The Holiday Season Just got better with this Duo
Did we mention how much we love gingerbread and cranberry flavors in our past posts? Well, check out these cranberry gingerbread cake balls. If we’re being honest, we started trying to make cake pops but the chocolate hardened too fast and the cakes kept falling off the popsicle sticks. Yikes! And just to be on a roll here, these were also an aftermath of trying to frost cupcakes and failing hard. I added them to a bowl and voila!
When you’re busy, sometimes you just have to make due with what you have. So this will be an area I am excited to conquer someday but for now, we managed to turn these failed cake pops into something we still very much enjoyed! Cake balls!
When all else fails, make Cake Balls
This recipe requires no special skills and is much simpler than it looks. We have another cranberry gingerbread recipe you can double up on and have one batch for cupcakes and the other for your cake balls! Much of the time for these cranberry gingerbread cake balls is rest time. The result is worth it and can be a fun family recipe to do together too!
- Preheat oven to 350℉/177℃ and gather ingredients. For the cake, start by beating the butter, olive oil, and brown sugar in a bowl with a standing mixer or large bowl and handheld mixer on low until just incorporated. Add one egg first, beat, and then add the next. Beat until incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and beat until incorporated. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, sift our tiger nut all-purpose flour or (if you don’t have to worry about gluten/grain allergies) all-purpose flour with corn starch. By combining these two, we are making a cake flour! Cake flour contributes to the fluffy texture we often want in cakes. Sifting the flour helps reduce lumps and better distribute the corn starch. Add the baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, and clove.
- Time to combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients but read this first! We are going to alternate adding the flour mixture and buttermilk a little at a time to the wet ingredients and then we will mix with a spatula. Do not use the standing mixer or handheld mixer! By doing it this way, you can avoid over-mixing, which can cause a dense cake. If you need to make buttermilk, you can add 1 TBSP lemon juice to 1 cup whole milk and let it sit for 10 minutes.
- Pour batter into a greased baking pan and bake for 18 minutes. Use a toothpick to insert in the center and remove. If the batter is still runny, bake for two more minutes. Allow the cake to cool completely once done.
- Add 1/2 cup frosting (reserve more in case you prefer more frosting), 1/4 cup powdered sugar, and 1/4 cup cranberry sauce to a clean bowl. Crumble the cake into the same bowl. With a standing mixer or handheld mixer, mix until well incorporated. In the below picture, we made another version with cupcakes. Scoop 1/2 TBSP of cake mixture at a time and roll into balls. It’s okay if they’re not perfectly formed yet. We’ll do another pass once chilled. Place them on something you can store in the refrigerator or freezer. Refrigerate for 2 hours or freeze for 1 hour.
- Once chilled, roll the balls again to get the spherical shape. Take 3 balls at a time and keep the rest refrigerated while you coat the cake balls with chocolate.
- Set aside a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Take the white chocolate and follow the package instructions to melt the chocolate. Pour into a measuring cup – you will need something with depth to dip the balls into. With a fork, gently pierce one side and begin to dip into the chocolate. Tap the fork against the measuring cup very gently to get rid of excess chocolate. Gently remove onto the baking sheet, fork-pierced side down. Decorate with sprinkles or top with cranberry sauce. Continue to do this with all 20 cake balls. Let the cake balls set up to one hour.
- This next part is optional but when you’re ready to serve you can set out cupcake liners onto a platter. Place a little spoonful of cranberry sauce into each one and place a cake ball on top of that. Serve and enjoy your cranberry gingerbread cake balls!
Need Help?
Can you buy any type of frosting for the cranberry gingerbread cake balls?
We recommend chocolate, vanilla, lemon, or cheesecake buttercream frostings.
Can you make your frosting from scratch?
Absolutely! It’s usually a mixture of unsalted butter, confectioner sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. If you’re looking for a 10-minute version, here’s a great place to start by Allrecipes.
My cake balls aren’t forming. What do I do?
