Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website.
These Pumpkin Spice Cake Pops are made from a base of fluffy Pumpkin Bread and Cream “Cheese” Frosting, then dipped in chocolate for a yummy treat!
While the idea of Pumpkin Spice Cake Pops is not quite as “basic” as the infamous Pumpkin Spice Latte, I will admit that it’s up there. But ya know what…who cares?! These Cake Pops are gosh darn delicious, and I am NOT ashamed to enjoy them.
Plus, they’re made with mostly whole-food ingredients! Which is definitely an upgrade from their classic counterparts…
To be honest, I used to kind of…hate Cake Pops? I think that’s mostly because I expected them to be like lollipops. Little did I know that other than the fact that they both come on a stick, they are basically polar opposites. Nowadays, I like to think of Cake Pops like cute little Chocolate-Covered Donut Holes. What’s not to love about that?
The idea for Pumpkin Spice Cake Pops came to me when I had a few extra pieces of my Gluten-Free Vegan Pumpkin Bread left over from recipe testing. Usually Cake Pops are made with, well, cake. BUT! This bread is so fluffy (and delicious) that it worked wonderfully anyways!
I’m not the biggest fan of overly sweet desserts, so I opted to make my own lightly sweetened Cream Cheese “frosting” for these Cake Pops by combining Non-Dairy Cream Cheese with a touch of Maple Syrup. Plus, they’re getting dunked in Chocolate too…so I think it all balances out in the end 😉
This recipe is also made in collaboration with my friends of Jasmine and Chris of Sweet Simple Vegan. In the spirit of Fall they decided to whip up a Chocolate Pumpkin Mousse Tart, so don’t forget to head on over to there page to check it out too!
A Few Final Thoughts:
- If you don’t have access to Vegan Cream Cheese near you, you can substitute it with Vegan Yogurt…or another frosting! A few grocery stores have some that are “accidentally” vegan 😉
- The Chocolate coating is necessary to “hold” the cake pops in place, but the toppings are totally up to you.
- Fair warning: Cake Pops are a labor-intensive, messy, and somewhat complicated process. Please read all of the instructions carefully, and remember to have fun!
If you’re looking for more Pumpkin Dessert recipes, you’ll also love these Pumpkin Chai Blondies and this Pecan and Pumpkin Custard Pie!
Finally, if you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I love seeing your delicious recreations 🙂
PrintPumpkin Spice Cake Pops
These Pumpkin Spice Cake Pops are made from a base of fluffy Pumpkin Bread and Cream “Cheese” Frosting, then dipped in chocolate for a yummy treat!
- Prep Time: 30 Minutes
- Cook Time: 0 Minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: about 12 balls 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No Bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1/2 loaf Fluffy Vegan Pumpkin Bread, cooked and cooled
- 3 tbsp Vegan Cream Cheese*
- 1 tbsp Maple Syrup, to thin
- ¼ tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 1 cup Non-Dairy Chocolate of choice
- Optional Topping: ⅓ cup Toasted Hazelnuts, chopped
Instructions
- First, use your hands to crumble the Pumpkin Bread into a large bowl. Make sure that it is broken down into small, fine pieces.
- Next, add the Vegan Cream Cheese, Maple Syrup, and Pumpkin Pie Spice to a separate small bowl and mix until well incorporated. Add this to the bowl of the crumbled Pumpkin Bread, and use your hands to “mix” the Cream Cheese mixture into the bread until a slightly moist “dough” forms. You should be able to press the dough into balls, but it should not be overly moist.
- Take 2 packed tablespoons of “dough” and roll into a ball; repeat with the remaining dough. Insert a thick wood skewer into each cake ball, and set aside. (Note: I would not recommend using popsicle sticks here; you really want a grilling-sized skewer with a small, pointed tip!)
- Set up your “Cake Pop Station” next, before you melt the Chocolate. Place your desired toppings on a flat plate or shallow bowl for sprinkling or rolling. It’s also best to have a long piece of styrofoam (I used a piece I got in the mail) with pre-pierced Cake Pop holes in it, so you can insert them quickly and they can dry nicely. You can also place the Cake Pops on parchment paper, but this will create a flat “top” of the Pop once cooled.
- Then, place the Non-Dairy Chocolate into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Stir, then microwave at 20 second intervals, stirring between each one. Stop microwaving once the Chocolate is about 80% melted (so you don’t burn it), and continue to stir the Chocolate until it becomes smooth and thick.
- Moving quickly and carefully, “dunk” each Cake Pop into the melted chocolate. I used two spoons to help drizzle and spread the chocolate over top of the Pop. Then, hold the Cake Pop over the bowl of melted chocolate and gently rotate the wooden skewer between your fingers to “roll” the excess chocolate off of it. Don’t move too fast, or the Cake Pop will fall off of the skewer. Once only a thin-ish layer of Chocolate Coating remains on the Pop, sprinkle your desired toppings over the melted Chocolate, and then set the Cake Pop onto the pre-prepared drying station.
- Repeat with the rest of the Cake Pops; if the Chocolate gets too thick (as each Cake Pop will cool it down), you can return it to the microwave and cook it at 10-second intervals, until it thins out a bit more.
- Let the Cake Pops cool completely before serving, so the Chocolate can harden. Store leftovers at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to one week.
Notes
- I like to use either Kite Hill or Miyoko’s Cream Cheese, as both are made of whole food ingredients. If you do not have access to Cream Cheese, you can either substitute it for a runny (!) Nut Butter, or omit the Maple Syrup and use 1/4 cup of a different Vegan Frosting
- Maple Syrup can be substituted for another liquid sweetener
Keywords: gluten free cake pops, pumpkin cake pops, vegan cake pops, fall cake pops, pumpkin spice, pumpkin desserts
Want to save these Pumpkin Spice Cake Pops for later? Pin the recipe to your Pinterest boards:
