Carrot Cake Cake Pops (Gluten Free and Vegan)

Prep Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 30 mins Total Time: 60 mins Yield: 24 cake pops

These Carrot Cake Cake Pops are bite sized pieces of carrot cake that’s mixed with icing, rolled into balls and dipped in white chocolate. Made entirely without gluten and dairy, everyone can enjoy these fun cake pops during Easter and spring!

Spring and Easter is the season for carrot cake everything! Carrot cake, carrot cake muffins, carrot cake cupcakes, carrot cake pancakes, and the list goes on and on. This recipe is a fun twist on traditional carrot cake!

There are a few variations to carrot cake and it depends on personal preference. Some people prefer raisins and nuts in their carrot cake and others do not. Some people don’t like cream cheese frosting and use vanilla buttercream instead. This recipe is very adaptable to your own preferences and you get to decide what to include based on how you like your carrot cake!

For these carrot cake cake pops, I chose to omit the raisins and walnuts. I wanted to make sure my dad could enjoy them since he has a tree nut allergy, and I also didn’t want any big pieces or chunks of anything in my cake pops.

Instead of mixing the carrot cake with the traditional cream cheese frosting, I chose to use Simple Mills Organic Vanilla Frosting. Not only was it easier because it saved time from making a homemade frosting, but it was the perfect amount for the cake pops. No excess frosting and no waste. It was my first time trying the frosting and I really liked it!

I also chose to use Simple Mills Organic Vanilla Frosting because it was nut free as well, and a lot of dairy free cream cheese brands are nut based. Note that this frosting contains coconut so if you have a coconut allergy beware! But if you want to stick to the traditional cream cheese frosting pairing, you can always sub a dairy free cream cheese frosting instead. I recommend Kitehill Dairy Free Plain cream cheese if there is no nut allergy, and if there is a nut allergy then I recommend Tofutti as a great nut free option.

For these cake pops, there are 2 options on how to make them and the orientation on whether the cake pop is like a lollipop and the stick is sticking out on the bottom (like a traditional cake pop), or if the stick is sticking out on the top. Read on to find out how to make both variations.

Want more homemade Easter dessert/candy recipes?

Check out these homemade Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups– they’re better than the original and made without any dairy! Or try these Chocolate Crunch Cups. They taste just like Crunch bars but in cup form!

To find all dessert recipes, click here.

Ingredients:

Carrot Cake:

Flax Egg- combine 1 Tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 2.5 Tablespoons of warm water. Set aside in the fridge for 10 minutes to set.

Vanilla– use pure vanilla extract here- it makes a huge difference! Provides an extra depth of flavor and brings a nice warmth along with the spices in this carrot cake.

Non-Dairy Milk + ACV- make your own homemade buttermilk by combining non-dairy milk with apple cider vinegar. This will allow the cake to rise and the texture to be fluffy and tender.

Coconut Sugar– I prefer the flavor of coconut sugar over regular granulated sugar in carrot cake because I think it complements all the flavors really well. You can also sub granulated sugar or half granulated and half brown sugar.

Oat Flour- I make my own by blending these oats in my Cuisinart blender until they reach a super fine consistency. I love my Cuisinart blender because its powerful and I never feel like I’m going to overrun the motor especially when blending these oats up.

Almond Flour– use blanched almond flour as unblanched is ground almonds with the skin on them. Blanched includes no skin making it a sweeter, cakier flour.

Tapioca Flour– helps the texture and helps bind the ingredients together along with the flax egg.

Baking Powder, Baking Soda and Salt- the leaveners help to rise the bread and create a more tender and fluffy crumb. The salt ties all the flavors together and really helps to bring out the fresh lemon flavor.

Cinnamon- some people like more and some people like less. You can also add a but of nutmeg for an added warmth.

Shredded Carrots- I shred mine in my food processor, but you can also use a grater.

Vanilla Icing:

Simple Mills Organic Vanilla Frosting– instead of a cream cheese frosting, I used this frosting that is made with coconut oil and dairy free! Win win! I love that I can pronounce and that I know what each of the ingredients in the Simple Mills Organic Vanilla Frosting are, rather than the typical store bought frosting that has ingredients I cannot pronounce.

White Chocolate Coating:

Dairy Free White Chocolate– I used Pascha Organic Vegan White Chocolate Chips which are dairy free, but you can also use one of Enjoy Life’s newest products – White Baking Mini Chips!

Coconut Oil– I prefer to use naturally refined coconut oil so there is no coconut taste or smell. Coconut oil helps to smooth out the chocolate and make it more drippy.

