This cake ball recipe breaks down all the scary parts of making cake balls, to make them easy enough for any home cook. They’re made with a cake mix and your favorite frosting, and will be the perfect thing for any party or special occasion.
Cake Balls Recipe
With our easy recipe you can make any flavor of cake balls you want for any occasion. Try fun options like strawberry cake mix with lemon frosting, or chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, and lots of other delicious options!
Cake Bites Recipe ingredients
- box cake mix
- eggs, oil, and water called for on cake mix box
- frosting
- candy melts
- sprinkles
How to make Cake Balls
- Prepare your cake mix according to the package directions and bake it up in a 9×13 baking pan.
- Crumble up the baked cake and mix it in a big bowl with the frosting.
- Roll the cake and frosting mixture into balls, about 1 to 1.5 inches each and place them on a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Freeze the cookie sheet of cake balls for about 15 minutes.
- Melt the candy melts in a bowl in the microwave.
- Drop the cake balls into the bowl of melted candy melts, and use a fork to go under the ball and get it out of the melted candy coating. Tap the fork against the side of the bowl to get rid of the extra candy coating.
- Then transfer the cake ball to another piece of parchment. Top with sprinkles if desired.
How to turn Cake Balls into Cake Pops?
You can make these cake balls into cake pops if you want. The only other thing you’ll need is lollipop sticks. Dip the end of the lollipop stick into the melted candy melts, then stick that into the middle of the cake ball.
Then you can use the lollipop stick to help you dip the pop into the melted chocolate. Once they’re dipped push the other end of the lollipop stick into a cardboard box, or a piece of Styrofoam to keep it in place and stop the cake pops from falling/touching each other/getting ruined.
Cake Balls Recipe Easy tips
- You can dip you cake balls in melted candy melts, or in melted chocolate. Candy melts will have a more waxy texture, but will give you lots of fun color options. Ghiradelli melting wafers are a great option because they melt easily, but taste like chocolate.
- Instead of using a box cake mix you can also make your own cake recipe (unfrosted) and mix it with frosting (homemade or store bought).
- Any cake and frosting flavor can be used that you think would be a yummy combination together.
- If your cake balls are shaped a little wonky, after chilling you can re-roll them slightly to smooth out the sides.
- Add sprinkles to your cake and frosting mixture for a fun pop of color inside.
- Drizzle chocolate over the top of your cake balls for extra fun!
- If you candy melt mixture is too thick after melting, add a teaspoon of vegetable oil, canola oil, or coconut oil.
- You can change the decorations (candy melt colors, sprinkle colors, etc.) for different holidays and occasions.
Cake Ball Flavor Ideas:
- Red Velvet: Red Velvet Cake and Cream Cheese Frosting
- Strawberry Lemonade: Strawberry Cake and Lemon Frosting
- Double Chocolate: Chocolate Cake and Chocolate Frosting
- Pumpkin: Pumpkin Cake and Cream Cheese Frosting
- German Chocolate: Chocolate Cake and Coconut Pecan Frosting
- Funfetti: Funfetti Cake and Vanilla Frosting
- Carrot: Carrot Cake and Cream Cheese Frosting
Cake Ball storage
These cake balls should be stored in an airtight container. They will last for about 1 week in the fridge.
Cake balls are so fun for a party (especially a birthday party), bridal shower, baby shower, backyard bbq, etc. They’re also great for packaging up a few in a box or cellophane bag and sharing with your friends or neighbors. They’d be so great for gifting at the holidays, or for a party favor.
More Easy Treats:
- Cheesecake Sugar Cookie Cups
- Golden Oreo Truffles
- Funfetti Chip Cookies
- Cake Batter Cheeseball
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Cake Balls Recipe
Ingredients
- 15.25 oz box cake mix
- eggs, oil, and water (called for on the box mix)
- 1 cup frosting
- 12 oz vanilla candy melts (or chocolate melting wafers)
- sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare the cake mix according to the package directions, and bake it in a 9×13 pan until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool for 30 minutes.
- Crumble the cake up in a bowl, then mix it up with the cup of frosting.
- Form 1.5 Tablespoon sized balls with your hands (warning: your hands will get messy) rolling the dough between your hands.
- Place the balls onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Place the cookie sheet full of the cake balls in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Add the candy melts to a medium microwave safe bowl and microwave them in 30 second increments, until you can stir them smooth.
- Drop the cake balls into the melted candy in the bowl, use a spoon to cover them completely if needed.
- Lift the cake ball out of the bowl with a fork, and tap the fork on the edge of the bowl to get the excess melted chocolate to drip off.
- Place the cake ball onto a piece of parchment paper.
- Top with sprinkles if desired.
- Let the candy melt set until hardened, about 1 hour, then enjoy.
Video
Nutrition
These cake balls were first posted on June 27, 2012. The photos and text were updated on March 11, 2022.
Michelle says
I have a quick question.. The icing for the cake balls never gets as thick as the picture.. Is the a step in missing.. Are they frozen and dipped more than once..🤔 wondering what I’m doing wrong
Aimee says
Some candy melts seem to go on a little thicker, or white chocolate chips, you can let the chocolate cool a teeny bit so it doesn’t drip off as much when you dip them. But we did only dip them once. You are welcome to dip them twice though once the first layer is set.
Irene K.Duke says
I love all of your recipies, I have not tried all, but the ones I have, I love. I also appreciate when I Email a question on something how you always answer back, so nice of you, I know you have more to do than give personal info to people, I am 84yrs. old and love to bake, I just started making cake balls, and love them, have problems once in awhile, but now too often. Sometimes, they fall off of the stick when I dip them, grrrr, so annoying, but, my husband and I eat the mistakes, LOL.
Thanks again for all of your continued help.
Irene K.Duke
Cheryl says
You can also mix the cake bites with any kind of jam or jelly or preserves rather than frosting, before dipping them into the chocolate. Yum!
Aimee says
That sounds so good with jam, I will have to try that next time!
Bri says
So glad I read your comment before mixing my cake and frosting. I’m going to try this for a variety!
Bonnie Beltinck says
Love cake balls. We’ve been making them for several years. My grandson has so much fun helping with them. And yes, they are adorable and fun to eat. OK, way too much fun to eat. I definitely encourage people to make them. We always make ours into the 4th of July cake.