DIY Wood Cake Pop Stand

Showcase your cake pops with this DIY wooden cake pop stand! With a template included and limited tools required, there’s very little you have to measure.

You’ll no longer be dealing with tacky, flimsy looking stands, and you can avoid punching holes into foam (that if you mess up are sometimes impossible to fix or ignore). Even if you’re not a math or a build-it kind of person – you can absolutely make this easy, 24-cake pop capacity DIY cake pop stand!

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Cake Pop Stand Materials:

So what do you need?

12” Wood Round – Found it here!
Free Printable Spacing Template – here!
6-7 Doll Heads/Squares – I went for a round foot, found here!
Acrylic Paint
Top Coat – I used this.
Paint Brush/Sponge
Packaging Tape
Masking Tape
Drill
Drill Bit (I used 11/64 – easy to find at any store that sells drill bits!)
Sandpaper (120 or 220 Grit) – If you have a palm sander, use it! If not, NOT a big deal at all.
Glue (Loctite works great!)
Cake Pop (Treat) Sticks – I pretty well always use these.

How do you do it?

Steps for Assembly:

Step 1: Print Template

Trying to measure this out nearly broke. my. brain. Not even kidding. We’re not here to break yours – have a template! I tend to make cake pops using 1.5 cookie scoops, resulting in cake pops that are about 1.5 inches in diameter. I feel like they create a nice full pop that is a) beautiful and b) more filling that just one bite. That said, this template will help you maximize the capacity of your board while still allowing you ease in placement and transport.

Note – this was created for a 12” wood round. Changing your size will impact whether or not this fits!

Step 2: Cut Template – Tape your KEEP square along your missing side!

If you simply print and chop, you’ll be missing one piece, so make sure you keep the designated square and tape along the dotted lines.

Step 3: Tape Template to Wooden Round

I eyeballed this. If you’d like to find the absolute center, go for it. I did not. Tape your cut out template down entirely to your wooden round. It feels obnoxious, I know, BUT this will help in the drilling process so your paper doesn’t rip/wiggle when you don’t want it to.

Step 4: Measure Your Cake Pop Sticks & Choose Drill Bit Size (NO drilling yet!)

Not all treat sticks are created equal, so you’ll want to use whatever is standard to you and match your drill bit to it. Start conservative if you’re just a little unsure. I buy these as they’re very accessible to me and I like their height and weight for my standard size pop, so I measured (eyeballing it as the package doesn’t list their diameter) just below an 11/64 bit and then ended up moving up to it.

Tip: You’ll want to TEST IN A SCRAP PIECE OF WOOD.

**Step 5: Tape Off Your Drill Bit – You’ll be drilling just halfway through your board!**

You’re going to want to tape your drill bit to give yourself a guide mark. I don’t recommend just eyeballing it for the sake of consistency and cake pop height! I used a wood round from Michael’s (linked above) and as it turns out it’s about 2 cm thick, so we measured just 1 cm up the drill and used masking tape right above the mark so we didn’t drill too deep. Again, after taping this off you’ll practice in a scrap piece of wood!

Step 6: Ready?? … Drill.

Ok, go for it! Drill just to your tape mark at each corner/intersection of your squares. In all honesty it’s easier than you probably think it is because you already made all your marks! Make sure you drilled ALL your marks before removing the tape and template!

Steps in making a DIY Cake Pop Stand - part 1

Step 7: Remove Packaging Tape, Sand & Blow Out Dust

Remove your template (you made sure to drill each point, yah?) and sand the top and the sides, especially if using a foam applicator. You’ll want to use 120 or 220 grit to make sure your top is nice and smooth for paint. If you have a palm sander here, great, if not, this will still only take a few minutes! Following sanding, blow out the dust so you’re not going to just paint it in. I made myself lightheaded doing this so if you have compressed air on hand, use it. If not, well, close your eyes so you avoid sawdust in them.

Tip: Leave the tape on your drill bit for now, just in case you need to re-drill later.

Step 8: Flip Over & Mark Feet Positions

The math-minded brain in my household will tell you here “mark the spots for your feet like you’re drawing the Star of David.” I’m not that brain, so if that made no sense whatsoever, you can Google that and help will come up. I like this video on Youtube! If you draw the star, you’d draw a line from each point directly toward your center – that’s where your feet will go.

Step 9: Glue Feet

Apply glue to the flat edge of whatever shape wooden foot makes your heart happy. Flip and place against the board with the center along the lines you made. I found it easiest to not worry about measuring how far they should come and eyeballed it. Tip: Give these time to cure! I’d recommend at least overnight.

Step 10: Paint

Thin layers are the way to go here. I started with my foam applicator but full transparency – I eventually did move to a paint brush. I loved the foam though for thin layers! It makes it easy to avoid pushing too much paint into your drilled holes. (If you do get paint in them, don’t panic! Using a toothpick to get it out works great. Re-drilling at the end is also a very feasible option I did use with a couple of them.) Cover with as many layers as you need -letting dry between- given your application method so that you’re not seeing the wood color come through. I started with the top/side and then painted the bottom and the feet. Do you need to fully paint the bottom? No!

Step 11: Clear Top Coat

Apply similarly to your paint. I would suggest sealing all of it – bottom included. While cake pops rarely come in contact with the board itself, I did choose a food-safe sealant (linked above) because well, better to be cautious! More coats can result in a more stone-like finish, so while at least a couple are good to ensure it’s evenly applied, you can adjust based on whether you’re looking for a more wood-grain or ceramic-like look.

Step 12: Test!

Pop a treat stick in each hole once everything is completely dry. If it doesn’t quite fit, re-drill as necessary. Don’t be scared – you’re only drilling enough to remove any dried paint. Easy peasy!

Steps in making a DIY Cake Pop Stand - part 2

Bonus: TIPS when actually making cake pops –

1) Try to make sure you make your pops the same height – I do this by making the first and then with every other after that I get down eye level and adjust the stick before it sets; the first is my “template” pop

2) If you want to use this stand to hold them while making, cover it with plastic wrap to make any drips easy to clean up (the treat sticks punch right through with ease)

3) Use every other spot – these actually do fit beautifully however you don’t want to try to put them too close before they’re set and risk them touching each other!

WOW. You’ve got this. A beautiful, reusable cake pop stand to showcase your show-stopper cake pops! Go make some and get them out there!

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