
Yields:
34
Prep Time:
30 mins
Total Time:
3 hrs 30 mins
Throw on your ugly Christmas sweater and get into the holiday spirit with these festive cake balls decorated like Christmas ornaments! They're made with rich red velvet cake and tangy cream cheese frosting, and are perfect for gift-giving, bringing to a Christmas cookie swap, or serving at a holiday party. Use your own ornaments for decorating inspo to create a beautiful assortment of edible holiday cheer!
We used a boxed cake mix here for ease, but if you prefer to make the cake yourself, try our red velvet cake recipe. If you want to turn the cake balls into cake pops, simply stick the cake balls onto lollipop sticks. If you’re making pops, a helpful tip is to dip the tip of each lollipop stick into the melted candy before inserting it into the chilled, undipped cake balls to prevent them from falling off.
Cake balls:
To keep the cake balls from falling apart, chill them in the fridge for at least 1 hour before dipping them into the melted candy. For convenience, you can make the undipped cake balls up to 2 days ahead and store them in the fridge.
Candy melts:
When melting candy for decorating, do so slowly in a microwave-safe bowl at 50% power or on the defrost setting, stirring frequently to prevent overheating. If the candy melts are too thick, add a small amount of shortening for a smoother consistency.
Storage:
Store the cake ball ornaments in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Did you try making these? Let us know how it went in the comments!
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Ingredients
Cake Balls
Cooking spray
- 1
(15.25-oz.) box red velvet cake mix, plus ingredients called for on box
- 4 oz.
cream cheese, softened
- 4 Tbsp.
unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups
(170 g.) confectioners' sugar
- 1/2 tsp.
pure vanilla extract
Kosher salt
Assembly
- 1/4 cup
Frosted Cheerios (about 70 pieces)
- 1
(12-oz.) bag green candy melts, melted
- 1
(12-oz.) bag red candy melts, melted
- 2
(12-oz.) bags white candy melts, melted
Ssanding sugar, for decorating
Directions
Cake Balls
- Step 1Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 13" x 9" baking pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, prepare cake mix according to package directions. Pour batter into prepared pan.
- Step 2Bake cake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool.
- Step 3 In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer on medium-high speed, beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar and beat until combined. Beat in vanilla and a pinch of salt.
- Step 4Crumble cake into frosting and mix to combine. Form into 1 1/2" balls (about 34 total). Arrange on a baking sheet and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
Assembly
- Step 1To make hooks, place 34 cereal pieces flat on a baking sheet. Hold one of the remaining cereal pieces upright and dip bottom into melted white candy. Attach to the center of a cereal piece on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining cereal pieces.
- Step 2Dip one-third of cake balls into melted green candy, one-third into melted red candy, and remaining third into melted white candy, tapping off excess. Before candy hardens, sprinkle some cake balls with sanding sugar. Return to baking sheet and let set, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Step 3Transfer three-quarters of remaining white candy to a resealable plastic bag; cut off a tiny corner. Pipe designs on balls; sprinkle with sanding sugar before candy hardens. Dip hook bottoms into remaining white candy (reheating if necessary). Top cake balls with hooks.
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