Red Velvet Cake Balls

These Red Velvet Cake Balls are dipped in white or dark chocolate and make elegant truffles for Valentine’s or Christmas.

Red Velvet Cake Balls

I’d had a red velvet cake mix sitting in my cupboard for awhile and thought cake balls sounded good one day.

I like red velvet, but I can’t physically add that much red food coloring myself to anything, so it’s the one thing I always use a cake mix for.

I do love the tangy, slight chocolatey flavor of red velvet and it always looks so festive.

How to make Red Velvet Cake Balls

At the high level, it is pretty simple to make cake balls. You need:

• a cake that is made and cooled
• about a cup of frosting
• melted chocolate to dip them in

You’ll start by crumbling the cooled cake and stirring in frosting until the mixture is like stiff cookie dough.

Roll out the balls and freeze them for about an hour. Then, dip the balls of cake into melted white chocolate and add sprinkles if desired.

Definitely not hard, but they can be a bit time-consuming. It’s a fun project to do with friends for Christmas or with your kids around Valentine’s day.

That said, it’s good to let go of any expectations of perfection if you decide to let your kids help. Just embrace the “uniqueness” of the kids’ cake balls and go with it. They will have fun though and it’s worth it.

Tips for Dipping Cake Balls

I recommend freezing the cake balls before dipping. It makes them much easier to work with and keeps them from falling apart when dipped in the warm chocolate.

Also, have everything set up with plenty of space before you begin. Have a cookie sheet lined with wax paper to set the cake balls on after dipping.

My favorite method is with a toothpick. Simply stab each ball with a toothpick and dip it in the melted chocolate.

There are two reasons why it works best if the cake balls are frozen first.

First, the cake balls tend to fall off the toothpick when pulling them out of the chocolate if they aren’t frozen.

Second, if the cake ball is frozen, the chocolate flash freezes to them and makes the whole process go more smoothly.

In place of a toothpick, I’ve also used a fork with success. Simply place the cake ball on the fork and coat in the chocolate. Tap the excess off and gently slide onto the wax paper with another fork.

Recipes for Valentine’s Day

My mint chocolate chip truffles and cookie dough truffles are two other favorites that are fun this time of year.

If you have a peanut butter chocolate lover in your family, the peanut butter ball recipe (aka buckeyes) on my site is perfect for them.

OREO cake balls are another favorite this time of year. I have a fun Lemon Oreo Truffle you should be sure to check out.

And for the easiest Valentine’s cookies you’ll ever make, try these Cake Mix Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies or these 3 Ingredient Valentine’s Confetti Cookies!

And if you’re looking for other flavors of cake balls my blogger friends have some fun flavors.

Birthday Cake Balls from If You Give a Blonde a Kitchen Or Pumpkin Spice Cake Balls from Just a Pinch. Or Strawberry Shortcake Cake Balls from Life Love Liz

Let me know if you make this recipe and what you think. Tag me #chocolatewithgrace on Instagram and be sure to follow me there.

Red Velvet Cake Balls Recipe

1. Bake the cake according to the directions on the box. Let it cool completely.
2. Crumble up the cooled cake into a large bowl. Add 1 cup of frosting and mix it up with a wooden spoon or electric mixer.
3. The mixture may seem dry at first. It will take the cake a bit of time to absorb the moisture of the frosting. I recommend letting it sit for 5 minutes to see if it needs more moisture. If it does, add more frosting a spoonful at a time until the mixture is a smooth workable consistency. A bit like stiff cookie dough. The amount of frosting you will need depends on how dry your cake is.
4. Once the mixture can be easily rolled into smooth balls, roll the cake balls into 1 inch balls and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place in the freezer for 1 hour.
5. While the cake balls are freezing. Melt the white chocolate slowly over a double boiler. Dip the cake balls in the white chocolate using a toothpick or a fork. Set the cake balls on parchment paper to harden. If you want to add sprinkles add them right away while the chocolate is still wet.
6. Otherwise, wait till the white chocolate hardens and drizzle a bit of melted dark chocolate over the top. They keep in the fridge for a day or two or several weeks in the freezer.

{originally published 1/31/19 – recipe notes and photos updated 1/13/21}