Description
Celebrate the 4th of July with these festive and colorful 4th of July Cake Balls. Made from moist white cake infused with vibrant red and blue hues, combined with creamy softened cream cheese, then dipped in smooth vanilla melting wafers and decorated with patriotic sprinkles. These bite-sized treats are perfect for your Independence Day party or summer gatherings.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake Mix
- 15.25 ounce white cake mix, plus ingredients needed on box to prepare batter
- Red food coloring
- Blue food coloring
Cream Cheese Mixture
- 8 ounce block cream cheese, softened to room temperature
Coating
- 10 ounce bag Ghirardelli vanilla melting wafers
- ½ cup red candy melts
- ½ cup blue candy melts
Decoration
- Red, white, and blue sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Pans: Preheat the oven to 350°F or at the temperature recommended on the cake mix package. Lightly grease three small baking pans (8×8 inch pans recommended) and set aside.
- Prepare Cake Batter: In a large mixing bowl, combine the white cake mix with the ingredients listed on the box and whisk together until a smooth batter forms.
- Divide and Color Batter: Separate the batter evenly into three smaller bowls. Leave one plain, add red food coloring to the second bowl, and blue food coloring to the third. Add 5 drops at a time, mixing well with separate spoons until the desired shades are reached.
- Bake the Cakes: Pour each colored batter into its respective greased baking pan. Bake for 16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the cake tops look set.
- Cool Cakes: Remove the pans from the oven and place them on a wire rack to cool completely.
- Crumble Cakes: Once cooled, crumble each cake into smaller pieces and place in separate bowls according to color.
- Prepare Cream Cheese Mixture: In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with a hand mixer on medium-high until smooth and creamy. Divide the cream cheese evenly into three portions.
- Combine Cake and Cream Cheese: Add one portion of cream cheese to each bowl of crumbled cake. Mix thoroughly until fully incorporated using a hand mixer on low to medium or a rubber spatula. Clean the mixer or spatula between each color.
- Form Cake Balls: Line two baking trays with parchment paper. Take small one-inch chunks from each colored cake mixture and roll the colors together with your hands into balls. Place the formed balls onto the prepared trays.
- Chill Cake Balls: Refrigerate the trays for 1 to 2 hours to allow the cake balls to firm up and hold their shape for dipping.
- Melt Coating: Using a double boiler over low heat or a microwave on low/defrost setting, melt the white vanilla melting wafers until smooth. Stir every 30 seconds to prevent burning.
- Dip Cake Balls: Place one cake ball at a time on a fork and dip it into the melted wafers. Tap the fork gently to remove excess coating and thin out the layer. Place the coated ball back on the baking tray and immediately sprinkle with red, white, and blue sprinkles. Repeat with all cake balls.
- Set Coating: Return the dipped cake balls to the refrigerator for 15 minutes to allow the coating to fully set.
- Serve and Store: Keep the finished cake balls refrigerated until ready to serve. Enjoy these festive treats at your celebration!
Notes
- Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days to maintain freshness.
- Use separate spoons and mixing utensils for each batter color to avoid color contamination.
- If cream cheese is too cold, it will be difficult to blend; ensure it is softened to room temperature before mixing.
- Chilling the cake balls before dipping is essential to help them keep their shape and prevent melting of the coating.
- For a smoother coating, avoid overheating the melting wafers as they can become grainy or burn.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cake ball
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Sugar: 18 g
- Sodium: 120 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg
