Red Velvet Cheesecake Balls (Printable Version)
Red velvet cake crumbs combined with cream cheese, chilled and dipped in chocolate for chocolate-coated bite-sized treats.
# Ingredient List:
→ Red Velvet Cake Base
01 - 10.5 oz red velvet cake, fully baked and cooled (store-bought or homemade)
→ Cheesecake Filling
02 - 7 oz cream cheese, softened
03 - 1.4 oz powdered sugar
04 - 1 tsp vanilla extract
→ Chocolate Coating
05 - 8.8 oz white chocolate (dark or semisweet may be substituted)
06 - Red food coloring, as needed (optional, for tinting the coating)
→ Decoration
07 - Red velvet cake crumbs (optional)
08 - Sprinkles (optional)
# How to Make:
01 - Break the fully cooled red velvet cake into fine, uniform crumbs using your hands or a food processor, transferring them to a large mixing bowl.
02 - In a separate bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract together with an electric mixer or whisk until completely smooth and lump-free.
03 - Add the cheesecake mixture to the cake crumbs and fold together thoroughly until a soft, pliable dough forms that holds its shape when squeezed.
04 - Scoop out approximately 1 tablespoon of dough at a time and roll firmly between your palms to form smooth, even balls. Arrange on a parchment-lined baking tray.
05 - Refrigerate the shaped balls for at least 1 hour until firm and chilled through, which will make dipping easier.
06 - Melt the white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, or gently over a double boiler until completely smooth. Stir in red food coloring if a tinted coating is desired.
07 - Dip each chilled ball into the melted chocolate, gently shaking off the excess, then return it to the parchment-lined tray.
08 - While the coating is still wet, sprinkle with red velvet crumbs or decorative sprinkles as desired.
09 - Allow the chocolate coating to harden completely at room temperature or in the refrigerator before serving.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- These little bites vanish from any dessert table within minutes, and people will assume you spent all day making them.
- The contrast between the slight tang of cheesecake and the sweet chocolate shell is genuinely addictive.
- No baking required, which means your oven stays off and your kitchen stays cool.
02 -
- If the cake mixture feels too wet to roll, add extra crumbs a handful at a time until it cooperates, because soggy balls will collapse during dipping.
- Seized chocolate is usually caused by even a tiny drop of water getting into the bowl, so make sure every tool and surface is bone dry before melting.
- Chilling the balls for the full hour is not optional, and rushing this step leads to crumbling and tears when you try to dip them.
03 -
- A small cookie scoop gives you uniformly sized balls, which means even coating and a professional looking final tray.
- Work in small batches when dipping, keeping most balls in the fridge while you coat a few at a time, because warm balls melt into your chocolate and ruin the consistency.