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Cake pops, like ice cream cones or chocolate chip cookies, are one of the quintessential treats of childhood. Cake and frosting? Dipped in chocolate and covered in sprinkles? And served on a stick? It’s easy to see why kids love cake pops. I’m pretty sure my niece has never left a Starbucks without one of their classic pink Birthday Cake Pops in hand. Let’s just say that I can definitely understand the appeal!
These peppermint cake balls are just like cake pops, but with a grownup twist. They start with a classic vanilla bean cake (tinted green for Saint Patrick’s Day, of course!), which is then combined with a homemade, peppermint-infused buttercream frosting. Finally they’re coated in white chocolate and finished with festive sprinkles. And they’re served and consumed like a chocolate truffle, rather than on a lollipop stick.
Unlike many cake pop recipes which call for store-bought cake mixes and tubs of grocery store frosting, both the cake and the buttercream in this recipe are made from scratch. (Making your own cake and frosting does require a bit more effort, but the results are well worth it!)
I’ve done my best to capture the essence of a cake pop, but with slightly more sophisticated components. They really are just like cake pops, but for grownups!
Cake Balls for all Occasions
Since it’s March, I themed this particular batch of cake balls specifically for Saint Patrick’s Day. However, this recipe can easily be adapted to fit your holiday or event of choice. Just vary your color and sprinkle choices accordingly. Try red cake and heart-shaped sprinkles for Valentine’s Day, or pink cake and egg sprinkles for Easter.
If desired, you can also swap out the peppermint oil in the buttercream with another flavoring, such as cherry or lemon. Or, just make a classic vanilla version instead.
Choosing Your Chocolate
A good-quality chocolate couverture will make all the difference in this recipe. My go-to white chocolate for tempering and enrobing is Callebaut 28% white chocolate. Valrhona, Guittard, or Cacao Barry also make white chocolates which would work nicely in this recipe.
If you do not care for white chocolate, these cake balls can just as easily be enrobed in your favorite milk or dark chocolate instead!
A Tempering Alternative
I’ve also chosen to enrobe my cake balls in a high-quality, tempered white chocolate for an added element of elegance. But if you aren’t familiar with tempering, feel free to use confectioner’s coating to coat your cake balls instead.
Unlike couverture, coating chocolate (also known by a range of other names such as melting chocolate, melting wafers, confectionery coating, candy wafers, or dipping chocolate) is pre-tempered and will work if you want to enrobe your cake balls without tempering.
Coating chocolate comes in a wide variety of colors. You can use classic white, which will be most similar to the white chocolate I’ve used for my cake balls, or go all-out for St. Patrick’s Day and opt for a bright green coating chocolate instead!
More Saint Patrick’s Day recipes you might enjoy:
Lucky Charms Bark
Dark Chocolate Brownies with Peppermint Buttercream
White Hot Chocolate with Baileys Irish Cream Whipped Cream
And if you make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!
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Peppermint Cake Balls for St. Patrick’s Day!
- Yield: 20 cake balls 1x
Description
These festive green cake balls with peppermint buttercream are the perfect Saint Patrick’s Day treat. Like cake pops, but for grownups!
Ingredients
Vanilla Bean Cake:
150 grams all purpose flour (1 1/8 cups)
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch salt
2 eggs
160 grams granulated sugar (3/4 cup)
120 milliliters whole milk (1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
Green gel food coloring
60 grams unsalted butter, melted (4 tablespoons)
Peppermint Buttercream:
113 grams unsalted butter, softened (1/2 cup / 1 stick)
300 grams confectioner’s sugar (2 1/4 cups)
2–3 tablespoons whole milk*
Pinch salt
2–3 drops peppermint oil, or to taste
Green gel food coloring
Assembly
Good-quality white chocolate couverture, for tempering and enrobing
Saint Patrick’s Day sprinkles, for decorating
Instructions
Vanilla Bean Cake:
Preheat oven to 360° F / 180° C.
Spray a 9 inch / 23 centimeter round cake tin with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the tin with a disc of parchment, and set aside until ready to use.
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a separate mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, add eggs and sugar and whip on medium-high speed until fluffy and well combined. Add milk and canola oil and continue whipping until creamy.
Stir vanilla bean paste into the wet mixture, followed by green gel food coloring.
With a rubber spatula, fold the dry mixture into the wet ingredients. Adjust the amount of food coloring, if desired.
Drizzle the melted butter over the batter, and fold with spatula until just combined.
Pour cake batter into prepared tin, and bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Transfer cake tin to a wire rack and allow to cool completely. While cake cools, prepare the peppermint buttercream.
Peppermint Buttercream:
Add softened butter to a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until light and fluffy, about two minutes.
Gradually mix confectioner’s sugar into the butter, combining well after each addition.
Beat in 1-2 tablespoons milk or half and half (just enough to smooth the frosting, but not enough to make it too thin**), followed by peppermint oil and gel food coloring. Taste your buttercream and adjust the flavoring accordingly.
Assembly:
Line a large metal tray with baking parchment, and set aside until ready to use.
Turn cooled cake out onto a wire rack. Remove parchment and transfer the cake to a large mixing bowl.
Using your hands, crumble the cake until there are no large pieces. (If there are some brown bits around the edges of the cake, I recommend removing these to avoid seeing specks of brown in your finished cake balls.)
Scoop buttercream frosting into the bowl of crumbled cake, and use your hands to mix together until well combined.
Using a kitchen scale, scale the cake mixture into 40-gram balls. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, you can eyeball the measurement. Each should be roughly the size of a golf ball.
Place cake balls on parchment-lined tray, and transfer to the freezer. Freeze for at least 15 minutes, or until ready to enrobe.
Temper white chocolate via your preferred method. (If you do not want to temper chocolate or are not familiar with the process, see my workarounds above.)
Remove cake balls from the freezer and, working quickly, enrobe completely in tempered chocolate. (An enrobing fork can make the process easier!) Transfer to parchment-lined tray and decorate with sprinkles or a drizzle of chocolate.
Store cake balls in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Notes
*Or, substitute whipping cream or half-and-half.
**Also known as powdered sugar, or confectioner’s sugar.
- Category: Cakes and Cupcakes
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Dessert
