Description
These festive Christmas Cake Ball Ornaments are a delightful holiday treat that combines rich red velvet cake, creamy frosting, and colorful candy coating. Perfect for decorating your Christmas tree or as a fun party snack, these bite-sized cake balls are coated in vibrant red, green, and white candy melts, finished with sanding sugar and a charming candy hook.
Ingredients
Scale
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, a pinch
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
- Sanding sugar, for decorating
Instructions
- Prepare the Cake: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease a 13″ x 9″ baking pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, prepare the red velvet cake mix as directed on the box. Pour the batter evenly into the greased pan.
- Bake the Cake: Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely.
- Make the Frosting: In a large bowl, use a handheld mixer on medium-high speed to beat the softened cream cheese and unsalted butter until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar and continue beating until combined. Mix in the vanilla extract and a pinch of kosher salt.
- Form Cake Balls: Crumble the cooled cake into the frosting mixture and mix until thoroughly combined. Roll the mixture into 1 1/2″ diameter balls, yielding about 34 cake balls. Place them on a baking sheet and refrigerate for about 1 hour until firm.
- Create Candy Hooks: On a baking sheet, arrange 34 frosted Cheerios flat. Take the remaining Cheerios and hold one upright, dipping the bottom into melted white candy melts. Attach it to the center of a flat cereal piece on the baking sheet to form a hook. Repeat with all remaining Cheerios.
- Coat Cake Balls: Dip one-third of the cake balls into melted green candy melts, another third into melted red candy melts, and the remaining third into melted white candy melts. Tap off any excess candy coating. While the candy is still wet, sprinkle some of the cake balls with sanding sugar for extra sparkle. Place the coated balls back on the baking sheet and let them set for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Decorate and Assemble: Transfer about three-quarters of the remaining white candy melts into a resealable plastic bag, cut a small corner off, and pipe decorative designs onto the white-coated cake balls. Sprinkle with sanding sugar before the designs harden. Dip the bottoms of the candy hooks into the remaining melted white candy (reheat if needed), then carefully place the hooks on top of the cake balls to create ornament-like decorations.
Notes
- Ensure the cake is completely cool before mixing with the frosting to avoid melting the frosting.
- If candy melts begin to harden during use, gently reheat them in short bursts in the microwave.
- For best results, chill the cake balls until firm before dipping to get a smooth coating.
- You can substitute Frosted Cheerios with any similar round cereal for the ornament hooks.
- Sanding sugar adds a festive sparkle but can be omitted if unavailable.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cake ball
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 18g
- Sodium: 150mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 25mg
