# What You'll Need:
→ Cake
01 - 1 box (15 oz) vanilla or chocolate cake mix plus required eggs, oil, and water per box instructions
02 - or 1 homemade 9-inch cake, fully cooled
→ Frosting
03 - 1/2 cup cream cheese frosting or buttercream frosting
→ Coating and Decoration
04 - 12 oz candy melts in school colors or white chocolate with colored food coloring
05 - 2 tbsp vegetable shortening for thinning chocolate, optional
06 - Sprinkles, edible glitter, or colored sugar in coordinating colors
07 - 24 lollipop sticks
08 - 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips for tassels or accents
09 - Fondant in school colors, optional for cap decorations
# How-To Steps:
01 - Prepare cake according to package or recipe directions and bake. Allow to cool completely before proceeding.
02 - Crumble the cooled cake into fine crumbs using hands or a food processor in a large bowl.
03 - Add frosting gradually, mixing with a spatula or clean hands, until the mixture binds and holds shape. Adjust frosting amount as needed.
04 - Portion mixture with a tablespoon and roll into 24 uniform balls.
05 - Arrange balls on a lined baking sheet, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or freeze for 20 minutes until firm.
06 - Melt candy melts or chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl using 30-second intervals, stirring until smooth. If thick, stir in vegetable shortening to thin.
07 - Dip tip of each lollipop stick in melted coating and insert halfway into each cake ball.
08 - Dip each cake pop fully into melted coating, gently tap off excess. Immediately decorate with sprinkles and colored sugar.
09 - For graduation caps, place a fondant square atop the pop and attach a mini chocolate chip with melted chocolate as a tassel.
10 - Place pops upright in a styrofoam block or cake pop stand. Allow coating to firm up completely before serving or packaging.
