Halloween cake pops recipe

Our Halloween cake pops are so much fun to make, and these spooky characters look great on a decorated table.

By The GH Kitchen TeamUpdated: 15 September 2025

Good Housekeeping UK

If you're after a fun baking project this Halloween, let us introduce you to our adorably spooky cake pops. We've created two playful characters; a mummy (with edible candy eyes) and bats (with pretzels for the wings).

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Yields:

Prep Time:

20 mins

Cook Time:

20 mins

Total Time:

40 mins

Ingredients

For the madeira cake

50 g
butter, very soft, plus extra to grease
50 g
caster sugar
40 g
plain flour
40 g
self-raising flour
1
large egg
1 tsp.
vanilla extract
1 Tbsp.
milk

For the buttercream

25 g
butter, very soft
50 g
icing sugar

For the coating

175 g
dark chocolate
1 1/2 tsp.
vegetable oil

For the bat decoration

plain salted pretzels
small edible candy eyes

For the mummy decorations

small edible candy eyes
50 g
white chocolate, broken into pieces

You will also need

10 x 15cm lollipop sticks
polystyrene cake dummy or cake pop stand

Directions

1. Step 1 Make the madeira cake. Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4. Grease and line a 900g loaf tin with baking parchment. Put all the cake ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat together with an electric handwhisk or wooden spoon until they combine to make a smooth batter.
2. Step 2Tip batter into the prepared tin, smooth to level and bake for about 20min until risen, golden and springy to the touch. Remove on to a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
3. Step 3Make the buttercream. Put butter in a large bowl with icing sugar and 1tsp cooled boiled water, then cream together until smooth.
4. Step 4Slice cake, then crumble slices into bowl until finely milled and no lumps of cake remain (discard any lumps that feel very hard as you go). Cream mixture together again with a wooden spoon until combined. You should be able to press some together to make a smooth ball that doesn’t crack or crumble into pieces when squeezed lightly – if it’s still too dry, add a few drops of cooled boiled water until the mixture comes together.
5. Step 5Roll into 10 equal balls, squeezing each to press the mixture as firmly together as possible to make a smooth sphere. Arrange balls on a plate and chill in fridge for 10min.
6. Step 6Make the coating. Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water (make sure the base of bowl doesn't touch the water). When melted and smooth, lift bowl off pan (alternatively microwave the chocolate on a low setting for 30sec bursts, stirring after each time until just melted and smooth).
7. Step 7Stir enough vegetable oil in to chocolate to thin it. It should go slightly runnier and coat the back of a spoon, but flow easily off the sides when lifted.
8. Step 8To make bats, push the tip of a cutlery knife into one side of a cake ball, to make a small indent, then dip a curved edge of a pretzel into the melted chocolate, shake off excess and carefully push the chocolate coated side into the indent to make a wing, making sure it is pressed in far enough to be secure when set. Using a thumb, press the edge of the cake mixture that surrounds the pretzel over it gently, to seal the pretzel in. Repeat on other side.
9. Step 9Dip the end of a lollipop stick into the melted chocolate, wipe off the excess, then push the coated end of the stick into the cake ball, being careful not to knock the pretzels. Lay carefully on a large plate. Repeat with remaining cake balls. Put in the fridge for about 5min, or until completely set.
10. Step 10Holding the stick, position each cake pop over the bowl of chocolate. Pour a large spoonful of chocolate over the cake ball and pretzels to coat one side completely, letting the excess drip back down into the bowl, then turn over and pour another large spoonful over the other side. Hold over the bowl until the chocolate stops dripping, using the spoon to encourage the excess to drip off. Choosing the smoothest side (one side of the bat will look smoother and neater), press two candy eyes on to the cake pop. Stand upright in a cake pop stand or polystyrene dummy. Repeat with remaining cake pops and allow to set at room temperature completely. Serve
11. Step 11To make mummies, dip the end of a lollipop stick into the melted chocolate, wipe off the excess, then push the coated end of the stick into the cake ball. Put on a plate. Repeat with remaining cake balls. Put in the fridge for about 5min, or until completely set.
12. Step 12Holding the stick, position each cake pop over the bowl of chocolate. Use a large spoon to pour chocolate over the cake ball to coat completely. Hold over the bowl and very slowly and gently shake to remove excess chocolate until it stops dripping. Allow the chocolate to set for 30sec, then press two candy eyes on to the cake pop. Stand upright a cake pop stand or polystyrene dummy. Repeat with remaining pops and chill again for 5-10min until set.
13. Step 13Melt the white chocolate using the same method as the dark chocolate. Use a teaspoon to drizzle thin lines of melted white chocolate all around each cake pop, being careful not to cover the eyes. Put back in the stand and allow to set at room temperature completely. Serve.

GH TIPS
Assemble and decorate the cake pops up to 3 days ahead. Once set, store them in an airtight container in the fridge. Remove 1hr before serving.

Lollipop sticks and edible candy eyes can be bought in large supermarket bakery sections, or from Hobbycraft.

If you don’t want to make the cake from scratch, use 200g shop-bought plain madeira loaf cake and don’t add the water to the buttercream.

If you like this recipe, check out our easy chocolate cake truffles.