Celebration Cake Balls

Happy 2019, y’all! I hope the year has started off well for everyone. On New Year’s Eve, I went to dinner with a few friends, and then in bed and asleep by 10:45pm. It was fabulous. I woke up on January 1st refreshed and ready to take on 2019. So naturally, I’m kicking off 2019 blogging with a recipe: for celebration cake balls.

I first made cake balls back in college, for my friend’s birthday. They turned out amazingly well, and I’ve made them for him almost every year since (and for many other occasions, of course). This year, I learned that they do hold up in the mail, as they made it up to Washington, D.C. for a Christmas present.

I couldn’t start the New Year without some kind of celebration treat. I made tons of cookies, brownies, truffles, and other treats before Christmas, so I wanted to do something a little different for New Year. Cake balls seemed like the perfect, easy, sharable treat!

I’m not even sure where or how I found the original cake balls recipe, but I’ve tweaked it over the years and landed on this “foundation” recipe. You can switch up the cake and coating flavors to create whatever combination you want.

In the OG recipe, I used yellow cake mix, added sprinkles, and coated them in dark chocolate. They were divine. But I decided to switch it up for New Year’s and used chocolate cake mix and white chocolate coating, and decorated them with some fun sprinkles on top. I’ve even made “gingerbread” cake balls with spice cake and vanilla coating—those were quite tasty, too!

These can get a little messy, with dipping them in the chocolate coating. There are all kinds of baker’s tools you can use that supposedly make it easier, but a good ol’ fork works just as well.

Here’s my recipe for easy, delicious cake balls—perfect for any celebration.

You’ll find an occasion worth celebrating just to make these.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 box cake mix of choice
• Ingredients to make the cake, per box*
• 1/2 can frosting of choice
• Chocolate candy melts for coating
• Sprinkles, crushed nuts, etc. to decorate (optional)

*If you don’t want to use eggs, oil, etc. to make the cake, use 1 cup water and one, 5-oz. cup of plain Greek yogurt.

TO MAKE THEM:

1. Prepare and bake the cake as directed on the box. Let it cool completely.
2. Break the cooled cake into small pieces into a large mixing bowl.
3. Add frosting and stir to form a “dough.”
4. If needed, let the dough chill for an hour to firm up.
5. Melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl (or in a double boiler on the stove).
6. Roll the cake dough into 1-inch balls. TIP: Use a small dough scoop to keep them roughly the same size.
7. Dip the balls in the melted chocolate and set on a parchment-lined baking sheet (or use a silicone baking mat).
8. If you’re using toppings, sprinkle them on the balls before the coating hardens.
9. Let harden at room temperature, or put them in the freezer for 10 minutes.
10. Store in air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to a week (if they last that long).

What’s your favorite celebration treat? What flavor combination will YOU make for your cake balls?

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