Cake balls….cake pops. Same concept here. Crushed up cupcakes mixed with buttercream and rolled into balls and covered in sprinkles. Little bites of goodness. This is a great recipe to have on hand for those times when you find yourself with a few lonely cupcakes and not enough frosting to cover them. I have included a quick frosting recipe you can mix up to “glue” the cake crumbs together too!
How some of my recipes come about are either due to: #1. I have ingredients I need to use up or #2. a kitchen fail. I had a dessert order for 30 unicorn cupcakes, so of course that seemed like the perfect time to come down with the flu. I spent the day before the cupcakes were due, in bed. Literally slept the entire day. Luckily, I woke up the next day feeling good enough to knock out my cupcake order just in time for the birthday party. I couldn’t disappoint my best friends daughter on her 10th birthday! So there I was making cupcakes and had enough buttercream to cover 30 cupcakes. I had six unfrosted cupcakes just sitting there. Starring at me.
So I decide to crush the naked cupcakes up and make a quick frosting to glue the crumbs together to make cake balls! And then I rolled the balls in sprinkles because….wait. Do I ever need a reason to use sprinkles?
Cake Balls
Print RecipeIngredients
- Leftover cake or cupcakes (with or without the frosting)
- FROSTING:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
- 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- TOPPING: Assorted sprinkles or cookie crumbs
Instructions
PREPARE FROSTING: In the bowl of a stand mixer, affixed with the paddle attachment, add the butter and beat on medium-high speed until pale and glossy. Change the mixer to low speed and add the powdered sugar. Once sugar is incorporated, add the heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract. Beat until incorporated.
PREPARE CAKE BALLS: In a large bowl, break apart the baked cake or cupcakes and add the frosting in increments, until you reach your desired consistency. This will depend on how much cake or cupcakes you are using.
Add your sprinkles to a small bowl and roll cake balls in the sprinkles. Place cake balls in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Notes
If your cake balls feel too wet (if there's too much frosting in them), you can add powdered sugar until you reach your desired consistency.
And then in my cupcake making flurry (and still not feeling 100%), I tipped my baking rack over, dropping three frosted and decorated cupcakes on the floor. Upside down of course, with sprinkles going EVERYWHERE. So now I was three cupcakes short.
But luckily I had these cake balls! So I decorated the cake balls with the leftover unicorn horns and ears, to make unicorn cake balls. I figured sometimes people don’t want to eat an entire cupcake, so cake balls would be great for those people. And they turned out cute. Lemons into lemonade 🙂
So this recipe can be a fun way to use up those cupcakes that just don’t look right or when you have extra naked cupcakes, extra frosting or both! Pin this for later…it’s always great to have a back-up plan.
XOXO,
Kelly
PS- you can see this recipe linked up at the following link parties: Meal Plan Monday, Sugar and Spice, Pretty Pintastic Party.
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18 Comments
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen
September 12, 2017 at 8:56 AMThese are definitely the cutest cake balls I’ve ever seen. I love that you repurposed your naked cupcakes; I probably would just have eaten them sans frosting and been disappointed with myself for eating inferior (aka unfrosted) cake 🙂
Kelly
September 13, 2017 at 8:10 AMHahahahaha thanks Kelsie! I was trying to be crafty lol. An unfrosted cupcake is a muffin in my book 😉 You always need frosting heheheh 🙂 XOXO
Amy
September 12, 2017 at 10:54 AMI think that you and I are twinners when it comes to sprinkles. I absolutely love them. Thank you for sharing.
Kelly
September 13, 2017 at 8:10 AMThanks Amy!! Aren’t sprinkles the best?!?!? I have a whole container in my pantry that has just sprinkles in it 🙂 XOXO
Ashika | Gardening Foodie
September 12, 2017 at 11:57 AMKim, you are a true genius when it comes to baking…I love your ideas and the way you make baking so fun and beautiful.
These cake balls are so pretty decorated so cute with sprinkles. Absolutely love this idea and DEFINITELY pinning.
Kelly
September 13, 2017 at 8:12 AMAww thanks Ashika!! You are so sweet 🙂 I truly enjoy baking and creating!! And adding sprinkles to anything, will make them look pretty hehehe 🙂 XOXO
Ashika | Gardening Foodie
September 13, 2017 at 10:41 AMOH, I am so sorry, I meant Kelly.🙈 I am such a klutz when I am typing so let me say this properly again…using your right name… Kelly, you are a true genius when it comes to baking…I love your ideas and the way you make baking so fun and beautiful.
These cake balls are so pretty decorated so cute with sprinkles. Absolutely love this idea and DEFINITELY pinning!
There thats better now!😊
Kelly
September 13, 2017 at 3:44 PMHahaha OMG I didn’t even catch that! No worries! You are such a sweetheart 🙂 XOXO
GiGi Eats Celebrities
September 13, 2017 at 2:23 PMKelly, I think you secretly want to just tease the crap out of my taste buds!!! ANYTHING dealing with “cake” and sprinkles…. I DROOOOOOLLLL for! GAHH!
Kelly
September 13, 2017 at 3:46 PMSorry! If it makes you feel any better, I can’t eat most of what I make because of my food allergies 🙂 So we can just drool over these together!! XOXO
Katherine | Love In My Ovenk
September 13, 2017 at 8:14 PMI love these cute little cake balls! I would probably eat all of them in one sitting…yikes! What a terrific way to take care of leftover cupcakes 😉
Kelly
September 13, 2017 at 9:56 PMThanks Katherine! I love using up leftover food…and anything I can roll in sprinkles lol 🙂 XOXOX
heather (delicious not gorgeous)
September 13, 2017 at 10:45 PMlove your sprinkle mix!! so colorful and happy (: and sammeeee, most of the time, i figure out what to make based off of what’s been abandoned in the fridge lol.
Kelly
September 14, 2017 at 6:53 AMThanks Heather! I love that we totally think alike 🙂 XOXO
Deepika|TheLoveOfCakes
September 15, 2017 at 8:26 AMThese are such cute little treats!! And love that they are rolled in sprinkles!!
Kelly
September 15, 2017 at 8:30 AMThanks Deepika! Have a great weekend! XOXO 🙂
Maria Doss
September 18, 2017 at 5:29 AMHow fun are these?? Anything rolled in sprinkles makes me happy. You come up with such awesome treats Kelly 🙂
Kelly
September 18, 2017 at 6:49 AMThanks Maria! Have a great week my dear 🙂 XOXO