Cinnamon Roll Cake Pops

The cinnamon rolls bring the bread, cinnamon, and sweetness. Cream cheese, powdered sugar, and the icing from the can help turn the crumbs into a mixture you can roll.

Use the specified 12.4-ounce can for this batch. A larger can or a tub of frosting would change the balance. Set the included icing aside before baking; it belongs in the filling.

The coating is white confectionery coating, sometimes sold as candy melts or melting wafers. It provides the pale shell and piped decoration. It is not the same ingredient as real white chocolate. Follow the directions for the product you buy. Wilton explains the uses of candy coating.

Makes: About 24 small pops, depending on portion size.

Baking: Follow the cinnamon-roll can for the temperature, pan, and baking time.

Chilling: Start with about 30 minutes, then check that the centers are firm. Allow extra time for cooling, dipping, and decorating.

The filling quantities and approximate yield come from Ree Drummond’s Cinnamon Roll Truffles. The sticks and white spiral finish are adaptations.

You will also need: 24 cake-pop sticks, a lined tray, a food processor, a tablespoon scoop, a deep microwave-safe dipping cup, a piping bag with a round tip, and a cake-pop stand.

Stick anchoring and dipping follow established cake-pop techniques from Sally’s Baking. The extra coating needed for the spirals depends on how thickly you pipe them.

The raised lines are a separate layer over the smooth shell. Keep this piping coating white, then add cinnamon as a light dusting.

Melt some extra coating according to its package. Let it cool just enough to hold a thick line, then put it in a piping bag with a round tip. Try a short line on parchment first. If it runs flat, let it cool a little more. If it will not flow, gently rewarm it.

Hold a set pop by its stick. Start with a small coil at the top, then widen the circles over the rounded top. Slowly turn the stick and continue piping around the sides, working toward the bottom. Aim for raised coils over most of the pop, with narrow gaps between them. Keep the coating clear of the stick.

Add a very light cinnamon dusting before the spiral firms up. Try the finish on one pop before decorating the rest. Thick coils use more coating than a fine drizzle, and the lines should stay in place when you turn the pop upright. Joy of Baking describes piping coating onto set pops.

A firm center and a coating that flows smoothly make the pops easier to handle. Check those two things before dipping the whole batch.

• The center slides off the stick: Check that the ball is firm, the stick reaches halfway in, and the coating around the stick has set. Large, heavy balls are harder to handle.
• The mixture smears instead of rolling: Chill it before trying again. Do not add a tub of frosting; excess binder can make cake-pop mixtures too soft.
• The shell cracks: Avoid dipping frozen centers into hot coating. Keep the centers firm and the coating fluid rather than hot.
• The coating is thick or grainy: Check the package’s melting and thinning advice. Keep water out and avoid overheating. Do not try to thin it with milk.
• The spiral disappears into the shell: Let the shell set first, then test the piping consistency on parchment.

These checks draw on Joy of Baking’s shaping guidance and Wilton’s coating guidance.

Once the coating is firm, keep the pops in an airtight container in the refrigerator at 40°F or below for up to four days. Leave space around the raised spirals so they do not rub against one another. Storage guidance from Ree Drummond’s Cinnamon Roll Truffles.

For serving, bring out a small batch and keep the rest chilled. Because the filling contains cream cheese, limit the total time out of refrigeration—including decorating and serving—to two hours, or one hour when the temperature is above 90°F. FoodSafety.gov refrigeration guidance.

For a head start, freeze the centers before adding the coating. Thaw them in the refrigerator, then dip and decorate. Freezing guidance from Ree Drummond’s Cinnamon Roll Truffles.

Several treats share the cinnamon-roll cake-pop name. These answers explain which ingredients and tools this version uses.

For another cinnamon and cream cheese dessert, try these pumpkin cheesecake bars with crumble topping.

For a dessert board with fruit, cream cheese caramel apple dip gives you a scoopable option alongside the pops.