Free UK delivery on all orders · At-home saliva test · Secure checkout
Free UK delivery on all orders

Starbucks US Birthday Cake Pop: calories and sugar by portion, age and sex

Starbucks US Birthday Cake Pop, pink cake pop with white sprinkles, nutrition and calories

Boone’s analysis puts Starbucks US Birthday Cake Pop at 8% of an adult’s daily calories, 4.0 teaspoons of added sugar and 95mg of sodium.

How many calories are in a Starbucks US Birthday Cake Pop? It contains 160 calories, 8g of fat (4.5g saturated), an estimated 16g of added sugar and 95mg of sodium.

Build a full order with our nutrition calculator

Use the Boone meal calculator to see this item alongside the rest of your order rather than on its own. Choose your age and sex, and switch between US and UK guidance, for a more accurate view of how a Birthday Cake Pop fits into a day.

‍

Nutrition information

Nutrition information: Starbucks US Birthday Cake Pop

Serving size38g
Calories160
Total fat8g
of which saturated4.5g
Trans fat0g
Carbohydrate21g
Total sugars16g
Includes added sugars (Boone estimate)16g
Fibre0g
Protein2g
Sodium95mg

Nutrition figures are Starbucks US published data for one standard serving as sold. Starbucks publishes total sugar only, so added sugar is a Boone estimate. Boone converts the figures to the portion and age comparisons on this page.

Starbucks US Birthday Cake Pop contains 160 calories, which is 8% of the 2,000-calorie Daily Value used on US food labels. It provides 8g of total fat, of which 4.5g is saturated, 16g of total sugars (an estimated 16g added), 95mg of sodium, 2g of protein and 0g of fibre.

The saturated fat content of 4.5g represents 22% of the 20g Daily Value.

Starbucks US Birthday Cake Pop is built from 3 separately manufactured components. The cake alone carries 5 different classes of additive. Across the whole item the ingredient list names corn syrups and industrial sugars, emulsifiers, thickeners and gums, modified fats, flavourings, phosphates and mineral salts and glazing agents and humectants. None of these add nutritional value. They exist to make food survive industrial production, storage and transport.

Starbucks US Birthday Cake Pop is over the US per-meal added sugar limit

Starbucks US Birthday Cake Pop contains an estimated 16g of added sugar, 1.6 times the 10g per-meal limit in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The same guidelines recommend no added sugar at all for children aged 10 and under.

FDA Daily Values (2,000-calorie diet)

Calories2,000
Total fat78g
Saturated fat20g
Carbohydrate275g
Added sugars50g
Fibre28g
Sodium2,300mg
Protein50g

Added sugar vs total sugar

Where the sugar comes from: Starbucks US Birthday Cake Pop

An estimated 16g of the 16g counts as added sugar, or about 4.0 teaspoons. None of it is naturally occurring.

Added sugars come from

  • glucose syrup, invert sugar and sugar in the cake
  • sugar in the coating
  • sugar in the topping

Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030: no more than 10g of added sugar per meal from age 11 and none for children aged 10 and under. FDA Daily Value: 50g a day. Starbucks publishes total sugar only. Boone counts sugars, syrups, honey, malt and juice concentrates in the ingredient list as added, and the sugars in milk, cheese, whole fruit, 100% juice and vegetables as naturally occurring.

Ultra-processed food: what is really in it

Processing and additives: Starbucks US Birthday Cake Pop

Starbucks US Birthday Cake Pop is built from 3 separately manufactured components. Reading the ingredient list closely, it contains corn syrups and industrial sugars, emulsifiers, thickeners and gums, modified fats, flavourings, phosphates and mineral salts and glazing agents and humectants. These are not there to add nutritional value. They make industrial production and distribution possible.

Corn syrups and industrial sugars

Sweeten, brown and keep bakes soft more cheaply than sugar alone. Found in the cake.

Emulsifiers

Keep fat and water mixed so doughs, fillings and sauces stay smooth and bakes stay soft for longer. Found in the cake and coating.

Thickeners and gums

Thicken and stabilise fillings, sauces and egg mixtures so they hold up through freezing, storage and reheating. Found in the cake.

Modified fats

Fats altered industrially to stay solid, stable or cheap in mass production. Found in the coating.

Flavourings

Add or restore taste lost during processing. Found in the cake and coating.

Phosphates and mineral salts

Raise industrial doughs, hold water in processed meat and egg, and firm textures. Found in the cake.

Glazing agents and humectants

Give a shine or coating and stop food drying out. Found in the topping.

Boone classifies Starbucks US Birthday Cake Pop as NOVA group 4, ultra-processed, based on the additives named above. NOVA groups foods by how far they are from their whole-food form, not by how nutritious they are. A group 4 food is not automatically unhealthy, and a group 1 food is not automatically healthy. Read from the published ingredient list, October 2026.

Starbucks US Birthday Cake Pop contains at least 37 distinct ingredients: 17 raw and 20 manufactured. Raw means something you could buy and cook with at home; manufactured means a substance that only exists as an output of industrial processing.

Ingredient count: Starbucks US Birthday Cake Pop

What you orderRawManufacturedTotal% manufactured
Starbucks US Birthday Cake Pop on its own17203754%

The 20 manufactured ingredients

carnauba wax, folic acid, fractionated palm kernel and palm oil, glucose syrup, guar gum, invert sugar, modified food starch, mono and diglycerides, monocalcium phosphate, natural flavors, niacin, polysorbate 60, reduced iron, riboflavin, shellac, sodium acid pyrophosphate, sorbitan monostearate, soy lecithin, thiamine mononitrate, xanthan gum.

