These raspberry white chocolate cake balls are full of sweet raspberry flavor, coated in a white chocolate coating, and sprinkled with crushed freeze-dried raspberries! Perfect for an easy no-bake treat, these are just like cake pops (just without the stick), and a favorite among people of all ages!
This is one of my No Bake Dessert recipes I know you’ll want to keep on hand!
Holiday baking time is in full swing, and I don’t know about you, but I could use some more (mostly) no bake treats. My oven is working overtime and no bake desserts are generally quicker and easier.
The hardest part about this recipe is probably dipping the cake balls in the melted candy coating. And that’s not even that difficult, it’s just a little tedious, especially if you’re being particular about how they look.
It’s actually a fun recipe to make with kids, since they can help with every step, and will likely have a lot of fun rolling the balls and dipping them in the coating!
So let’s get to the details so you can enjoy these cake balls as much as we did!
Why you’ll love this recipe!
Cake balls are just like cake pops, just without the stick!
- They’re easy to make, and can be made with store-bought ingredients to save time.
- They’re easily customize-able.
- They’re loved by both kids and adults alike!
What do I need to make this recipe?
- Cake mix – I like to use white cake mix.
- Jell-o – this adds color and raspberry flavor.
- Water – just what’s called for on the box.
- Eggs – this recipe was tested with large eggs.
- Oil – vegetable oil is preferred, since it’s a neutral-flavored oil.
- Raspberries – instead of fresh raspberries which would add too much moisture, so I like to use freeze-dried raspberries.
- Butter – unsalted butter is preferred, but salted butter also works well.
- Cream cheese – this recipe was tested with full fat cream cheese, but may work with low fat.
- Powdered sugar – powdered sugar is needed to add sweetness to the frosting.
- Vanilla extract – I prefer to use real vanilla, versus the clear imitation flavor.
- White chocolate – this is used to coat the cake balls.
How to make raspberry white chocolate cake balls:
This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.
- Mix cake batter. Follow the directions that are on the box of cake mix, but add the jell-o and raspberries.
- Bake cake. Bake according to package directions, then cool.
- Make frosting. This is best done in a mixer so the butter and cream cheese can really combine well.
- Crumble cake and add frosting. You don’t need too much frosting, just enough so that the cake mixture will stick together when rolled. Extra frosting can be refrigerated for other treats!
- Scoop and roll. Using a cookie scoop is the best way to ensure that the cake balls are all similar in size.
- Melt chocolate and dip. I like to use the microwave to melt the chocolate.
- Drizzle. Once the balls have been coated in the white chocolate, drizzle with some additional chocolate.
- Sprinkle. Sprinkle the tops with some crushed freeze-dried raspberries.
Helpful Tip!
While this recipe is by no means difficult, it does take some time to make. The cake has to be baked and then cooled, then the frosting has to be made, mixed into the cake crumbs, etc. So for that reason, I’ve also detailed how you can make this in stages.
Variations of this recipe
- Cake flavors – instead of a white cake, try using vanilla, or even chocolate.
- Cake – if you’d prefer not to make your own cake, you can pick up a cake from the grocery store’s bakery department.
- Homemade cake – to make this recipe easy, I developed it with a box of cake mix that you jazz up a bit, but if you’d like to use a homemade cake, you certainly can.
- Frosting – I love a homemade cream cheese frosting, but if you’d rather pick up a can of store-bought frosting, please feel free to use it. You can use cream cheese or vanilla frosting.
- Candy coating/almond bark – in place of the white chocolate, try vanilla candy coating, or white almond bark.
- Other chocolates – for a different look and flavor, try using milk or dark chocolate to coat the cake balls.
- Drizzles – I love the look of white drizzles on the white chocolate, but feel free to switch it up and use a contrasting candy coating or milk/dark chocolate for the drizzles.
FAQ’s
The only difference is the stick that’s added to make it a cake pop, otherwise they’re the same thing. I like cake balls more, as they’re easier to store, and you have one less step (no stick).
Condensation can happen on the exterior of the cake balls if they’ve been refrigerated. It’s completely normal; just gently pat them with a paper towel and they’ll be just fine.
Making cake balls ahead of time
If you’re as busy as I am, time is definitely at a premium! The more treats you can make ahead, the better.
The good news is that these cake balls can absolutely be made ahead of time.
You can also work ahead and make this recipe in stages.
- Cake – the cake can be baked, cooled, and crumbled in advance.
- Frosting – the frosting can be made and kept refrigerated. Just give it a quick beat with a mixer to make it fluffy again.
- Rolling – once you’ve combined the cake crumbs and frosting, you can scoop and roll the mixture into balls and keep them wrapped in plastic wrap in an airtight container.
Freezing
These cake balls can absolutely be frozen!
Add the balls in even layers, separated by sheets of wax paper to avoid sticking, in an airtight freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3-4 months.
Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Storage
These cake balls should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
They can also be stored at room temperature, but only for 1 week.
More No Bake Dessert Recipes:
Tips for Perfectly Melted Chocolate!
Melting chocolate seems super easy, but sometimes it goes awry and we don’t understand what happened. Here are my top tips for getting perfectly melted chocolate, every time!
- Use a double-boiler. A double boiler is an actual type of pot, but most people don’t have one on hand, so I make my own makeshift one. It’s easy, I promise! Add a bit of water to a sauce pan and place a heat-resistant bowl on top (I use a glass bowl) so it just rests on the sides of the pan, but doesn’t touch the water. Heat the water on LOW heat and add chocolate to the bowl on top. Stir often and you’ll see the chocolate start to melt. Keep stirring, and once you see tiny lumps of chocolate remaining, remove the bowl from the top of the pan. Stir, and the residual heat will melt those last little lumps and you’ll have perfectly melted chocolate.
