This Cake Balls Recipe makes 3–4 dozen bite-sized treats for just $0.20 each using only 3 ingredients. My family has been making these for every birthday party and holiday gathering for years and they disappear faster than anything else on the dessert table.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
My kids love helping make these — they roll the balls, add the sprinkles, and change the colors to match whatever holiday we are celebrating. It has become one of our favorite family traditions and at $7.13 for the whole batch it is one of the most affordable desserts I make all year.
- Only 3 ingredients — cake mix, frosting, and almond bark
- Kids can help — rolling and decorating is the perfect job for little hands
- Completely customizable — change the cake flavor, frosting, coating, and sprinkles for any holiday or theme
- Makes 3–4 dozen — perfect for feeding a crowd at parties and gatherings
- No special equipment needed — just a bowl, a fork, and a microwave
Quick Glance at this Recipe
- Budget-Friendly: $0.20 per cake ball — $7.13 total for 3–4 dozen
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Chill Time: 15 minutes
- Method: No-bake coating after baking the cake
- Makes: 3–4 dozen cake balls
- Best For: Birthday parties, holiday gatherings, bake sales, and last-minute desserts
If you love easy dessert recipes like this one you will also love our Starbucks Cake Pops Recipe, Valentine’s Day Cake Balls, and Peppermint Oreo Balls. They are all made with simple ingredients, budget-friendly, and perfect for every party and holiday on the calendar.
Ingredients
- Boxed cake mix — any flavor works. White cake is the classic but chocolate, red velvet, funfetti, lemon, and strawberry all make incredible cake balls. Use whatever fits your occasion or whatever is on sale
- Prepared frosting — one container of store-bought frosting is all you need. Match the frosting to the cake flavor or mix and match. Cream cheese frosting is especially delicious with red velvet or carrot cake
- Vanilla almond bark — melts smoothly and sets quickly for the perfect coating. White chocolate candy melts or milk chocolate candy melts also work beautifully
This recipe is so simple since it calls for a boxed cake mix and prepared frosting.
How to Make Cake Balls
Step 1 – Make the cake mix. Follow the instructions on the box to prepare and bake the cake mix. The cake needs to cool completely for about 15 minutes.
Step 2 – Crumble the cake. Use a large bowl and crumble the cooled cake.
Step 3 – Combine the cake and frosting. Now, it is time to mix the cake and frosting all together. I used a large wooden spoon and mixed it for a couple of minutes until it was well combined.
Step 4 – Roll the cake mixture into balls. You just want a small amount as this recipe normally makes 3-4 dozen cake balls.
Step 5 – Melt the almond bark. Use the microwave or place in the crock pot to melt.
Step 6 – Dip the cake balls. Coat each ball into the melted almond bark. Make sure to remove any excess chocolate. Once covered with melted chocolate, place on parchment paper and sprinkle with your favorite toppings.
Tips for Success
- Use a cookie scoop. It saves so much time and makes every ball perfectly uniform — you will thank yourself later when you are rolling 4 dozen at once
- Freeze before dipping. Ten to fifteen minutes in the freezer firms the balls up completely and prevents them from crumbling or falling apart in the melted coating
- Use a fork for dipping. Drop the ball in the melted coating and use a fork to lift it out — tap gently on the edge of the bowl to remove excess coating for a clean smooth finish
- Work quickly with the sprinkles. Add sprinkles immediately after dipping before the coating sets — the coating hardens fast so have everything ready before you start dipping
- Reheat the coating as needed. Almond bark thickens as it cools — microwave in 15-second intervals and stir if it becomes too thick to dip smoothly
Variations and Substitutions
- Change the cake flavor — red velvet, funfetti, chocolate, lemon, strawberry, carrot cake, or devil’s food all work beautifully
- Change the frosting — chocolate frosting, cream cheese frosting, or lemon frosting all pair well with different cake flavors
- Change the coating — milk chocolate candy melts, dark chocolate, or colored candy melts for any occasion
- Add mix-ins — stir mini chocolate chips, crushed Oreos, or chopped nuts into the cake and frosting mixture before rolling
- Make cake pops — follow the same recipe and insert lollipop sticks before freezing to turn these into cake pops
Holiday and Special Occasion Ideas
This is one of our favorite things about this recipe — the same 3 ingredients make a completely different dessert for every occasion just by changing the sprinkles and coating color:
- Christmas — red and green sprinkles with white coating
- Valentine’s Day — pink candy melts with red heart sprinkles
- Easter — pastel sprinkles with white or yellow coating
- Fourth of July — red white and blue sprinkles
- Halloween — orange candy melts with black sprinkle details
- Birthday parties — funfetti cake mix with rainbow sprinkles
- Baby showers — pink or blue candy melts to match the theme
- Graduation — school colors for the sprinkles and coating
Storage and Freezer Instructions
Refrigerator
- Store in an airtight container for up to 3–4 days — place a paper towel in the bottom of the container to absorb any excess moisture
Freezer
- Freeze in a single layer on a baking sheet first then transfer to a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months — thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving
FAQs
Just 3 ingredients — boxed cake mix, prepared frosting, and vanilla almond bark or candy melts. Bake the cake, crumble it, mix with frosting, roll into balls, and dip. That is it.
Two reasons — not enough frosting in the mixture or skipping the freezer step. Make sure the mixture holds together when pressed and always freeze the rolled balls for 10–15 minutes before dipping.
Use a cookie scoop for uniform portions then roll between your palms with even pressure. Slightly damp hands give you the smoothest result.
Yes — dipped cake balls store in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days. You can also freeze undipped balls for up to 3 months and dip the day before your event. This is exactly how I prep for birthday parties.
Vanilla almond bark is our top choice — melts smoothly and sets quickly. White chocolate candy melts come in every color for holiday decorating. Milk or dark chocolate melts work great with chocolate or red velvet cake.
This Cake Balls Recipe has been a staple at every birthday party and holiday gathering in our house for years and my kids help make every single batch. If you make them leave a star rating and a comment below. I love hearing which cake flavor you used and what holiday sprinkles your family chose!
More Easy Dessert Recipes
Cake Balls Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Boxed Cake Mix 13.25 oz
- 1½ tub frosting
- 1 package Vanilla Almond Bark
See how we calculate recipe costs.
Instructions
- Prepare 1 boxed cake mix according to package directions using 1 cup water, ½ cup oil, and 3 eggs. Bake in a 9×13 pan at 350°F for 30 minutes.
- Let the cake cool for about 15 minutes, then crumble it into a large bowl.
- Add 1½ tubs frosting to the crumbled cake and mix thoroughly until well combined.
- Scoop about 1 tablespoon of the mixture and roll into balls. Repeat until all the mixture is used (about 36 cake balls).
- Melt approximately ½ package vanilla almond bark according to package directions.
- Dip each cake ball into the melted almond bark and place on a cookie sheet to cool. Alternatively, spoon the coating over the cake balls.
- Allow to set, then serve or store (can be frozen if desired). Enjoy!
Sounds like I need to find a peanut butter frosting recipe and decorate with crushed pretzels if I use a chocolate cake recipe