Serve these bite-sized Cake Balls at your next party for the perfect handheld sweet! They’re made with just 3 ingredients and can be customized to any theme. These quick treats are so simple to make and always a crowd-pleaser!
Table of Contents
Easy to Make, Fun to Eat!
If you’ve been here before, you’ll know my love for sharing quick and easy desserts like my famous cake pops. Well, today, I want to talk about cake balls! They are so simple to make, and they are guaranteed to put a smile on everyone’s face!
They are great for birthday parties, baby showers, wedding showers, and all kinds of occasions! Your guests can enjoy the delicious flavor of cake all in a cute handheld package! Plus, you can easily switch up the decorations to match the theme of your party or celebration.
This recipe for cake balls can be made with any flavor combination. I usually have a homemade vanilla cake mix on hand, so I often use that. I also like to use my recipe for cream cheese frosting.
I’ve made similar recipes for Oreo balls and sugar cookie truffles that you might like. Also, if you like your cake bites on a stick, check out my Oreo cake pops or chocolate cake pops!
What is a Cake Ball?
Cake balls are a fun bite-sized way to enjoy cake and frosting all rolled into one! They’re basically like a truffle and similar to a cake pop (without the stick)!
You mix crumbled baked cake with some frosting until you have a soft dough and then you roll it into small balls. The balls are then coated with delicious chocolate and decorated with sprinkles.
To get to the sweet chewy center you get to crack a bite into melt-in-your-mouth hardened chocolate. It’s the best!
Recipe Ingredients
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Box cake mix: Use your preferred mix here. Alternatively, you can bake your favorite from-scratch recipe.
- Frosting: You can use 1/2 of a 16-ounce can or make half a batch of your own. I love this homemade buttercream frosting and chocolate buttercream frosting (if using a chocolate cake mix).
- Chocolate melting wafers: I prefer Ghiradelli, but you can use your favorite candy melts. Find them in the baking aisle of many grocery stores, bulk stores, or order online.
- Optional: Sprinkles or other decorations.
Flavor Ideas
With so many different flavors combos of mixes and frostings available, you can make all kinds of cake ball creations! Make all of it from scratch or use a mix of homemade and store-bought. Either way, the results will be delicious!
Here are some great ideas to get you started:
- Vanilla with vanilla frosting.
- Chocolate with chocolate frosting or peanut butter frosting.
- Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.
- Funfetti and vanilla frosting.
- Lemon and lemon frosting.
- Red Velvet cake mix and cream cheese frosting.
- Spice Cake with cream cheese frosting.
- Strawberries and Cream: Strawberry cake with cream cheese frosting.
You can also use different candy melts like milk chocolate, white chocolate, or pink chocolate to give your pops varying looks.
Sprinkles are also a great way to customize the look of your cake balls.
How to Make Cake Balls
These little truffle bites are simple to make and they’re perfect for getting the kids to help out in the kitchen! They’ll love rolling the balls and decorating them with their favorite sprinkles.
- Bake the cake. Use a 9 x 13-inch pan and bake according to the package directions. Leave it to cool. Discard any brown edges.
- Make the dough. Crumble the cooled cake in a large bowl and add 2 tablespoons of frosting. Combine everything using a spoon or your hands. Gradually add more frosting until the dough mixture sticks together when you squeeze it.
- Roll into balls. Use a medium cookie scoop to portion the dough onto a cookie sheet and then roll each portion into a ball using your hands.
- Chill them. Pop the balls into the freezer for a few minutes to firm up slightly. Don’t go overboard. If they’re too cold, it’ll help set the melted candy coating a little too fast!
- Dip in the coating. Melt the chocolate wafers in the microwave and then dip the cool cake balls one at a time into the chocolate and swirl them around to cover them completely.
- Decorate & serve. Place the coated balls back onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet and decorate with sprinkles before the chocolate hardens. If you want to drizzle on more chocolate, wait for the first coat to dry. Store your cake balls in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve them.
Expert Tips
- Your dough should be soft, but not sticky. If it feels a little dry, add a touch more frosting until you have the right consistency for rolling.
- Is your chocolate coating too thick for dipping? Stir in a teaspoon of vegetable oil, coconut oil, or canola oil to loosen it up and microwave 15 more seconds.
- Dip 5 cake balls at a time and leave the rest in the freezer. They need to be cold when you’re dipping them, so they hold together.
- This recipe is easily doubled if you’re making these treats for a crowd.
- Tap the cake ball with a fork on the edge of the bowl to remove excess chocolate and then use a toothpick to outline the bottom of the ball when set down.
Recipe FAQs
I use a fork to gently lower the cake balls into the coating. A fork works well for letting extra coating run off the ball when you lift it back out of the bowl. I also use a toothpick to help move it off the fork onto the baking sheet.
It’s so easy to do! All you have to do is dip the end of a lollipop stick into some melted chocolate and stick that end through the truffle ball while the coating is still wet and then let the pops freeze for 20 minutes in the freezer. There you go, instant pops!
You can mix the cake and frosting to make the dough and store it in the fridge for up to 2 days. Once you’re ready to finish the recipe, take the dough out of the fridge and scoop and dip it as you normally would.
Yes, cake balls can be stored in the freezer. It’s a great way to keep them fresh plus they taste great when cold. Store in a freezer safe bag up to two months and then thaw before serving.
Storing
Keep your cake balls in an airtight container in a cool place for 3 – 4 days.
If you want to store them for longer, they’ll freeze well in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
Looking for more dipped desserts? Try funfetti cookies, chocolate-covered pretzels or chocolate-covered Oreos and you have yourself a real party!
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Cake Balls
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Ingredients
- 1 (15-ounce) box cake mix , use flavor of choice and add ingredients on box
- 1 cup frosting , plus more if needed
- 16 ounces chocolate melting wafers , I prefer Ghiradelli
Optional: Sprinkles or other desired decorations
Instructions
- Mix and bake the cake batter according to package directions in a 9×13-inch baking dish. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely. Discard any brown edges of the cake.
- In a large bowl, crumble the prepared cake into fine crumbs (make sure it has cooled completely before crumbling). Add 2 spoonfuls frosting and combine with your hands or a spoon. Gradually add more frosting until the cake holds together when squeezed. You don't want it too crumbly or it won't hold together.
- Using a medium cookie scoop, portion the dough onto the baking sheet. Roll into balls with your hands. Freeze 10 to 15 minutes, or until slightly firm. You don't want them frozen.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in-between each, until smooth.
- Use a fork to dip the balls into the chocolate. Tap on the edge of the bowl to get the smooth finish. You can also spin or twirl the cake pop to remove the excess. Use a toothpick to help slide the ball back onto the baking sheet.
- Before the chocolate starts to harden, add sprinkles or other decorations. If decorating with more chocolate, let the chocolate harden on the cake ball before drizzling with the additional melted chocolate. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Categorized as: American, Birthdays, Cake + Cupcakes, Christmas, Desserts, Easter, Mini, Nut-Free, Valentine's Day, Vegetarian
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is also the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook. Here you will find easy family-friendly recipes for every occasion.
Love cake balls! They’re so fun to make and even more fun to eat. :)
I love making these with all the little ones in the family. It’s so much fun and delicious too.
My kids love making them too! Glad you enjoyed the cake balls!
This is the perfect dessert recipe for parties and get togethers!! So yummy and so easy to make and eat