These lemon cake balls are bite-sized delights that make the ultimate dessert for any special occasion. The tangy and sweet flavor of lemon cake combined with the luscious cream cheese then dipped in a vanilla candy coating.
15.25ouncebox lemon cake mixplus ingredients listed on the box
8ounceblock cream cheesesoftened to room temperature
10ozvanilla melting wafers
¾cupyellow candy melts
Instructions
Make the Cake
Preheat oven per box mix directions and follow the cake mix according to the box instructions on the back.
15.25 ounce box lemon cake mix
Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
After baking the cake, allow it to cool completely in the pan on a wire cooling rack.
Once the baked cake has cooled, crumble the entire cake with a fork or your hands.
Make the Cake Balls
In a large mixing bowl, add the cream cheese and beat with an electric mixer on medium high speed until creamy.
8 ounce block cream cheese
Add the crumbled cake to the blended cream cheese and mix together on low speed until completely combined. (scrape down the side of the bowl with a spatula as you blend).
Using an 1 ½ inch cookie scoop, scoop dough and roll in your hands to make a smooth ball. Then place each cake ball on the lined cookie sheet.
Place the full baking tray in the refrigerator for at least 1.5 - 2 hours to chill and hold their shape when dipping.
After chilling, place the vanilla melting wafers in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 30 seconds at 50% power level, then remove from the microwave and stir. Repeat for another 30 seconds and then stir again until completely melted. (Repeat one more time if necessary but be very careful not to over cook them or they will seize, thicken and be unusable. The heated bowl will continue to help melt them. (you can also use a double boiler on the stove-top method stirring until fully melted and smooth. Again, be careful not to overheat or get any water or condensation in the melting wafers or it may seize up and harden.
10 oz vanilla melting wafers
Using a fork, dip each cake ball on at a time into the melted vanilla. Gently tap the fork on the edge of the bowl to remove excess coating.
Place the dipped cake ball onto the parchment paper. Repeat dipping all of the cake balls.
Place the yellow candy melts in a small ziplock bag or piping bag and melt in the microwave for 30 seconds at 50% power level. Squeeze the bag and then repeat again until they are completely melted.
¾ cup yellow candy melts
After melting, cut the corner off of the baggie and drizzle over the cake balls.
Place the tray back in the refrigerator and allow to harden for at least 15 minutes.
Notes
Any flavor cake mix can be substituted in this recipe.Swap the vanilla melting wafers for white chocolate chips or almond bark, if preferred.Add in ½ cup of freeze dried strawberries or blueberries to the cream cheese mixture.Sprinkle with a little lemon zest.Make cake pops by inserting a lollipop stick into each cake balls after chilling the dipped cake balls.Again, be very careful not to overheat the wafers. Whether using the double boiler method or microwave method, heat the melting wafers on a low heat. High heat can result in the chocolate seizing, drying out, and clumping.Don't skip the step of chilling the cream cheese/ cake mixture or the cake balls may crumble when coating with the melted vanilla.Store leftovers refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.