Healthy Strawberry Cake Pops Recipe – Made Entirely From Scratch!

The Story Behind the Cake Pop

The inspiration behind this strawberry cake pops recipe was two-fold. First, I wanted to create something really fun for kids (and what could be more fun than cake on a stick?) that would not cause sugar-rush anxiety for parents.

And secondly, I am always racking my brain to come up with naturally sweetened treats my kids will actually like that don’t contain chocolate. That right there is one of the biggest food challenges at our house.

My kids are big chocolate-lovers, but too much of a good thing is still too much. Ask a parent who’s had to stay up late with caffeine-hyped kids who can’t sleep until midnight.

Me … that parent would be me.

Additionally, I am aware that not all children are as crazy about chocolate as my own, so I want to have treat options that any kid can enjoy. Since these cake pops can be coated with either buttercream frosting or chocolate, you can satisfy both kids who like chocolate and those who don’t.

As a matter of fact, these cake pops can suit a variety of taste buds. Here are some convincing examples:

My daughter loves chocolate but she also loves strawberry, so she loves this healthy cake pop recipe with the chocolate coating. By contrast, one of her friends does not like chocolate, so she liked these with the buttercream frosting. And yet another one of her friends does not like strawberries at all, but she still loved these strawberry cake pops!

Now, I have to be clear about something. This is not a “quick and easy” cake pop recipe. It requires a few steps that are best planned out ahead of time. But my kids can attest to the fact that the result is well worth the time and effort you put into making these.

And to make it a little easier on yourself, you can even make certain portions of this strawberry cake pops recipe days or weeks in advance and then stick them in the fridge or freezer to finish later. Even better, if you want to complete these cake pops several days or weeks ahead of time for a party, you can also freeze the fully assembled cake pops.

Just move them to the fridge a day before your event to give them time to soften up. Or, if the cake pops will be sitting out for an extended period of time at the party, leave them in the freezer until the last minute so they don’t get too soft or melty during the party.

However and whenever you decide to make these, they will be an instant favorite. Whether you have a chocolate-loving kid, a strawberry-loving kid or neither one, these amazing, naturally sweetened cake pops have been proven to tickle the taste buds on any tongue!

Ideas for What to Do With These Cake Pops

So when should you make this strawberry cake pops recipe?

Well, as I just mentioned, they require some time to put together, so pick a time when you know you can handle several steps, even if they are spread out over a few days. Like I said, if you want to make these for a party – which is a fantastic idea, by the way – just plan to make them ahead and stick them in the freezer before all of the other crazy party planning steals your time.

But these aren’t just for parties. Since these homemade cakepops have a naturally red theme, they would be a great surprise treat to make your kids for Valentine’s Day.

You could also make this strawberry cake pops recipe just because! I make them for my kids to keep in the fridge or freezer for several week’s worth of dessert. It’s an easy “yes” as a parent when kids beg for a dessert that is homemade and contains no processed sugar.

And even though these special treats take some time to make, one batch makes 35-40 cake pops which is easily enough for most kids’ birthday parties and more than enough to be a daily dessert for your own kids for a while.

Look at it this way. The time required to make these homemade cake pops from scratch is an investment. It’s an investment into the time you will not have to spend over the next several weeks arguing with your kids over what they can and cannot have for a treat each day.

Stop all arguments by handing them cake on a stick. Problem solved!

Ingredients

Strawberry Cake:

• Butter: Butter or lack of butter really makes or breaks a lot of cake recipes. Butter is an essential ingredient in this strawberry cake to ensure it is moist and flavorful. I like to use Irish grass-fed butter or organic butter.
  
• Maple Syrup: Maple syrup is the primary natural sweetener in this recipe. Maple syrup is not processed like white table sugar, but it is still intensely sweet and helps cakes to turn out fluffy. I usually get mine from Costco.
  
• Eggs: Eggs are a binder and are also essential. I use farm-fresh, cage-free eggs or organic eggs from the store.
  
• Milk: Milk adds moisture to the cake. I use organic whole milk but you can use whatever you normally use.
  
• Lemon Juice: Fresh squeezed lemon juice enhances the tart flavor of strawberry in the cake. You can probably also use lemon juice from a bottle (not lemon extract), but I prefer to use fresh-squeezed.
  
• Homemade Strawberry Jam: My homemade strawberry jam recipe is the perfect way to add condensed strawberry flavor to these cake pops without adding too much moisture.
  
• Flour: I use organic flour from Costco, but any all-purpose flour will work fine.
  
• Baking Powder: Baking powder provides just the right rise to the strawberry cake. Make sure to buy aluminum-free baking powder for health purposes. You can get aluminum-free baking powder on Amazon here.
  
• Salt: Pink Himalayan sea salt is my salt of choice. You can also get this from Costco.

Cake Pop Batter:

• Strawberry Cake: Crumbling the cake from the ingredients above creates the base for the cake pop batter. Make sure the cake has completely cooled before using in the cake pop batter.
  
• Homemade Strawberry Jam: More of my homemade strawberry jam adds a stronger strawberry flavor to the cake pops.
  
• Homemade Strawberry Buttercream Frosting: My honey-sweetened buttercream frosting recipe is flavored with freeze-dried strawberries to add a touch more strawberry to the cake pop recipe.

Chocolate Coating:

• Unsweetened Baker’s Chocolate: Unsweetened baker’s chocolate contains only hardened cocoa that will melt and mixes very well with butter and honey to re-harden when it cools. Make sure your baker’s chocolate does not contain any added sugar.
  
• Butter: Butter is an essential fat to balance the acidity of the chocolate.
  
• Honey: Use raw, unfiltered honey for health benefits and proper consistency. If you use runny, processed honey, the chocolate may not harden properly when cold.

Lemon Buttercream Coating:

• Lemon Buttercream Frosting: My honey-sweetened lemon buttercream frosting recipe is a great alternative to the chocolate coating on these cake pops for kids who don’t like chocolate – or parents who don’t want their kids to have chocolate.

Decoration:

• Freeze-Dried Strawberries: My favorite way to easily decorate these cake pops is to simply roll them in ground freeze-dried strawberries while the chocolate or buttercream coating on them is still soft.

Instructions

Make the Strawberry Cake:

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 2

Oil a 8×8 baking dish and set aside.

Step 3

Combine milk and lemon juice in a cup to make buttermilk and set aside.

Step 4

To a medium-size bowl, add softened butter and maple syrup. Using a hand or stand mixer, mix until combined. Add in eggs and mix until combined.

Step 5

Add strawberry jam and buttermilk mixture to the bowl of butter, maple syrup and eggs. Mix until combined.

Step 6

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt and mix.

Step 7

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix with a spatula until fully combined.

Step 8

Pour cake batter into oiled 8×8 baking dish and spread evenly in the pan.

Step 9

Bake for 35 minutes, checking for doneness with a toothpick.

Step 10

Allow cake to cool completely.

Step 11

Once cake has cooled, follow instructions for assembling cake pops batter or cover and store in the fridge or freezer until you are ready to use.

Assemble the Cake Pops:

Step 1

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Step 2

Once strawberry cake has cooled, crumble the cake with your hands into a large mixing bowl.

Step 3

Add 1 cup strawberry jam and 2 batches of strawberry buttercream frosting to the bowl. Mix until crumbled cake, jam and frosting are well combined.

Step 4

Roll cake mixture into 1-inch balls and place on the lined baking sheet. Once all balls are rolled, place the balls in the freezer to chill for at least an hour or place in the fridge overnight.

Step 5

When you are ready to dip the cake pops, prepare your coatings.

Make the Chocolate Coating:

To a small pot on the stove, add the baker’s chocolate, butter and honey. Heat on low, stirring constantly until everything is melted and combined. Turn off the heat.

Make the Lemon Buttercream Frosting:

Follow instructions in my recipe for lemon buttercream frosting, making sure to double the batch to have enough for coating half of the cake pops.

Dip the Cake Pops:

Step 1

Pull the cake balls out of the freezer. Working with one ball at a time, push a stick into a cake ball and coat with the chocolate or lemon buttercream coating.

For the chocolate, you will need to use a spatula to spread the chocolate around the cake pop, smoothing it out as you go.

For the lemon buttercream, it is easiest to use clean fingers to mold and smooth the frosting around the cake pop.

Step 2

Once coated, generously sprinkle the crushed freeze-dried strawberries all around each cake pop.

Step 3

Put cake pops back in the freezer or fridge for a couple of hours to harden the coating.

Step 4

Once hardened, put the cake pops in a sealed container to maintain freshness and store in the fridge for up to one week or the freezer for up to one month.

Substitutions & Tips

• As I’ve already advised, this strawberry cake pops recipe should be made ahead of time. You can break the steps up into different days to make it more manageable.
  
  For example:
  
  Day 1: Make the strawberry jam (super easy and you will need the jam for the next step).
  
  Day 2: Make the strawberry cake.
  
  Day 3: Make the cake pop batter and roll into balls to place in the fridge overnight.
  
  Day 4: Prepare your coating(s) and dip your cake pops.
  
  It’s really not that hard or time-consuming when it’s broken into steps for different days like this.
  
• I have in the recipe to use my honey-sweetened strawberry jam recipe in the strawberry cake and in the cake pop batter. However, you could also use my date-sweetened chia seed strawberry jam recipe.
  
• The recipe calls for my lemon buttercream frosting recipe for the non-chocolate coating on the cake pops. But you could use the strawberry buttercream frosting recipe instead.
  
• After dipping each strawberry cake pop, place in a mug that is not tall enough to touch the bottom of the cake pop ball but tall enough to prevent the cake pop from tipping out of the mug. Place the mug in the freezer until the cake pop coatings have completely hardened. This way, you will not have any flat areas on your cake pops.
  
• The buttercream coating must be frosted onto the cake pops because it is not liquidy enough to dip them in. Using clean fingers to mold the frosting onto the cake pops is the best way to do this. Don’t worry if your surface is not perfectly smooth – you can cover it up with crushed freeze-dried strawberries or other toppings of choice.
  
• If you are making these for an every day dessert, you might be able to get away without coating them at all. Just put them naked on a stick and hand them to your kids. They aren’t the prettiest this way, but my kids love the taste of these cake pops even without any coating or frosting. Yours might too!