- Don’t cook on full power. If you don’t want to use the double-boiler, you can use the microwave! Set your microwave to half power (or medium). This lessens the chance of the chocolate heating too quickly and “seizing”.
- Heat slowly. Melt the chocolate in 20-30 second intervals for the first minute, then in 15 second intervals after that, stirring after each cooking interval. It takes longer, but trust me, it’s worth it.
- Add a bit of oil. One of my favorite tricks is to add a little bit (depending on the amount of chocolate, use about 1-2 tsp or so) of vegetable or coconut oil to the chocolate before melting. I don’t think I’ve ever had seized or scorched chocolate when following the above tips and this one!
Troubleshooting seized chocolate!
When melting chocolate have you ever had it go from luxuriously smooth and silky, to a thick, grainy paste? It seized up on you, and it’s incredibly frustrating! Chocolate will do that for one of two reasons.
- First, a bit of water got into your chocolate. Water is the enemy of melted chocolate and will turn it into a gluey paste, very quickly.
- Secondly, it can be overheated and scorched. This often happens when chocolate is cooked at too high of a temperature, and/or for too long.
My Favorite Cookie Scoop!
Cookie scoops are the most versatile kitchen tool… you can use them for cake balls, cookies, meatballs, ice cream, and more! This scoop is the exact size you’ll need for these cake balls!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
Cake
- 15 oz box white cake mix
- 3 oz package raspberry jell-o
- 1 cup water
- 3 large eggs room temperature works best
- 4 Tbsp freeze-dried raspberries
Cream cheese frosting
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 4 oz cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Coating
- 16 oz white chocolate vanilla candy coating can be substituted
- 1 Tbsp crushed freeze-dried raspberries
Instructions
Prepare
- Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly spray a 9×13" baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Lightly crush 5 Tbsp of freeze-dried raspberries, dividing into one 4 Tbsp portion which will be used in the cake, and 1 Tbsp portion which will be used as a garnish.
Make cake
- Prepare the cake batter, according to the package directions (mixing together the cake mix, water, eggs, oil, and adding the jell-o and freeze-dried raspberries).
- Transfer batter to prepared baking dish and bake for the time indicated on the box (typically around 25 minutes).
- Cake is finished baking when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
- Set cake aside to cool completely.
Make frosting
- To a mixing bowl, add butter and cream cheese and beat with a mixer until creamed together. Add vanilla and beat again.
- Add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating until combined. You're looking for a consistency that's like a thick frosting, so if you need the frosting to be thicker, add a bit more powdered sugar until it's the consistency you like.
Make cake balls
- Crumble the cooled cake with a mixer or by hand. To the crumbs, add 2 heaping Tbsp of the frosting and mix to combine thoroughly.
- Test to see if the amount is correct by rolling a bit of the mixture between your palms. If it rolls into a ball that stays together, you're good. If not, add a bit more frosting, a little at a time, until it's easily rolled into balls.
- Scoop the mixture using a cookie scoop or Tbsp measuring spoon, then gently roll it between your palms until it forms a ball.
- Add rolled cake ball to a wax paper lined baking sheet, then repeat with remaining cake balls. Add baking sheet to the refrigerator or freezer for about 5-10 minutes or so.
- While cake balls are chilling, add the chocolate to a bowl and melt the white chocolate in whichever method you prefer (see chef tip #3 below). Add some of the chocolate to a squeeze bottle, piping bag, or plastic bag with the corner snipped off. Leave the rest in the bowl.
- Pierce a cake ball on a fork, then dip in the melted candy coating. Gently tap the fork on the edge of the bowl to remove excess coating, then place back on wax paper lined baking sheet.
- Drizzle the cake ball with additional white chocolate from the squeeze bottle, then sprinkle with reserved crushed freeze-dried raspberries.
- Repeat with remaining cake balls, then return baking sheet to the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.
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Chef Tips
- This recipe should yield approximately 24 cake balls, which you’re free to divide into as many servings as you’d like.
- Recipe times don’t include the time for the cake to cool, as this will vary from person to person.
- Melting the chocolate – My preferred method for melting chocolate is the double boiler method. A double boiler is an actual type of pot, but most people don’t have one on hand, so I make my own makeshift one. It’s easy, I promise!
- Add a bit of water to a sauce pan and place a heat-resistant bowl on top (I use a glass bowl) so it just rests on the sides of the pan, but doesn’t touch the water.
- Heat the water on LOW heat and add chocolate to the bowl on top.
- Stir often and you’ll see the chocolate start to melt.
- Keep stirring, and once you see just tiny lumps of chocolate, remove the bowl from the top of the pan.
- Stir, and the residual heat will melt those last little lumps and you’ll have perfect melted chocolate.
- If you don’t want to use the double-boiler method, I’ve also detailed microwave directions in the post above this recipe card under the heading “Tips for melting chocolate”.
- Leftover cream cheese frosting can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks and used for other treats.
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Carol says
Made these for an early Valentine’s Day treat, and they are SO good!
Ginger Jarnagin says
Hi Amanda:
What is the mixer in the first few pictures, showing the steps. You show it from avove.
Thanks,
G
The Chunky Chef says
I’ll have to check with my photographer, as she photographed this recipe, so that’s her mixer. It looks similar to this one though: https://amzn.to/4gAlM81