Description
Celebrate the 4th of July with colorful and festive cake balls made from white cake mix, cream cheese, and vibrant red, white, and blue candy coatings. These bite-sized treats are perfect for parties and easy to customize with sprinkles for a patriotic touch.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake Batter
- 15.25 ounce white cake mix (plus ingredients required on box to make batter)
- Red food coloring
- Blue food coloring
Cake Ball Mixture
- 8 ounce block cream cheese, softened to room temperature
Coating and Decoration
- 10 ounce bag Ghirardelli vanilla melting wafers
- ½ cup red candy melts
- ½ cup blue candy melts
- Red, white, and blue sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare pans: Preheat the oven to 350°F or follow package instructions. Lightly grease 3 small baking pans (8×8 inch recommended) and set aside.
- Make cake batter: In a large bowl, combine the cake mix and required ingredients from the box. Whisk until smooth batter forms.
- Color the batter: Divide the batter into three bowls. Leave one plain, add red food coloring drop by drop to the second bowl until desired shade is reached, and do the same with blue food coloring for the third bowl. Use separate spoons for each bowl.
- Bake the cakes: Pour each colored batter into its own greased pan. Bake for 16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and cake tops look set.
- Cool and crumble: Remove pans and cool cakes completely on wire racks. Once cooled, crumble each cake into small pieces in separate bowls.
- Mix with cream cheese: Beat the softened cream cheese with a hand mixer on medium-high speed until creamy. Divide cream cheese evenly among the three bowls of crumbled cake. Mix each until fully incorporated, using the mixer on low or a spatula. Clean the mixer or spatula between bowls.
- Form cake balls: Line two baking trays with parchment paper. Take 1-inch chunks from each colored cake mixture and roll them together by hand into balls. Place on prepared trays.
- Chill the cake balls: Refrigerate the trays for 1-2 hours to firm up the cake balls for dipping.
- Melt coatings: Using a double boiler on low heat or a microwave on low/defrost, melt the white melting wafers until smooth, stirring every 30 seconds.
- Dip cake balls: Using a fork, dip each cake ball into the melted coating, tapping to remove excess and thin the coating. Place dipped balls back on trays immediately and top with red, white, and blue sprinkles.
- Set the coating: Return trays to the refrigerator for 15 minutes to allow coating to fully set.
- Serve and store: Keep cake balls refrigerated until serving. Enjoy your festive 4th of July treat!
Notes
- Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Softened cream cheese is key for smooth mixing with cake crumbs.
- Use separate spoons for food coloring to avoid color contamination.
- Chilling the cake balls before dipping helps them hold their shape during coating.
- To melt candy coating, stir frequently to prevent burning and ensure smooth texture.
- Sprinkles add a festive finishing touch but can be omitted or substituted based on preference.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cake ball
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 110 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
