Where Did Cake Pops Come From, Anyway?

In early 2008, Angie Dudley posted to her website, Bakerella, photos of posted pink "cakesicles," which were simply cake balls on lollipop sticks. Why? "Just to make them even a little cuter," she wrote. Soon after, she posted chocolate cupcake pops. Inspired by red velvet cake balls she had at an event in 2005, these tiny cupcake-shaped treats were coated in melted chocolate at the base, topped with pink candy melts and sprinkles, and likewise speared on a stick. That photo went viral. 

What started as replicating a treat and then playing around with the concept for fun evolved into a baking phenomenon. A photo of these chocolate cupcakes got picked up by baking blogs and catapulted from there, making Dudley and her cake pops an international sensation, in spite of (or thanks to) her disinterest in gatekeeping her creation. She eventually appeared on Martha Stewart's namesake show and The Today Show, collaborated with The Pioneer Woman, Disney, and Betty Crocker, and has been featured in a dizzying array of magazines. Even Starbucks got in on the trend, as it's been selling cake pops since 2010. 

Dudley, who was a graphic designer who initially baked for fun, eventually became a New York Times best-selling cookbook author thanks to cake pops. It's been quite a while since Dudley's cake pop adventure started, yet, unlike the viral TikTok cracking latte, cake pops are one internet food trend that's proven it's here to stay.

Even cake legend Duff Goldman, who once went on Twitter/X to decry cake pops, couldn't stop the rise of this treat. He actually ended up giving in to the trend, selling his own brand of cake pops in Sam's Club a year after Starbucks started carrying them. Frankly, we think he should have given them a break, as cake pops are fun, versatile, and accessible.

People have been making cake pops for seemingly every occasion and theme, and the flavor profiles are nearly endless (think of how easy it is to upgrade canned frosting, for starters). In short, the market will never really tire of them. It's also proven to be an inviting small business prospect. Soon after Dudley's initial success, Lerida Mojica started a cake pop business, NY Cake Pops, out of her tiny New York City apartment. It's still going strong today, providing cake pops out of NYC and Los Angeles locations.

Whether you buy your cake pops that masquerade as every animal, cartoon, and video game character you can think of, or you make your own, it's important to preserve their shape for nothing if not sheer visual enjoyment. Store decorated cake pops in an airtight container, the kitchen gadget that's your secret weapon for storing cake pops.