Cake Balls and Cake Pops {6th 12 Days Recipe}

By now I'm sure you've heard of cake balls or cake pops.  They've become all the rage in the past year, and with good reason ~ they're adorable and delish.  Bakerella didn't invent cake balls and pops, but she did help them bring them into the mainstream last winter through her blog and her book.  Last January Starbucks added cake pops to their bakery selections, and I was so glad that I had introduced my friends and family to them ahead of the curve in my Christmas baskets.

I haven't made any cake balls or pops yet this season, so I used Bakerella's pictures for this post.  I've made both red velvet and Funfetti cake balls in the past, with both white and chocolate coatings.  All are super yummy, but the red velvet with chocolate coating are probably my favorite.

Below are Bakerella's instructions for cake balls.  To go the cake pop route instead,  use lollipop sticks from the craft store.  Dip one end of the stick into your melted chocolate and then insert into the cake ball before coating the ball {so the stick "glues" itself to the inside of the ball}.  I then stick the lollipop sticks in a Styrofoam block to cool and set without losing their shape.  For the themed cake pops pictured above, follow the links at the bottom of the post.

You can substitute any flavor cake mix for the red velvet, although the red color is perfect for Christmastime.  I also use plain white frosting instead of cream cheese in mine for the lactose-intolerant people in my life, and I've found that Candy Melts {you can find them at Michael's in the baking section} work great in place of chocolate bark.

Red Velvet Cake Balls

Ingredients

1 box red velvet cake mix {cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake}

1 can cream cheese frosting {16 oz.}

1 package chocolate bark (regular or white chocolate)
wax paper

After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl. Mix thoroughly with 1 can cream cheese frosting {using your hands will make it easier to mix}.  Roll mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheet. {Should make 45-50. You can get even more if you use a mini ice cream scooper}. Chill for several hours. {You can speed this up by putting in the freezer}.

Melt chocolate in microwave per directions on package.  Roll balls in chocolate and lay on wax paper until firm. {Use a spoon to dip and roll in chocolate and then tap off extra}.

***Only melt a few pieces of chocolate bark {or a small amount of candy melts} at a time because it starts to cool and thicken. It’s easier to work with when it’s hot.


For the Christmas Tree, Reindeer and Santa Hat cake pop instructions, click here.

For the Snowmen cake pop instructions, click here.

xoxo
Bean

{photo credit:  all photos bakerella.com}