container. Alternate the direction of cake pops so that they’re not sitting on top of one another -- this will prevent them from being crushed. If you store your pops in the refrigerator they’ll have a harder texture. At room temperature cake pops remain soft, but if the temperature is too warm, the chocolate may begin to melt away from the cake pop.