Food Coloring– if vegan, use a vegan food color. I used McCormick’s Assorted food color. You can combine colors and make fun Spring and Easter colors, or you can stick to orange. Or, you can keep them plain or use milk or dark chocolate to drizzle.

Sprinkles– you can use any sprinkles you like- Easter themed, non-pareils, etc. I used Wilton’s Naturally Flavored Rainbow Confetti Sprinkles and Wilton’s Naturally Flavored Nonpareils (I got them at my local Joann Fabrics in the baking section). These sprinkles have no artificial flavoring or coloring which is great for those who can’t have Red Dye 40 (especially kiddos!) This way everyone can enjoy these Carrot Cake Pops! They’re kid friendly too!

Tools needed for these Carrot Cake Cake Pops:

• Glass bowls
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Food processor/grater
• Jelly Roll Pan– I love this Jelly Roll Pan! Super heavy duty and affordable.
• Parchment paper– One of my favorite accessories in the kitchen. I seriously use these sheets all the time and they are so, so convenient and you get a perfect rectangle each time.
• Whisk
• Spatula or wooden spoon
• Cookie scoop– we’re using the medium one for these Carrot Cake Cake pops.
• Cake pop sticks– I used these exact ones. I went with the 4 inch sticks over the 6 inch because the 6 inch were a little too long and disproportionate to the size of the cake balls. They’re super sturdy and the 4 inch were the perfect length!

How to make these kid-friendly and delicious Carrot Cake Cake Pops:

Make and bake the cake: Combine the flax egg, vanilla extract and homemade vegan buttermilk in a glass bowl and mix together with a whisk. Next add the granulated sugar and whisk together. In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients. Add to the wet ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Fold in the shredded carrots. Transfer to a lined jelly roll pan or 9×13 pan. Bake in the oven and let cool completely.

Break and crumble the cake up: Once the cake has cooled completely, break the cake up and place in a large bowl. Continue to crumble the cake by mixing it with a spatula or wooden spoon.

Add the frosting: Add the frosting to the crumbled cake and mix well until the frosting is fully incorporated into the frosting and a dough forms. You can do this by hand or with a mixer.

Scoop, roll and chill: Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop the dough and roll in between your hands until a ball forms. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat until all dough is rolled into balls. Chill for 30 minutes.

Melt the chocolate: Pour the dairy free white chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl and add the coconut oil. Melt in 30 second intervals, stirring after each round. Tip: White chocolate is the easiest chocolate to burn, so make sure you mix really well after each time it goes in the microwave. If your chocolate becomes stiff after it is runny (and this is not caused by it being cooled off), let your chocolate sit and it should become runny again. This is the first sign your chocolate it about to be burned.

Form the cake pops: Using these cake pop sticks, dip an end into the white chocolate, covering about 1/4″ of the stick in white chocolate and stick it into a chilled cake pop. Insert enough so that the sticks secure. The white chocolate acts as glue and secures the cake pop even more. Repeat with all cake pops.

Dunk and dip: Next, take each cake pop one at a time and dunk it into the melted white chocolate, making sure the entire cake pop gets covered. Once the chocolate has set, dunk again so that each cake pop has two layers of white chocolate.

Cake Pop Variation 1

To have the cake pop stand up, like a lollipop, use either a cake pop stand, or make your own like the one I used. I used an empty egg carton (my family still eats eggs, and gets fresh ones from a farm down the street!). I flipped the carton upside down and poked holes in each slot. To make the cake pops more secure, I filled the inside of the carton with a sheet of crumpled tissue paper. And voila! Your DIYed cakepop stand!

After dunking your cake pop in the white chocolate, transfer to the cake pop stand. Let the white chocolate harden, and then drizzle with dyed white chocolate and sprinkle some sprinkles on top of the cake pop.

Cake Pop Variation 2

If you do not have a cake pop stand, or cannot be bothered to DIY one, or even if you like the look of these better, this cake pop variation is the one for you.

After dunking the cake pop in the white chocolate, move the cake pop back to the parchment lined tray, with the stick sticking up out of the cake pop. Let the white chocolate harden and then drizzle with colored white chocolate and top off with sprinkles if desired (it’s a bit harder to drizzle and sprinkle sprinkles on this variation as the stick is in the way, but it can be done!).

How to store any leftover Carrot Cake Cake Pops:

These cake pops can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week. Can also be frozen and kept in the freezer for up to 2 months in an airtight container.

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