These Easter Cake Push-Up Pops are a cute twist on the usual Easter cakes and cupcakes! Rich chocolate cake is layered in push pop containers with chocolate frosting, and topped with decorations like coconut grass, chocolate rocks, marshmallow bunny butts, and candy bunny ears.
Push-Up Pops: An Easter Dessert with a Twist
Easter is one of my favorite baking holidays, and if you take a spin through the Easter dessert archives, you’ll see why. There are so many elements to Easter baking that make cute (and delicious!) desserts:
- Pastels: from polka-dot cakes to mini cheesecakes, pastels rule the Easter scene
- Bunnies: it’s no bunny business, we love the fluffy tails of Bunny Butt Cakes & Bunny Butt Cupcakes and the adorable ears of Easter Bunny Cupcakes
- Chicks: if wanting to eat cute Spring Chick & Baby Chick cupcakes are wrong, we don’t want to be right
- Easter Eggs: We love to egg-ify everything! Doughnuts, peanut butter candies, sugar cookies, petit fours…heck, even something as healthy as a fruit pizza can be given a cute Easter egg twist!
So it should be no surprise that we’re always looking for the next fun Easter dessert. May we present…drumroll please…Easter Cake Push-Up Pops!
What Are Push-Up Pops?
You’ve had cake. You’ve had cupcakes. You’ve had frosting. (And if you’re like me, you’ve had them all in the same afternoon. Whoops.) But have you ever had cake push-up pops?
Push-Up Pops are a combination of cake and frosting, assembled in clear plastic containers like these. Sometimes they are made in distinct layers, like a layer cake or trifle (as seen in these Rainbow Push-Up Pops) and sometimes they’re made more like a cake pop, when crumbled cake and frosting are mixed together before being put in the pop.
Push-Up Pops are great because they’re an easy way to make and serve individual servings. They’re not messy, you don’t need any utensils to eat them, they’re easy to transport and store, and they look stinkin’ cute when they’re all served together!
Table of Contents
🧾 What You’ll Need
Ingredients
These Easter Cake Push Pops are of the “cake pop” style of push-up pops. They’re made from chocolate cake and frosting mixed together to form a moist, dense “dirt.” I added some chocolate rocks to the dirt, then topped each pop with shredded coconut “grass.” Finally, they’re topped with an assortment of cute Easter decorations like marshmallow bunny butts, candy coating carrots, bunny ears, and more chocolate rocks!
Aside from all of your basic cake ingredients, you need just a few more specialty ingredients for these Easter push up cake pops. (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)
- Vanilla Extract: use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- Cocoa Powder: I use Cacao Barry 100% Cocoa to give the cake its rich, chocolate flavor.
- Chocolate Rocks: chocolate rocks, or Chocolate River Stones, are a great way to “set the scene” for the push pops.
- Shredded Coconut: I dye sweetened, shredded coconut with green food coloring to serve as the grass on top of the cake pops.
- Candy Coating: white candy coating is used for the bunny butts and ears, while orange and green coating is perfect for making mini carrots.
- Miniature Marshmallows: I use mini marshmallows to make the bunny butts!
Equipment
Unless you’re making cake push pops often and you already have these laying around, you’ll need to order a pack of plastic cake pop shooters for this recipe! Besides that, you should have all the equipment you need already on hand. (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)
- Cake Push Pops: these clear push-up cake pop shooters make it so easy to assemble the cake pops.
📋 Instructions
Since the decorations really make the push-up pops, here are some instructions for creating the different Easter goodies. You can make just one type of pop, go for the full assortment, or create your own designs entirely! As always, full instructions for the recipe are included in the recipe card down below.
To Make Coconut Grass:
- All the pops start with a topping of coconut grass. To make it, combine shredded coconut and green food coloring in a plastic bag, and rub them together until the coconut turns green.
- If you don’t like coconut, you can use green frosting, or “edible grass” that is often sold in stores at Easter time.
