These cake balls are made with simple, gluten-free ingredients and can be made in 3 different flavor options including chocolate chip, carrot cake, and plain white cake! Easy to make, and ready to eat in only 40 minutes, they’re the perfect treat for any special occasion.
Have Your Cake and Eat It, Too!
As the name suggests, cake bites are bite-sized, poppable, easy to make, and super cute. Not to mention, they’re the perfect option for parties, weddings, bake sales and everything in between. You all know my history with bite-size snacks and desserts (aka healthy bites). So, I decided it was time to share my new and improved easy cake balls recipe with all of you!
Unlike traditional cakes that can take hours in the kitchen, learning how to make cake balls only requires a few simple ingredients and less than 45 minutes. That means you’ll be done baking in no time! Plus, this cake balls recipe is gluten-free with a vegan-friendly option and comes in not 1 but 3 flavors for every occasion. Sound good? Keep reading to learn everything you’ll need to know!
What is a Cake Ball?
Cake balls or cake bites, as they’re sometimes referred to, are essentially just little balls of cake. They contain similar if not the exact same ingredients as traditional cake recipes and are baked in the oven.
However, unlike standard cake, cake balls recipes require you to crumble the cooked cake, combine it with other ingredients such as flour, maple syrup, and vanilla extract, and roll the batter into balls. In addition, cake balls are typically dipped in a chocolate coating and left to harden. As a result, they come together more quickly and can be stored longer than a full cake.
Cake Ball Flavor Options
Although this cake balls recipe can be made with 3 different flavor options, each version begins with the same simple ingredients and basic cake ball batter base. Then, you’ll add a few extra ingredients to customize your cake bites and create fun flavors.
Dairy-Free/Vegan Option: To make these dairy-free and vegan, use a vegan cake batter, and coat your cake bites with vegan chocolate coatings such as this white chocolate!
Ingredients You’ll Need
All you need are a few pantry staples and your cake!
- Baked Gluten-Free Cake or Cupcake Crumbles
- Almond Butter
- Maple Syrup, Chocolate Chips, or Carrots (depending on the flavor option you choose)
- Gluten-Free Oat Flour
- Melted Dark Chocolate and/or Dairy Free White Chocolate to Coat
For Chocolate Chip Cake Balls
- Basic Cake Ball Batter Ingredients
- Dark Chocolate Chips or Dairy Free Chocolate Chips
- Dark Chocolate to Coat
For Carrot Cake Balls
- Basic Cake Ball Batter Ingredients
- Shredded Carrots
- Chopped Dates
- Chopped Nuts
- White Chocolate to Coat
For Vanilla Cake Balls
- Basic Cake Ball Batter Ingredients
- Chocolate or White Chocolate to Coat
Other Topping Options
Looking to add even more to your cake balls recipe? Try including fun topping options! To do so, add the extra toppings to your cake bites before the chocolate coating has cooled in order to make sure they stick. Some of my favorite options include:
- Crushed Nuts
- Dye-Free Sprinkles
- Drizzled Chocolate
How to Make Cake Balls
The process of making cake balls is similar to that of standard cake but is a little more fun, in my opinion, at least. Take a look at the step-by-step instructions below to see how it’s done!
- Preheat. To begin, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and grease a muffin or cupcake tin.
Fast-Baking Tip: To make this cake balls recipe even quicker, bake the cake batter in muffin cups instead of a cake pan. Doing so will only require 20 minutes instead of the 30-40 minutes needed to bake cake in a pan.
- Prepare Cake. Then, prepare the cake mix according to the package instructions, adding in any eggs, oil, butter, etc. needed. Combine the ingredients until they are well-mixed and smooth.
- Bake. Once combined, pour the prepared batter into the muffin or cupcake tin, and bake it in the oven for 1-2 minutes less than is recommended by the package instruction
- Crumble. After being removed from the oven, allow the cake mix to cool completely, and crumble it into a large bowl along with the oat flour, nut butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and additional mix-ins based on the flavor option you choose.
Note: Adjust the batter based on the mix-ins used. If it is too runny to stick together, add more oat flour. Or, if it is too dry, add more maple syrup instead.
- Roll. Using your hands, roll the combined batter into 1 to 1 ½ inch balls, and place them on a lined baking sheet or serving tray.
- Freeze. Place the formed cake balls in the freezer, and prepare the chocolate coating by melting ½ cup dark or white chocolate with 1-2 teaspoons of coconut oil and heating it in the microwave for intervals of 30-seconds or on the stovetop, whisking between intervals of 30 seconds.
- Dip. Dip each cooled cake ball into the prepared chocolate, and set them back on the tray, repeating until all of the cake balls have been coated.
