How To Store Cake Pops So They Last As Long As Possible
When you're hankering for a delicious sweet treat that isn't too large, extra decadent, or time-consuming to make, small and cheery individual cake pops are your best bet. Over the last few years, it's been quite amazing to see how cake pops became an internet dessert sensation. Perhaps it was because of their vibrant colors, bite-sized tastiness, or simply their creative value. Whatever the case may be, you can easily make your own professional-looking cake pops at home. However, once you've made a batch, you may be wondering how best to store them so they last as long as possible.
Fortunately, cake pops are quite easy to store once you know the correct methods and have chalked out a timeline for when you'll consume them. This allows you to decide whether it's best to store them at room temperature or in the fridge for shorter periods of time, or in the freezer for a longer period. If you want your cake pops to keep for up to three months, storing them in the freezer is your best bet.
Methods for short term storage of cake pops
Most people would like to consume their cake pops close to when they're made fresh. The good news about this tiny but tasty dessert is that it can last at room temperature for as long as a week if they're covered for protection. You can wrap them in individual plastic treat bags and tie them up with a ribbon to stay fresh and look pretty. These individually wrapped cake pops can be stored at room temperature in a cake stand or box. Be sure to put them away from direct sunlight so their coating doesn't melt.
If you'd like the cake pops to last for two weeks or even a month, place them in the fridge. For this, you need an air-tight container to store them. Be sure to line the container with paper towels so that any extra moisture can be absorbed from the cake pops while they're in the fridge. Lay down one layer of cake pops oriented in the same direction, and in the spaces left between their popsicle sticks, add more cake pops facing the opposite direction. Then cover them with more paper towels. Place the air-tight container on a top shelf in the fridge as far away from moisture as possible, for best results. If you don't follow these precautions, your cake pops could become mushy due to the extra moisture they've absorbed.
Method for long term storage of cake pops
If you have too many cake pops left over to be consumed in a short period of time, or you run a home baking business and would like to store larger batches of cake pops for a longer time, you should store them in the freezer. Nothing beats the protective power of a vacuum sealer when freezing cake pops, so be sure to use that if you have one at home, and seal each cake pop individually.
However, if you don't, simply wrap each cake pop tightly in plastic wrap, followed by aluminum foil, before storing them in a sturdy, air-tight freezer-safe container. Cake pops with sticks can be laid out as explained above, but without sticks, you'll be able to store more cake balls in a single container. But be sure to line the container with parchment paper, and layer the balls in between parchment as well.
Cake pops can last from one to three months in the freezer. To thaw, put them in the fridge overnight, or leave them at room temperature for at least one to three hours depending on how long they were frozen. If you're leaving them at room temperature, be sure to unwrap them before laying them on a paper towel to absorb excess moisture, otherwise, they could turn mushy due to the condensation from defrosting.