# What You'll Need:
→ Cake
01 - 1 box vanilla cake mix
02 - Eggs, oil, and water as required by cake mix instructions
→ Frosting
03 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
04 - 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
05 - 2 tablespoons milk
06 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
→ Coating
07 - 12 ounces white candy melts or white chocolate
08 - Blue gel food coloring, oil-based
09 - 2 tablespoons coconut oil or vegetable shortening, optional
→ Decoration
10 - 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
11 - 1 to 2 teaspoons vodka or clear extract
12 - Edible gold or silver luster dust, optional
→ Assembly
13 - 24 lollipop sticks
14 - Styrofoam block or cake pop stand
# Steps:
01 - Preheat oven and bake vanilla cake according to package instructions. Allow cake to cool completely before proceeding.
02 - In a medium bowl, cream softened butter until light. Gradually beat in powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth and spreadable.
03 - Crumble cooled cake into fine crumbs in a large bowl. Add frosting incrementally, mixing by hand until mixture holds together without excessive moisture.
04 - Roll mixture into 24 evenly-sized balls, approximately 1 tablespoon each. Arrange on parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for 15 minutes until firm.
05 - Melt white candy melts or chocolate using double boiler or microwave in 20-second intervals, stirring until smooth. Tint with blue gel food coloring to achieve robin's egg shade. Thin with coconut oil if necessary.
06 - Dip tip of each lollipop stick into melted coating, then insert halfway into each cake ball. Refrigerate for 10 minutes to secure sticks.
07 - Fully submerge each cake pop into blue coating, allowing excess to drip off. Stand upright in Styrofoam block or cake pop stand to set.
08 - Mix cocoa powder with vodka or extract to create thin paste. Using clean food-safe brush, flick mixture gently across cake pops to create speckled effect. Optionally add luster dust for additional shine.
09 - Allow all cake pops to set completely at room temperature before serving.