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Adorable Turkey Cake Pops with Crunchy Pretzel Feathers

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These adorable turkey cake pops are a fun and easy Thanksgiving treat made with yellow cake, cream cheese frosting, and crunchy pretzel feathers. Perfect for Friendsgiving, family dinners, or classroom celebrations, they’re a crowd-pleaser that comes together in just 45 minutes.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 box (15.25 oz) yellow cake mix
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup cream cheese frosting (or vanilla buttercream)
  • 1 cup pretzel sticks (about 30–40 sticks, broken in half)
  • 1/2 cup candy eyes (small round, about 60 pieces)
  • 1/2 cup candy corn (for beaks)
  • 1/4 cup red candy melts or red frosting (for wattle)
  • 1/4 cup chocolate candy melts or melting wafers (for attaching decorations)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×13 inch pan.
  2. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, water, oil, and eggs. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes until smooth.
  3. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 28-32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan.
  4. Once cool, crumble cake into fine crumbs in a large bowl (like wet sand).
  5. Add 1/2 cup frosting to crumbs and mix thoroughly until mixture holds together when squeezed (play-doh consistency).
  6. Scoop about 1.5 tablespoons of mixture and roll into smooth balls. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
  7. While chilling, break pretzel sticks in half (5-6 half-sticks per turkey). Separate candy eyes and candy corn into bowls.
  8. Melt chocolate candy melts in a microwave-safe bowl in 20-second intervals, stirring until smooth.
  9. Dip end of a pretzel half into melted chocolate and insert into back of a chilled cake ball. Repeat with 4-5 more pretzel halves, fanning out like a turkey tail. Hold each in place for a few seconds.
  10. Dip two candy eyes into melted chocolate and place on front of cake ball. Dip one candy corn (pointy side down) into chocolate and place below eyes for beak.
  11. Use a toothpick to dab a tiny bit of red candy melt or red frosting under the beak for the wattle.
  12. Let set for about 5 minutes. Repeat with remaining cake balls.
  13. Return assembled turkeys to refrigerator for 10-15 minutes to set chocolate completely before serving.

Notes

Don’t skip the chilling step—warm cake balls are impossible to work with. Use a light touch with frosting to avoid soggy balls. Break pretzels in advance and work in small batches (5-6 cake balls at a time). Use a toothpick for the wattle for precision. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Undecorated cake balls can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Keywords: turkey cake pops, Thanksgiving dessert, cake pops, pretzel feathers, easy holiday treat, Friendsgiving dessert, cute turkey treats

Find it online: https://lolaspoon.com/adorable-turkey-cake-pops-with-crunchy-pretzel-feathers/