Picture this: you are at a party, surrounded by laughter and chatter, when suddenly, a tray of mouth-watering treats appears. Little spheres of perfection, each one a promising and delectable bite. As you reach for a second one, you can not help but wonder what the secret is behind these bite-sized wonders. 

Well, I am here to guide you through the process of how to make your own cake balls, so that you can impress your friends and family at the next get-together. The process is quite easy, you just have to be willing to take the time to create these tasty temptations. So, put on your chef’s hat and tie your apron and let’s get to baking!

Equipment Needed: 

1 Cake pan

1 Spatula 

1 Small Crock-Pot or microwave-safe bowl

1-2 Baking sheets

Parchment paper

Toothpicks or a fork

1 Melon baller or cookie scoop (optional, but will help make each cake ball uniform)

A mixer (optional, but will make the mixing process a whole lot easier)

Disposable gloves (optional)

Plastic wrap (optional)

Piping bags (optional)

Ingredients: 

1 box of cake mix (any type and flavor preferred) 

The ingredients listed on the cake mix box (typically eggs, oil, and water)

1 can of frosting (at least 16 oz; I prefer to use buttercream frosting, but any kind works)

Melting chocolate or candy melts (at least 24oz, any color and can be multiple colors)
Sprinkles (optional)

Instructions: 

1. Preheat the oven to the temperature stated on the box of cake mix, which is typically 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Follow the instructions on the box to make the cake. 
3. After allowing the cake to bake completely, pull it out of the oven and let it cool. In order to move on to the next step, the cake needs to be completely cooled down. Personally, I suggest leaving it to sit on the counter for 20-30 minutes, before sticking it in the fridge to speed up the process. 
4. Once the cake is completely cool, crumble it into fine crumbs into the mixer. For a little extra crumble, feel free to turn on the mixer for a minute or two, before turning it off to add the icing. 
5. Add frosting to the crumbled cake. Start off with about 8 oz, which is half the container if you happen to be using frosting from a 16 oz container. Allow the cake and frosting to mix for at least a minute, and watch the consistency of the cake change.  Gradually add in more frosting until the mixture is moist enough to roll into balls. I would describe the texture as almost play-dough-like. Be careful not to add too much frosting, or the cake balls will be too oily to work with. (Note: If you do not own a mixer, you can either clean a surface off of your counter to crumble the cake over or crumble the cake into a regular bowl.) Afterward, add your frosting and manually mix the cake crumbles and frosting with your hands. I highly suggest wearing disposable gloves if you are doing it this way. This process takes a little bit more time and effort, but I promise that it works just the same!

6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
7. Use a melon baller or cookie scoop to create uniform cake balls.  (If you don’t have either of these pieces of equipment, just eyeball it with your hands or an average spoon utensil.)

8. Roll each small amount of cake mixture into balls, about 1 inch in diameter, using your hands and place them into rows on the prepared baking sheet. 
9. Once all of the cake balls are formed, place the baking sheet into the fridge for at least one hour, or until the treats are firm. If you find the fridge is not working ideally, stick them in the freezer for a little while. (Note that if you stick them in the freezer, you will have to pull them out and let them thaw until a toothpick or fork can be used to pick them up. )

10. Melt the chocolate or candy melts in a small Crock-pot or a microwave-safe bowl. When I do this, I typically melt the chocolate in 30-second intervals, stirring in between each round so that the chocolate does not burn. 
11. Place down another set of parchment paper, either on the counter or on another baking pan
12. Using a fork or toothpick, dip each cake ball into the melted chocolate. There are two ways that you could go about doing this: 

• Option 1: You dip each cake ball about halfway into the chocolate and then gently shake off any excess chocolate. Set down on the second piece of parchment paper and wait for it to dry. Then, take the toothpick or fork out of the top and using your hand, dip the top of the cake ball into the chocolate until the top half is covered and set back down on the parchment paper. 
• Option 2: You dip the cake ball in the chocolate until it is fully covered, then shake off a majority of the excess chocolate and set it down on the parchment paper. (note: If you want to add sprinkles to your cake balls, be sure to do this while the tops are still melted, or else the chocolate will harden and your sprinkles will not stick.)

13. Optional: Add stripes. This can be done by adding melted chocolate (of any color) to a piping bag. Make sure to cut a small hole in the tip of the piping bag and using mostly your wrist, go quickly back and forth over the cakeballs. This best works when the cake balls have mostly hardened so that the stripes don’t melt in with the cake ball’s shell. 
14. Allow the chocolate coating to set completely. The process can be sped up by putting the cake balls into the fridge. 

Serve! After the cake balls have had time to set completely, these bites of delight are ready to be shared with the world! They can be served immediately or you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week. Enjoy this sweet treat, you deserve it!