Chocolate Covered Cherry Cake Balls

*Update* I made Chocolate Covered Cherry Cake Balls again for the 4th of July. This time I used a Classic White and a Blue Velvet cake mix and white and blue Wilton candy melts. I accidentally bought the cherries without stems. They still turned out great! Perfect for a summer BBQ.

*Originally posted on Dec. 7, 2012* This recipe is a family favorite!

Isn't this a brilliant idea to combine cake balls with chocolate covered cherries!  I found this recipe on Hungry Happenings.  Beth from Hungry Happenings made these as a valentine treat.  I thought these would be terrific for the holidays, too.  We love chocolate and cherries together, especially  my husband.  This recipe went right to my must-make holiday treat list this year!

 
Recipe Link
Ingredients
1 box of cake mix, whichever flavor you like (I tried a white and a dark chocolate cake mix)
eggs, water, oil as directed on box of cake mix
1/2 cup frosting (I used Duncan Hines classic white)
40 Maraschino cherries with stems
2 (12 oz.) packages of Wilton white candy melts or about 1 lb. of Ghiradelli dipping chocolate
wax paper or parchment paper
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare your cake mix as directed on box. Bake and let cool completely.
2. Crumble the cake into a large bowl. Add the 1/2 cup of frosting and combine using a hand mixer. Keep mixing until you get a similar consistency to cookie dough, about 2 minutes on medium speed.
3. Scoop mixture out by a Tablespoonful. Roll into a ball.
4. Drain maraschino cherries and pat dry with a paper towel. Using your thumb make a dent into the ball. Add the cherry. Bring cake mixture up and around cherry. Roll in hands to make a nice round ball.
5. Follow package instructions for melting your dipping chocolate. Dip each cake ball and set on a baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper. Let chocolate harden.
6. Store in the refrigerator, but bring to room temperature before serving.
Makes approx. 40 cake balls

Adapted from Hungry Happenings

Here are the ingredients I used. I also used a Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge cake mix (it isn't pictured) for the dark chocolate cherry cake balls.

I added a 1/2 cup of classic vanilla frosting to each of the baked and crumbled cakes.

After mixing with the hand mixer for about 2 minutes, I had a consistency similar to sugar cookie dough. I used a Tablespoon to measure out the cake balls.

Cherries drying

First, I took a ball and used my thumb and made an indent in the middle. Then, I added the cherry. Finally, I pushed the cake ball around the cherry and rolled in between my two hands to make these nice little round cherry balls.

Here's the Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake mixed with 1/2 cup of classic vanilla frosting.

I added the cherry in the middle just like the others.

I was so busy dipping all these cake balls that I didn't stop to take a photo. But, I simply followed the microwave instructions on the packages of dipping chocolate. For the white chocolate I used Wilton Candy Melts and for the dark chocolate I used Ghiradelli Double Chocolate candy dipping bar. Both were very good!

The Results...

I'm so glad I gave these a try.  They turned out just as delicious as they look!  Everyone loved them.  I asked each person in my family to try a white chocolate and a dark chocolate cherry cake ball and tell me which they liked better.  My husband couldn't decide, he said they were both equally delicious.  The kids also happily ate both kinds.  I suggest you add these to your must-make holiday treat list, too.  You won't be disappointed.  

Happy Holiday Baking!

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