- Set. Place the coated cake balls in the freezer for 20-30 minutes to set, and enjoy!
Cake Ball Making Tips
Of course, this cake balls recipe is super easy to make. However, to ensure you get the best results every single time, I’ve rounded up a few of my secret tips and tricks and am sharing them below!
- Use a Cookie Scoop. For evenly sized cake bites, use a small cookie scoop to scoop out the batter. Then, roll it in between your palms to bind the crumbs together, making sure they hold.
- Mess-Free Coating. For easy coating, place a lollipop stick or fork into each cake bite before dipping them into the melted chocolate.
- Prevent Crumbling. To keep your cake balls from falling apart when dipping them in the chocolate, make sure to chill them before coating them in chocolate.
If adding a chocolate drizzle, let your cake balls cool completely. Then, melt more chocolate, drizzle it on top, and let them cool again.
Common Questions
Store your cake balls in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Yes! Store leftover cake bites in the freezer for up to 6 weeks.
When forming the batter, your cake balls should be soft but not gooey. You want them to stick together but not feel wet to the touch.
More of Our Favorite
Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes
Gluten-Free Cake Balls Recipe (3 Flavors)
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 25 –27 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This cake balls recipe is made with gluten-free ingredients and 3 different flavor options for the perfect sweet treat for every occasion!
Ingredients
- 15 ounces (425 grams) gluten-free cake mix + box ingredients needed. For this cake mix, an additional 3 eggs, ½ cup oil, and water are needed. (*See notes for vegan option)
Basic Gluten-Free Cake Ball Batter
- 3 ¼ to 3 ½ cups of crumbled baked cupcakes (around 300 grams)
- ½ cup creamy almond butter
- ⅓ – ½ cup maple syrup
- ¼ – ⅓ cup gluten-free oat flour
- Melted dark and/or white chocolate to coat (See notes for vegan option)
Mix-in Options To Add to Basic Batter (above) –
Dark Chocolate Chip:
- ¼ cup dark chocolate chips
- Melted dark chocolate to coat
Carrot Cake:
- ¼ cup carrots, shredded
- 2 – 4 Tablespoons pitted chopped dates
- 2 – 4 Tablespoons nuts, chopped
- Melted white chocolate or dairy-free white chocolate to coat
Vanilla Chocolate Cake Balls:
- Basic cake ball batter
- Melted dark chocolate and white chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F or 350°F according to the cake mix instructions. Grease a muffin or cupcake pan, and set it aside. (*See notes)
- Prepare the cake mix batter according to the package ingredients and instructions.
- Pour the prepared batter into the muffin/cupcake pan.
- Bake for 1-2 minutes less than the time recommended on the box. Remove the pan from the oven, and allow the cake to cool.
- Once cooled, break up the cupcakes into small crumbles. See blog post for photos.
- In a large mixing bowl, scoop 3 ½ cups of the crumbled cupcakes/cake. (Equals about 300 grams).
- Add the gluten-free oat flour, nut butter, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Mix the ingredients together with a spatula. Add the desired mix-ins. (See ingredient list).
NOTE– If adding extra mix-ins, adjust the batter thickness as needed. If the batter is too runny, add more oat flour. If the batter is too thick, add more maple syrup. - Using two hands, roll the batter into 1-1 ½ inch balls (about the size of a golf ball), and place them on a lined cookie sheet or large serving tray.
- Place the cake balls pan in the freezer or fridge to cool. While the cake balls are cooling, make the chocolate coating by melting ½ cup dark and/or white chocolate with 1 – 2 teaspoons of coconut oil. Heat the mixture in the microwave in intervals of 30 seconds, stirring in between or on the stovetop.
- Dip each cooled cake ball into the melted chocolate before placing them back on the cookie sheet. Repeat until all cake balls are coated.
- Place the balls in the freezer to set for 20-30 minutes or until the chocolate coating has hardened.
- Transfer the cake balls to a sealed container, and store them in the fridge for up to 1 week or the freezer for up to 6 months.
Notes
- Prep Time: 5
- chill time: 10
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: dessert
- Method: bake
- Cuisine: american
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bite (No Coating)
- Calories: 100 -120
- Sugar: 8-10 grams
- Fat: 5-7 grams
- Carbohydrates: 12-15 grams
This recipe finally pushed me to try cake balls at home. They were super easy and the kiddos loved them! Thanks!
woohoo! Glad the kiddos liked them too
Thanks for feedback! Glad you enjoyed your them too
This is so good!! Such an amazing treat for everyone!
I’m so glad! Thanks for feedback Toni.
I’ve never made cake balls before and they were surprisingly easy! My kids loved them, thank you!