These chocolate cake truffles combine rich chocolate cake with cream cheese to create soft, bite-sized treats finished with a smooth white chocolate coating. Decorated in red, white, and blue, they make a simple yet patriotic dessert for summer celebrations.
Since the base recipe is simple and versatile, you can also customize the colors and decorations for other holidays and special occasions throughout the year.
Follow the steps below to make chocolate cake truffles with a festive 4th of July twist.
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Ingredients for the chocolate cake truffles
To make these festive cake balls, you will need the following ingredients:
- 1 Chocolate cake mix and supplies to make it (my mix called for 3 eggs, 1 cup of oil, and ½ cup of water)
- 8 ounces of cream cheese (at room temperature)
- 24 ounces of white chocolate chips
- 4 teaspoons of coconut oil
- Sprinkles, to decorate
How to make the cake ball recipe
This chocolate cake truffles recipe is made in two stages: the cake is made first, then cooled, combined with cream cheese, and made into these fun cake balls.
Bake the cake
I used a Pillsbury moist supreme chocolate cake mix. (15.25 oz size) It called for 1 cup of water, ½ cup of vegetable oil, and 3 eggs.
- Make the cake according to the package directions.
- Bake the cake until it is done.
- Place it on a rack until it has completely cooled.
How to make the cake ball batter
- Break the cake into pieces and place them in a large bowl.
- Use your hands to break the cake into fine crumbs.
- Add the softened cream cheese to the crumbs.
- Mix with a mixer until the cake and cream cheese are well incorporated.
How to roll the cake balls
- Scoop out the chocolate cake mixture with a small cookie scoop.
- Roll it into 48 even-sized balls. Place the balls on a baking sheet, lined with a silicone mat.
Freeze the cake balls
- Place the cake balls in the freezer for 45 minutes.
- Freezing hardens them and makes them easier to dip into melted chocolate later.
Set up a dipping station
- Place the sprinkles in small bowls.
- A candy dipping tool set is very useful for dipping the cake balls.
Melt the white chocolate
- Place the white chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl with the coconut oil.
- Heat it at 50% power in 20-second increments until the chocolate is smooth and silky.
Tip: Don’t melt all the white chocolate and coconut oil at once. Do it in a couple of batches. The chocolate will harden quickly, making it harder to dip your white chocolate cake balls.
Decorating the cake balls for the 4th of July
- Remove the cake balls from the freezer and add them to your dipping station.
- Dip the frozen chocolate balls into the melted white chocolate.
- Coat them with the festive sprinkles while the chocolate is still soft.
Tip: I discovered as I dipped the cake balls, that placing them on a wire rack was a mistake. I switched to a silicone mat, and the bottom of the cake balls ended up with a nice, flat finish.
These chocolate cake truffles have a creamy chocolate center and a sweet outer coating. Each bite is a delight!
Other ways to customize these chocolate cake truffles
Once you’ve mastered the basic chocolate cake truffle recipe, it’s easy to change the colors and decorations to suit other holidays and celebrations throughout the year.
- Red, white, and pink sprinkles for Valentine’s Day
- Orange and black decorations for Halloween
- Red and green drizzle for Christmas
- Pastel colors for spring celebrations
- Team colors for birthdays and game days
Other 4th of July dessert ideas
Looking for more ideas for your Independence Day party table?
- Red, White, and Blue Bars Recipe – 4th of July peanut butter slices
- 4th of July Candy Jars – Easy patriotic dessert table decor
- Awesome Layered Pudding Pops – A cold treat with a patriotic flair.
Share this recipe for chocolate cake truffles on X
If you enjoyed making these festive cake balls, please share the recipe with a friend. Here is a post to get you started:
Whip up some festive fun this 4th of July with our delicious chocolate cake truffles dipped in white chocolate! The chocolatey center is mixed with cream cheese for a decadent bite-sized sweet treat. Get the recipe on Recipes Just… Share on XPin these chocolate cake truffles
Would you like a reminder of this recipe for our easy chocolate cake balls recipe? Just pin this image to one of your recipe boards on Pinterest so that you can easily find it later.
You can also watch our video on YouTube!
Admin note: This recipe for chocolate cake balls first appeared on the blog in May 2024. This post has been updated with new photos, a printable recipe card, and a slideshow video.
Chocolate Cake Truffles Recipe
Rich chocolate cake and cream cheese are rolled into bite-sized cake balls, coated in white chocolate, and decorated in patriotic colors. These easy cake truffles are perfect for 4th of July parties, cookouts, and summer celebrations.
Ingredients
- 1 Chocolate Cake Mix
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup of water
- ½ cup of oil
- 8 ounces of cream cheese (room temperature)
- 24 ounces of white chocolate chips
- 4 teaspoons of coconut oil
- Sprinkles to decorate
Instructions
- Prepare the cake mix according to your package directions. (I added 3 eggs, 1 cup of water, and ½ cup of oil to my mix. Yours might vary.)
- Bake the cake as directed, then cool completely on a wire rack.
- Using a fork, break the cake into fine crumbs in the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Add the softened cream cheese to the cake crumbs and mix until the cream cheese is incorporated well.
- Roll the cake mixture into 48 balls. A small cookie scoop will give you uniform sizes.
- Place on a baking sheet and freeze for 45 minutes. (This makes them easier to coat with the white chocolate.)
- Set up a dipping station with sprinkles in small bowls, ready to decorate.
- Place the white chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl.
- Heat in 20-second increments at a medium power setting until the chocolate is melted and silky. (see note below)
- Remove the cake balls and use a candy dipping tool to cover them with the melted chocolate. (A fork also works)
- Add sprinkles to decorate the chocolate cake balls. Enjoy!
Notes
TIP: Don't melt all the chocolate at once. Do it in stages to make it easier to dip the cake balls without having the white chocolate harden on you.
I find that white chocolate seizes easily in the microwave, so be sure to heat it at 50% setting, not full power.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
48Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 103Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 19mgSodium: 36mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 0gSugar: 9gProtein: 2g
Nutritional information is approximate due to natural variation in ingredients and the cook-at-home nature of our meals.