These Teddy Bear Cake Pops are filled with rich chocolate cake. They are adorable, delicious, and perfect for a teddy bear themed birthday party or baby shower!
I made these chocolate Teddy Bear Cake Pops for my daughter's Golden Teddy Bear Birthday Party, alongside vanilla Polar Bear Cake Pops.
The entire dessert table had treats made into both polar bear and teddy bear, in addition to Golden Teddy Bear Chocolate Covered Oreos.
I saw a Pinterest pin from Craftsy showing a bear cake pop using M&M's for the ears and thought that was a great idea. I ended up using another M&M for the snout with a small fondant circle to cover and royal icing for the eyes and nose.
These cake pops were a delicious, moist chocolate cake inside with a bittersweet chocolate exterior.
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Supplies
- one 8-inch round cake, from a boxed mix or homemade chocolate cake
- store bought or homemade frosting, such as Easy Chocolate Buttercream
- food safe nitrile gloves
- Ghirardelli dark chocolate melting wafers or bittersweet chocolate chips
- M&M's candies
- plastic reusable cake pop sticks
- black icing powder or white royal icing with black royal icing gel
- disposable piping bags
- plastic tip coupler, optional
- small round piping tip, such as #5, optional
- white rolled fondant
- brown food coloring gel
- small fondant rolling pin
- powdered sugar
- large sized round tip like 2A
- clear alcohol, like clear vanilla extract, vodka or Everclear, optional
- food grade paintbrush, optional
Although I made homemade Chocolate Layer Cake and Easy Chocolate Buttercream, you can use a cake mix and canned frosting for these if you want to save time. My Easy Cake Pops recipe shows you options for making a standard cake pop.
I used Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips for the coating of the cake pops. These chips melt so smoothly. You could also use Ghirardelli dark chocolate melting wafers or chocolate that is made for chocolate fountains. Some brands of chocolate chips contain stabilizers that may affect how smoothly the chocolate melts.
I highly recommend using plastic reusable cake pop sticks rather than paper sticks for these cake pops. The chocolate is messy and will inevitably get on the sticks. With the plastic sticks, you can wipe them down, as opposed to paper sticks that would stain from the chocolate.
I try to collect the cake pop sticks and wash them to reuse for the next event. Of course, some do get thrown away at parties, but it's worth it to me to go with this option over the paper sticks.
Form the Cake Spheres
You will need one round cake layer for this recipe. I made the cake recipe from this Chocolate Layer Cake and poured the batter into three 6-inch pans and one 8-inch pan. I used the smaller layers to make the Teddy Bear Cake.
One 8-inch layer cake will make about 24 cake pops.
If you have two layers, you can easily double this recipe and use two 8-inch cakes, or save one of the layers for this Easy Boston Cream Pie.
When the layer cake is completely cool, break the cake into pieces and place them in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the buttercream and mix until a dough forms.
You can use any homemade or store bought frosting. I used Easy Chocolate Buttercream because I was making it for the Teddy Bear Cake anyway.
Wearing food safe nitrile gloves, scoop a ball of dough and roll it in your hands until it is round. I like to use a 1-inch dough scoop. Repeat until all of the cake has been formed.
Chill the balls of cake for at least 4 hours, or freeze for at least 30 minutes.
Add M&M's and Sticks
Place a small amount of dark chocolate in a glass. Melt the chocolate in the microwave at 50% power for 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until melted and smooth.
Dip an M&M in the chocolate and insert it into the top of a cake ball to make an ear. Repeat with a second M&M to make the other ear. Then, do the same with a third M&M and place it flat on the top of the cake ball to make the bear's nose.
Chill the bear faces in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to set the chocolate.
Reheat the chocolate in the glass by microwaving it at 50% power in 30-second intervals until just melted.
Dip the end of a cake pop stick, about ¼- to ½-inch, in the melted chocolate and then insert it into the bottom of a bear head. Repeat with all the bear heads.
Refrigerate them for 1 hour to set the chocolate.