Allow the cake balls to chill longer. Don’t worry about getting it perfect the first time around. After chilling you’ll have a better chance of forming those spheres. For a helpful tip, you can use kitchen prep gloves or just wet your palms with a little bit of water to keep the cake balls from sticking to your hands.
Cranberry Gingerbread Cake Balls
Don't let that cake or cupcakes go to waste! Here's an awesome handheld treat to give to your little ones or serve at your next gathering. Sweet hints of tart cranberry with all the holiday feels of gingerbread spices are rolled up into these cranberry gingerbread cake balls. Enjoy! Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links, which means we will receive a commission if you make a purchase through those links at no extra cost to you.
Equipment
- 1 Standing mixer or large bowl with handheld mixer
- 1 9×13 baking pan greased
- 1 Rubber spatula
- 1 Baking sheet lined with parchment paper
- Kitchen prep gloves
- 1 Saucepan Optional for melting chocolate
- 1 Large bowl
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Measuring Cup
- 20 Cupcake liners Optional
Ingredients
- Ingredients for the Cake:
- 1/4 Cup Unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1/4 Cup Extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 Cup Light brown sugar
- 2 Eggs at room temperature
- 1/2 TBSP Vanilla extract
- 20 TBSP Tiger nut all-purpose flour or all-purpose flour (A little less than 1.5 cups)
- 4 TBSP Corn starch
- 1/2 TBSP Baking powder
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Ginger
- 1 tsp Allspice
- 1/4 tsp Clove
- 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
- 2/3 Cup Buttermilk at room temperature
- Ingredients for the Cake Pop:
- ½ Cup Tub Vanilla buttercream storebought
- ¼ Cup Powdered sugar
- ¼ Cup Cranberry sauce plus 1/2 cup for plating
- 16 oz White or dark baking chocolate for melting
- Sprinkles optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉/177℃ and gather ingredients
- For the cake. Beat the butter, olive oil, and brown sugar in a bowl with a standing mixer or large bowl and handheld mixer on low until just incorporated
- Add one egg first, beat, and then add the next. Beat until incorporated
- Add the vanilla extract and beat until incorporated. Set aside
- Sift the tiger nut all-purpose or all-purpose flour with the corn starch into a separate bowl.
- Add the baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, and clove
- Time to combine but read this first! We are going to alternate between adding the flour mixture and buttermilk a little at a time to the wet ingredients and then mix with a spatula. Do not use the standing mixer or handheld mixer! If you need to make buttermilk, you can add 1 TBSP lemon juice to 1 Cup whole milk and let it sit for 10 minutes.
- Pour batter into a greased baking pan and bake for 22 minutes. Use a toothpick to insert in the center and remove. If the batter is still runny, bake for two more minutes
- Allow the cake to cool completely once done
- Add ½ cup frosting (keep more on reserve in case you want to add more frosting in), ¼ cup powdered sugar, and ¼ cup cranberry sauce to a clean bowl. Crumble the cake into the same bowl. With a standing mixer or handheld mixer, mix until well incorporated
- Scoop ½ TBSP of cake mixture at a time and roll into balls. It's okay if they're not perfectly formed yet. You can do another pass once chilled. Place them on something you can store in the refrigerator or freezer. Refrigerate for 2 hours or freeze for 1 hour
- Once chilled, roll the balls again to get the spherical shape. Take 3 balls at a time and keep the rest refrigerated while you coat the cake balls with chocolate
- Take the white chocolate and follow the package instructions to melt the chocolate. Pour into a measuring cup or something with depth to dip the balls into
- Set a baking sheet aside lined with parchment paper
- With a fork, gently pierce one side and begin to dip into the chocolate. Tap the fork against the measuring cup gently to get the excess to come off. Gently remove onto the baking sheet, fork-pierced side down. Decorate with sprinkles or top with cranberry sauce. Continue to do this with all 30
- Allow the cake balls to set up to 1 hour
- This next part is optional but when you're ready to serve you can set out cupcake liners onto a platter. Place a little spoonful of cranberry sauce into each one and place a cake ball on top of that. Serve and enjoy!
Did you make These cranberry gingerbread cake balls?
Let us know what you think!