- Finish off some of the pops with more chocolate rocks on top.
To Make Candy Carrots:
- Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and melt the orange and green candy coatings individually in bowls in the microwave. Add each color to a piping bag or plastic baggie, and snip off the corner. Pipe leafy green carrot tops onto the baking sheet, then pipe an orange carrot slightly overlapping the bottom of the green in a squiggle shape. For a more textured look, go over the carrots twice to build up some volume.
To Make the Bunny Butts:
- Melt white candy coating in a small bowl. Cut the mini marshmallows in half and skewer with a toothpick. Dip in white candy coating and roll in white sprinkles. Roll some reserved cake mix into a small truffle shape, and chill until firm. Dip the cake balls in melted white candy coating, then while the coating is still wet, top the cake ball with the bunny tail.
To Make the Bunny Ears:
- Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and melt white and pink candy coatings individually in bowls in the microwave. Add each color to a piping bag or plastic baggie, and snip off the corner. Pipe a thin line of pink coating, then pipe a thicker oval of white coating around it, making two ears for each pop.
💭 Variations
While I love these Easter push up cake pops as-is, there are also a few ways you can switch things up! Here are a few ideas:
- Use another cake. If you don’t want to use this cake recipe, you can substitute 10 cups of any crumbled cake (about 2.5 pounds) or the equivalent of a 9×13″ cake.
- Add other mix-ins. I love to add chocolate rocks to the cake mixture, but you can also use crushed pretzels, cookies, chopped walnuts or pecans, or even finely chopped candy bars.
- Add other decorations. The great thing about making your own toppings is you’re not limited to any certain decorations. Feeling inspired? Pipe any cute designs you want or use any candies you want. It’s even okay if they don’t look pretty. They’ll still taste good! 😉
💡 Tips for Easter Push Up Pops
- Cool the cake completely. The cake should be completely cooled off before you crumble it and mix it with the frosting. This makes assembly and decorating much easier.
- Save some cake. Set aside some of the cake/frosting mixture while you’re making the cake pops. You’ll use the extra to make the bunny butts!
- Make extra toppings. I like to pipe a few extra carrots and bunny ears to have available in case others break.
- To present these cake pops, stick them in green florist foam. It’s not the most aesthetically pleasing option, but it does get them to stay upright!
- No push pop containers? Don’t worry. That doesn’t mean you’re going to have a sad, sorrowful, dessert-less Easter. Simply make these in small clear glasses or even mason jars.
❤️ More Easter Desserts to Try
Looking for more festive, Spring recipes? Check out more of my Easter desserts!
Frosted Easter Brownies
Easter Nest Cake
Easter Push-Up Pops
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 6 oz unsalted butter at room temperature
- 4.75 oz granulated sugar (2/3 cup)
- 5 oz brown sugar (2/3 cup packed)
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 8 oz buttermilk (1 cup) at room temperature
- 4 oz sour cream (1/2 cup) at room temperature
- 2 tbsp water or brewed coffee
- 7.8 oz all-purpose flour (1 3/4 cups)
- 3 oz unsweetened cocoa powder (1 cup)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 10 oz chocolate frosting (1 3/4 cups)
- 4 oz chocolate rocks (1/2 cup) or other mix-ins: pretzels, Oreos, etc
- 2 oz sweetened shredded coconut 1/4 cup)
- Green gel food coloring – leaf green
- 4 oz white candy coating melts (1/2 cup)
- mini marshmallows
- White sprinkles
- 1-2 oz orange candy coating melts
- 1-2 oz green candy coating melts
- 1-2 oz Pink candy coating melts
Instructions
To Make the Cake:
- Spray a 9x-13-inch cake pan with nonstick cooking spray, and preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Add the butter and both sugars to the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat them together on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and mix it in.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, and water (or coffee, if using). In a different bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer running on low, add a quarter of the sifted flour mixture. When the flour streaks have almost all disappeared, add a third of the liquid to the mixing bowl. When that’s incorporated, continue to add the drys and wets in an alternating pattern, ending with the dry ingredients.