Dip the Cake Pops
Once the sticks are set, place about 1 cup of chocolate in a tall glass or mason jar. Melt the chocolate just as you did before. You want the chocolate to be deep enough that you can submerge then entire cake pop.
When I dip cake pops, I try to let as much of the melted chocolate run off and sort of swirl and shake the cake pop to get the excess off.
After dipping, I placed the cake pops snout side up on a piece of waxed paper. If you have a nice holder and can stand them up, that's fine too. I don't worry about it as much when I have a defined front of the cake pop, like a face.
At this point, I like to move the cake pops around on the waxed paper one or two times by lifting with the stick. This prevents the coating from pooling around the bottom of the cake pop.
The waxed paper will look messy when you're finished, but it will be thrown away.
Refrigerate the cake pops until the chocolate is completely set, then carefully peel the cake pops off of the waxed paper and move them to clean waxed paper in a cake pan to store them in the refrigerator.
Add the Details
To make the light brown nose, break off a piece of rolled fondant and add a tiny amount of brown food coloring gel to it, working it in your hands to evenly color the fondant.
I recommend wearing food safe nitrile gloves when working the food coloring into the fondant to avoid staining your hands.
On a flat surface lightly dusted with powdered sugar, roll the fondant into a thin, even layer with a small fondant rolling pin. Use a large round piping tip, like a 2A, to cut small circles of light brown fondant.
Brush the surface of the circles with water or clear alcohol (like clear vanilla extract, vodka or Everclear) to remove the excess powdered sugar. It's important to use the circles right away to prevent them from getting too hard.
To adhere the fondant noses, you can use royal icing or melted chocolate. I used black royal icing because it dries hard, and I needed it for the final step anyway.
In the past, I have tinted Easy Royal Icing with brown food coloring gel and then added black to achieve the proper color, but now I purchase black royal icing powder that just requires water. It saves me a lot of time and food coloring!
Mix up a small amount of black royal icing and transfer it to a disposable piping bag fitted with small round tip, such as a #5, or with the tip of the bag cut off.
Pipe a single dot of icing in the middle of the nose, which is already protruding because of the M&M under the chocolate coating.
Carefully place a tan fondant circle on top of the icing and press down lightly to adhere, making sure the edges mold to the shape of the M&M.
Use the same bag of black royal icing to pipe on two black dots for eyes.
Lay the cake pops down on waxed paper, face up, to allow the icing to set. Refrigerate if necessary.
If you used plastic cake pop sticks, use a damp paper towel to wipe down the sticks to remove any chocolate that got on them during the assembly.
If you're packaging the cake pops, make sure that the icing is completely dry before packaging.
Storage
Store the cake pops in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months, for best quality.
If freezing, chill the cake pops in the refrigerator before freezing to help prevent the coating from cracking. Freezing does risk cracking the coating chocolate.
Allow chilled or frozen cake pops to come to near room temperature before serving.
Cake Pop Display
I made this cake pop holder years ago and just change out the wrapping to fit the theme of the party. You can see it at this Sesame Street Birthday and for the Apple Cake Pops at this Snow White Birthday Party.
For this Golden Teddy Bear Party, I wrapped it in shiny gold wrapping paper. I placed the Teddy Bear Cake Pops on the right side and the Polar Bear Cake Pops on the left.
Gluten Free Option
Use your favorite gluten free cake mix or homemade cake recipe. This Two Layer Chocolate Cake recipe is amazing made with gluten free flour blend. For cake mix, I prefer King Arthur brand of gluten free cake mixes.
📖 Recipe
Teddy Bear Cake Pops
Equipment
- food safe nitrile gloves
- plastic reusable cake pop sticks
- disposable piping bags
- Plastic tip coupler optional
- small round piping tip, like #5 optional
- small fondant rolling pin
- large sized round tip like 2A
- food grade paintbrush optional
Ingredients
- 1 8-inch round cake (from a boxed mix or homemade chocolate cake, see note)
- ¼-½ cup store bought or homemade frosting (such as Easy Chocolate Buttercream, see note)
- 1 package Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate melting wafers
- 72 M&M's candies (3 per cake pop)
- black icing powder or white royal icing with black royal icing gel
- white rolled fondant
- brown food coloring gel
- powdered sugar
- water or clear alcohol (like clear vanilla extract, vodka or Everclear, optional)
Instructions
Form the Cake Spheres:
- Break the cooled cake into pieces and place them in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the buttercream and mix just until a dough forms.
