Cake Balls are the new craze. So much better than cake. Why? You just pop it in your mouth. Dessert just became a snack.

Why else? They're fun and colorful. So perfect for parties! A few decisions on flavor or food coloring, and you have a themed refreshment for any occasion.

The real question comes down to, what flavor do I make? That, folks, is where the creativity and fun begins.

I could list possibilities for eternity if I wanted to because of it's three basic steps:

1. Bake a cake: one 9 x 13 cake or 2 to 8 inch rounds
2. Mix it with frosting: one store-bought container or two cups homemade frosting
3. Roll into balls (refrigerate) and
   Dip them in candy coating or melted chocolate: one (24 oz) package of almond bark melted usually coats a cake
4. (Okay, there's a fourth step but it's optional.)
   Sprinkle it with a topping: because cake balls are small, toppings actually do add a lot of flavor

I have some ideas listed below. Yes, I have tried some. But no, not all of them. Hopefully someday! Share with us your creations, too!

There's a fundraiser tonight I am going to, a cake auction. I'm going to make 2 batches of cake balls! I can't wait! (I'll make the strawberry ones and then just plain chocolate. Can you go wrong with triple chocolate?)

One more thing: They store for a while, especially in the fridge, because they're covered in that chocolate coating. It keeps them from going stale and they stay super moist. (When I taught, my team and I had some stashed in a back room and they literally lasted almost 2 weeks I think, and not because they weren't good. It was all about savoring the flavoring).

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Lemon
I'm not a fan of lemon, but for some reason this is my favorite. I have a friend that comes over, grabs the container, and almost refuses to share :)

• Lemon Cake
• Lemon Frosting
• White Chocolate Coating
• Crushed Lemon Head Candy topping (if you want a tartness added)

Spice

• Spice Cake
• Vanilla Frosting
• White Chocolate Coating
• Cinnamon sugar topping

Strawberry

• Strawberry Cake
• Vanilla Frosting
• Vanilla Candy Coating
• Red Candy Coating Drizzled on top

Coconut

• Coconut cake
• Buttercream Frosting
• White Chocolate
• Coconut Flake topping

Cherry Chocolate

• Cherry Chocolate Cake
• Chocolate Frosting
• Chocolate Coating
• Sprinkles on top

Butterscotch

• White Cake
• Vanilla Frosting
• Butterscotch Coating

Triple (Or Quadruple) Chocolate

• Chocolate Cake
• Chocolate Frosting
• Chocolate Coating
• Mini Chocolate Chip topping

Mint

• Chocolate Cake
• Chocolate Frosting
• Chocolate Coating
• Crushed candy canes

Peanut Butter

• Chocolate Cake
• Chocolate Frosting with peanut butter mixed in (haven't tried but don't see why it wouldn't work)
• Chocolate Coating
• Crushed peanut-butter cup topping

Almond

• White Cake with 2 tsp. Almond extract
• Vanilla Frosting
• White Chocolate
• Slivered Almond topping

Carrot

• Carrot Cake
• Cream Cheese Frosting
• White Chocolate Coating
• Orange Sprinkles

White Cake

• Any Frosting
• Vanilla Coating with food coloring
• Any topping

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As you can see, you could make anything. I did that last one just to show you it's true. You could swap out and switch up any of these and get a masterpiece. You could do chocolate covered strawberry or a banana cake with cream cheese! (I've gotta make that someday!) Hmm, I wonder how pistachio would be? Do a chocolate lemon or a white chocolate peanut-butter. You could make cake balls for weeks and still have enough pep in your step to try more.

WORD TO THE WISER THAN ME:

So, first time I made these, I tried melting chocolate chips in the microwave. BIG MISTAKE. Even with my constant taking out the bowl and stirring, it kept seizing up. I got so mad I threw a cake ball at the wall. Ha Ha I'm not joking, but man do they stick well. It at least made me laugh. Anyway, I would use a candy coating like almond bark instead. You could also try adding butter to your chocolate chips, but they'll take a lot longer to dry and won't have the same chocolatey crunch. Save your walls and try candy coating If possible!

Which flavors have you tried?