- When the dry ingredients are nearly incorporated, stop the mixer. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, and finish mixing the cake by hand. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth it into an even layer. Bake the cake for about 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. Cool the cake completely before using. The cake can be made several days in advance and kept, well-wrapped and refrigerated, until ready to use.
To Make the Pops:
- Crumble the baked and cooled cake into a large bowl. Add 1 cup of frosting and work it into the crumbs with your fingers. Add up to another 1/2 cup of frosting, a little at a time, until the cake has a moist texture that holds together when you roll it into a ball.
- Add 1/2 cup of chocolate rocks, or other mix-ins like crushed pretzels or Oreo cookies, to give the cake some texture. Fill the push-pop containers with the cake mixture, pressing down gently to compact it. Reserve a small amount of cake to make the bunny butts, if you want to use them as decorations.
- Place the shredded coconut in a plastic bag along with a drop of green food coloring. Rub them together through the bag to distribute the coloring on the coconut. Add more coloring if necessary until you get a green color you like.
- Spread a thin layer of the remaining chocolate frosting on top of the cake push pops, and press the green coconut on top. Top each pop with an Easter decoration or a pinch of chocolate rocks.
To make the Decorations:
- Cover a baking sheet with waxed paper or parchment, and melt the candy coatings individually in small bowls in the microwave. To make the carrots, pour the orange and green colors into small plastic bags with a hole snipped into the corner, or into paper cones. Pipe leafy green carrot tops onto the baking sheet, then pipe an orange carrot slightly overlapping the bottom of the green. For a more textured look, go over the carrots twice to build up some volume.
- To make the rabbit ears, pipe a thin line of pink coating, then pipe a thicker oval of white coating around it, making two ears for each pop.
- To make the bunny butts, cut the miniature marshmallows in half. Skewer a half with a toothpick, the dip it in melted white candy coating and roll it in white sprinkles. Roll the reserved cake into small round truffle and chill them briefly to make them firm enough to dip. Dip the cake balls in melted white candy coating, then while the coating is still wet, top the cake ball with the bunny tail.
Recipe Notes
Measuring Tips
Our recipes are developed using weight measurements, and we highly recommend using a kitchen scale for baking whenever possible. However, if you prefer to use cups, volume measurements are provided as well. PLEASE NOTE: the adage “8 oz = 1 cup” is NOT true when speaking about weight, so don’t be concerned if the measurements don’t fit this formula.
Want to learn more about baking measurements and conversion?
Nutrition
EASTER CAKE RECIPES 🐇
We’ve rounded up 35 adorable Easter cake recipes that will make your holiday extra-special — click here to get all the recipes!
About Elizabeth LaBau
I’m Elizabeth, but you can call me SugarHero! I’m a former pastry chef turned blogger, cookbook author, and baking instructor, and I consider myself sugar’s #1 fan. Learn more from u003ca href=u0022https://www.sugarhero.com/about/u0022 class=u0022ek-linku0022u003emy About pageu003c/au003e, or connect with me on social media:
Omg what a cute and adorable treat for Easter!! I can’t wait to make these with my kids – it’ll be a fun project for us to test out this weekend!
Thank you! I hope your kiddos enjoy these as much as we do!
These look like so much fun to make with children. Ordered the moulds and cannot wait to make them with my nieces for Easter! Thanks for the recipe!
They will love making these with you! What a fun Easter memory 🙂
What a brilliant and fun idea! Kids will love these and grown ups too.Can’t wait to make these.
Aren’t they fun!? I can attest grown ups also enjoy them 🙂
These are going to be a big hit with the kids and so festive for Easter I cant wait to try them!
Thanks Claudia! Come back and let us know how everyone liked them!