The 17 raw ingredients

corn starch, cream, egg whites, eggs, malted barley flour, milk solids, nonfat dry milk, palm oil, salt, sodium bicarbonate, soybean oil, sugar, vanilla extract, water, wheat flour, whey, whey powder.

What those ingredients are, by type

Emulsifiers and thickeners9
Meat, fish, dairy and eggs7
Vitamins and fortification5
Grains and starches3
Oils and fats3
Sugars and syrups3
Raising agents, yeast and cultures3
Flavourings and extracts2
Salt and minerals1
Water1

Boone counts every distinct named ingredient on Starbucks’ published ingredient list, including sub-ingredients, and removes duplicates, so salt appearing in three components counts once. Raw covers whole foods and basic kitchen staples such as flour, milk, sugar, salt and oil. Manufactured covers substances that only exist as an output of industrial processing. Every figure here is a minimum.

Ingredients

Starbucks US Birthday Cake Pop is made from 3 components, all separately manufactured.

Ingredients by component: Starbucks US Birthday Cake Pop

Cake

Sugar, Enriched Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Water, Soybean Oil, Eggs, Powdered Sugar (Sugar, Corn Starch), Egg Whites, Palm Oil, Flavored Butter (Cream, Natural Flavor), Food Starch-modified, Nonfat Dry Milk (Milk Solids, Whey), Glucose Syrup, Invert Sugar, Baking Powder (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate, Corn Starch, Monocalcium Phosphate), Salt, Vanilla Extract, Emulsifier Blend (Mono- And Diglycerides, Water, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Monostearate), Natural Flavor, Gum Blend (Xanthan Gum, Guar Gum), Natural Flavor (With Annatto (Color), Turmeric (Color)).

Coating

White Coating (Sugar, Fractionated Palm Kernel And Palm Oil, Whey Powder, Nonfat Dry Milk, Soy Lecithin, Natural Flavors), Palm Oil, Vegetable Juice (Color), Annatto Extract (Color).

Topping

Nonpareils (Sugar, Corn Starch, Shellac, Carnauba Wax).

Ingredients taken from the Starbucks US menu at starbucks.com, retrieved October 2026, for the standard recipe. Recipes change, so always check in store before ordering if you have an allergy.

Allergens at a glance

Starbucks US Birthday Cake Pop contains milk, eggs, wheat, soybeans and barley.

Allergen information: Starbucks US Birthday Cake Pop

AllergenStatus
MilkContains
EggsContains
FishNot declared
Crustacean shellfishNot declared
Tree nutsNot declared
PeanutsNot declared
WheatContains
SoybeansContains
SesameNot declared
Barley (UK declarable)Contains

Contains = declared in the Starbucks US allergen statement for this item or named in its ingredient list. Starbucks stores handle and warm food on shared equipment, so no item can be guaranteed allergen free. UK rules also require barley, oats, mustard, celery and sulphites to be declared; these are shown where the ingredient list or allergen statement names them. Retrieved October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

How many calories are in a Starbucks US Birthday Cake Pop?+

Boone calculates that Starbucks US Birthday Cake Pop contains 160 calories, which is 8% of the 2,000-calorie Daily Value and 11% of the daily needs of a moderately active child aged 4 to 8.

How much added sugar is in a Starbucks US Birthday Cake Pop?+

Boone estimates that Starbucks US Birthday Cake Pop contains 16g of added sugar, about 4.0 teaspoons, which is 32% of the 50g FDA Daily Value. Starbucks publishes 16g of total sugar.

Is Starbucks US Birthday Cake Pop within US sugar guidance for children?+

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030 recommend no added sugar for children aged 10 and under and no more than 10g per meal from age 11. With an estimated 16g of added sugar, Starbucks US Birthday Cake Pop is over both.

How much saturated fat is in a Starbucks US Birthday Cake Pop?+

Starbucks US Birthday Cake Pop contains 4.5g of saturated fat. Boone calculates this as 22% of the 20g Daily Value and 26% of the 17g limit for a child aged 4 to 8.

Is Starbucks US Birthday Cake Pop ultra-processed?+

Boone classifies Starbucks US Birthday Cake Pop as NOVA group 4. Reading the published ingredient list, it contains corn syrups and industrial sugars, emulsifiers, thickeners and gums, modified fats, flavourings, phosphates and mineral salts and glazing agents and humectants. NOVA group 4 describes how far a food is from its whole-food form, not how nutritious it is.

Is Starbucks US Birthday Cake Pop suitable for children?+

Boone’s analysis flags that its estimated 16g of added sugar is above the Dietary Guidelines advice of no added sugar for children aged 10 and under. That does not make it off limits, but it does mean a Birthday Cake Pop uses up a large share of a young child’s day in one item.

How much protein is in a Starbucks US Birthday Cake Pop?+

Starbucks US Birthday Cake Pop contains 2g of protein, which Boone calculates as 4% of the 50g Daily Value.

How much sodium is in a Starbucks US Birthday Cake Pop?+

Starbucks US Birthday Cake Pop contains 95mg of sodium. Boone calculates that as 6% of the daily limit for a child aged 4 to 8 and 4% of the 2,300mg adult limit.

What allergens are in a Starbucks US Birthday Cake Pop?+

Starbucks US Birthday Cake Pop contains milk, eggs, wheat, soybeans and barley, according to Starbucks US published information. Food is handled on shared equipment, so always check in store if you have an allergy.