- Wearing food safe nitrile gloves, scoop a ball of dough with a 1-inch dough scoop and roll it in your hands until it is round. Repeat until all of the cake has been formed.
- Chill the balls of cake for at least 4 hours, or freeze for at least 30 minutes.
Add M&M's and Sticks:
- Place a small amount of dark chocolate in a glass. Melt the chocolate in the microwave at 50% power for 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until melted and smooth.
- Dip an M&M in the chocolate and insert it into the top of a cake ball to make an ear. Repeat with a second M&M to make the other ear. Then, do the same with a third M&M and place it flat on the top of the cake ball to make the bear's nose.
- Chill the bear faces in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to set the chocolate.
- Reheat the chocolate in the glass by microwaving it at 50% power in 30-second intervals until just melted.
- Dip the end of a cake pop stick, about ¼- to ½-inch, in the melted chocolate and then insert it into the bottom of a bear head. Repeat with all the bear heads.
- Refrigerate them for 1 hour to set the chocolate.
Dip the Cake Pops:
- Line two baking sheets or cookie sheets with waxed paper and set aside.
- Fill a tall glass or mason jar about half way with chocolate. Melt the chocolate in the microwave at 50% power in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until the chocolate is just melted. Add more chocolate if necessary to achieve a depth that is deep enough that you can submerge the entire cake pop in the chocolate.
- Holding a cake pop by the stick, carefully submerge the ball of cake in the chocolate until it completely covers the cake and meets the stick,. Pull up and allow as much of the melted chocolate to run off, swirling and gently shaking to remove as much excess as possible.
- Place the cake pop, snout side up, on the waxed paper lined baking sheet. If you have a cake pop holder and can stand them up, that's fine too.
- Move the cake pop around on the waxed paper one or two times by lifting with the stick. This prevents the coating from pooling around the bottom of the cake pop. The waxed paper will look messy when you're finished, but it will be thrown away.
- Repeat with the remaining cake pops until all are coated.
- Refrigerate the cake pops until the chocolate is completely set, then carefully peel the cake pops off of the waxed paper and move them to clean waxed paper in a cake pan to store them in the refrigerator.
Add the Details:
- Wearing food safe nitrile gloves, break off a piece of white rolled fondant and add a tiny amount of brown food coloring gel to it. Use your hands to work the color evenly into the fondant to achieve a light brown/tan color.
- On a flat surface lightly dusted with powdered sugar, roll the fondant into a thin, even layer with a small fondant rolling pin. Use a large round piping tip, like a 2A, to cut small circles of light brown fondant.
- Brush the surface of the circles with water or clear alcohol (like clear vanilla extract, vodka or Everclear) to remove the excess powdered sugar. It's important to use the circles right away to prevent them from getting too hard.
- Mix up a small amount of black royal icing and transfer it to a disposable piping bag fitted with a tip coupler and small round tip, such as a #5, or with the tip of the bag cut off.
- Pipe a single dot of icing in the middle of the nose, which is already protruding because of the M&M under the chocolate coating.
- Carefully place a tan fondant circle on top of the icing and press down lightly to adhere, making sure the edges mold to the shape of the M&M. Repeat with all of the cake pops.
- Use the same bag of black royal icing to pipe on two black dots for eyes.
- Lay the cake pops down on waxed paper, face up, to allow the icing to set. Refrigerate if necessary.
- Once the icing is set, use a damp paper towel to wipe down the cake pop sticks to remove any chocolate that got on the sticks during the assembly.
- If you're packaging the cake pops, make sure that the icing is completely dry before packaging.
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