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If youโve seen it once, youโve seen it one hundred times. Our favorite Christmas movie turned into a dessert with these Grinch Cake Pops! Use my incredible red velvet cake recipe to make these as a fun giftable holiday treat!
I shouldnโt admit this, but the first annual viewing of The Grinch is usually before Thanksgiving in my house. There are so many remakes and theyโre all so good! When I asked my kids if they wanted to make a Grinch-themed dessert, they were so excited!
We love our Grinch Sugar Cookies because the miniature hearts are so cuteโtheyโre exactly two sizes too small, just like Mr. Grinchโs heart!
Very Important Notes about This Recipe
- I used these heart sprinkles in these Grinch cake pops.
- This recipe makes 4 red velvet cupcakes that we will be crumbling to make 10 cake pops, so the some of the measurements seem a little wonky, but please trust the process and measure correctly.
- You can double this recipe and bake the cake part in a 6-inch cake pan to make 20 cake pops.
- Itโs fun to double the recipe and use green food coloring in half so that you end up with red and green cake pops!
Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour. One-third cup plus one tablespoon of all-purpose flour.
- Cocoa Powder. Authentic red velvet cake has the slightest touch of cocoa powder in it. This one calls for 2 teaspoons.
- Baking Soda. One-eighth teaspoon of baking is a small pinch.
- Oil. One-quarter cup of any plain oil without flavor, like vegetable oil, canola oil, or grapeseed oil.
- Granulated Sugar. One-quarter cup of white granulated sugar.
- Buttermilk. Traditional red velvet cake is made with buttermilk. I like low-fat cultured buttermilk, easily found at every grocery store. If youโd like to use whole milk instead, just add a half-teaspoon of vinegar to the milk. And yes, you still add the other vinegar later on.
- Egg White. We only need the egg white for this recipe; save the egg yolk for another recipe, like myย red velvet sugar cookies. If youโre double the recipe, use 2 egg whites, not the whole egg!
- Red Food Coloring. You can use regular red food coloring, or food gel. If you use the gel, you only need half the amount (ยฝ teaspoon).
- Vanilla Extract. One-quarter teaspoon of vanilla extract.
- Vinegar. Regular white vinegar is a necessary component of red velvet cake, and no, your red velvet truffles will not taste like vinegar. It helps react with the baking soda and make the cake rise.
- Cream Cheese. Just like red velvet cake, weโre using cream cheese frosting. But weโre not spreading it on top, itโs the glue that holds the truffle together. Itโs cake and frosting in one bite.
- Powdered Sugar. This is for the โfrostingโ part.
- Almond Bark. I suggest almond bark because itโs more forgiving than white chocolate for dipping. If you feel confident with white chocolate, use that, but know that almond bark is easier to work with and doesnโt seize easily like white chocolate does.
- Green Food Gel. In order to dye the white chocolate green, I recommend green gel food coloring. Start with a very small amount, and add more to get the right โGrinchyโ color. Itโs helpful to add a drop of yellow to make it more similar to the Grinch.
How to Make Grinch Cake Pops
Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a separate bowl, beat together with an electric mixer the oil, sugar, buttermilk, egg white, red dye, vinegar and vanilla. Sprinkle the dry mixture over the wet and beat just to combine.
Divide the mixture between the 4 cupcake liners, and bake at 350-degrees F for 20-22 minutes.
Once the cupcakes have cooled, crumble them into a bowl. Add the softened cream cheese and powdered sugar, and beat with an electric mixer to make everything homogenous.
Scoop a heaping tablespoon of this mixture into your hands, and roll it into a perfect ball. It should be very easy to scoop and shape. Refrigerate the cake pops for at least 4 hours.
After the 4 hour chill time, itโs time to melt the white chocolate coating. Chop the almond bark into one-inch pieces, and place in a bowl. Heat on medium power in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between each session, until smooth and melted. Refer to the package directions for exact cooking time.
Dye the melted white coating Grinch green, and dunk each truffle in it, using a fork to let the excess drip off. Place on a parchment lined sheet to cool. Once the outside shell has somewhat hardened, drizzle leftover green chocolate on top to make stripes (see photo), and attach a heart sprinkle. Let set and serve.
How to Store Grinch Cake Pops
You can make these 3 days ahead of time and store them in the fridge. You can make the cake part ahead of time and freeze them in food storage bags for up to 3 months. Defrost before dipping in the green coating.
Grinch Cake Pops
Make 4 red velvet cupcakes to crumble into 10 red velvet Grinch cake pops. You can double the recipe and bake in a 6-inch cake pan.
Ingredients
For the red velvet cake part:
- 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour
- 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons buttermilk
- 1 egg white
- 1 teaspoon red food coloring
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon white vinegar
For the coating:
- 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 12 oz. almond bark (or white chocolate), for coating
- 1-3 drops of green food gel
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350-degrees F, and place 4 cupcake liners in a muffin pan.
- First, make the red velvet cake part: in a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder. In another bowl, beat together the canola oil, sugar, buttermilk, egg white, red dye, vinegar, and vanilla using an electric mixer. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wetย ingredients.
- Divide the batter between the four cupcake liners and bake at 350ยฐ for 20-22 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean. Let cool completelyย on a wire rack.
- When cool, crumble the cupcakes into crumbs. In a bowl, mix the softened cream cheese and powdered sugar. Add the crumbs and stir very well.
- Scoop a heaping tablespoon of the mixture into your hands and then roll into balls. Place the balls on a plate and refrigerate at least 4 hours.
- To make the coating, chop the almond bark into 1" chunks and place in a bowl. Heat on medium power in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between until melted. Stir in green food gel until the desired color appears.
- Dip each ball into the coating quickly, using a fork to turn, then let them dry on a piece of wax paper. Drizzle leftover green coating over each cake pop with a fork to make lines (see photos). Attach a single heart sprinkle on top of the lines.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 330Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 22gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 248mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 4gSugar: 13gProtein: 8g
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