Vegan Chocolate Cake Balls (GF-Option)

Rich and fudgy cake crumbs combined with deliciously chocolate buttercream rolled into balls and enrobed in dark chocolate – these cake balls are fun and easy to make. A great way to use up leftover cake and are naturally vegan and gluten-free.

You can watch a recipe video here.

Now, these Vegan Chocolate Cake Balls may be far from perfect but in all their imperfections, they are the perfect way to use up leftover cake! Whether you have cake that’s going a bit dry or is a bit sad-looking or you’ve made my Valentine’s Day Hidden Heart Banana Bread and have the pink banana bread scraps ready to go, these cake balls are the best way to eat your cake crumbs.

Like my Hidden Gingerbread Banana Bread and the resulting Gingerbread Chocolate Cake Bombs, these cake balls are a “leftover” recipe of the banana bread. There’s quite a lot of cake leftover when you make a hidden cake, and rather than just eat it, which is totally OK, I want to show what you can do with the extra pieces. That said, if you haven’t made my banana bread beforehand, you can still make this with a fresh cake or other cake although I recommend vanilla or chocolate for the best combination with the chocolate buttercream.

If you’re new to cake balls and wondering what they are, cake balls/pops/bombs are made using the following method which you can watch here:

• Crumbling up cake: it can be leftover cake or one you make specially to crumble up.
• Making a special buttercream: it’s thicker than one you’d use to pipe with, so the balls are sturdy.
• Making an inside out cake: stirring together the crumbs and frosting to a delicious mix.
• Chilling the mix: so it thickens and will make even balls.
• Rolling into balls: this is where the name cake “balls” comes from although you can also pop them onto lolly sticks to make cake pops, too.
• Chilling the balls: to make sure they are sturdy.
• Coating in chocolate: this makes the outer shell for the cake balls.
• Decoration: this is the other fun part! Use whatever you have to hand, I went for some mini sugar cookies and sprinkles. But you could use extra dairy-free chocolate drizzled over, some little seeds or cacao nibs or leave them plain.

They only take a few steps and are so fun to make with little ones, or big ones! Now, you’ll notice that I refer to the mix as cake throughout, but I’ve actually used the banana bread loaf, which is basically cake! So whether you have leftover cake or leftover banana bread, these Vegan Chocolate Cake Balls are the perfect recipe!

What do we need to make these cake balls?

• Cooled cake: sliced and then blitzed in a blender to fine crumbs. Make sure the cake is gluten-free if the cake balls need to be gluten-free.
• Vegan butter: to make the frosting.
• Icing sugar: to make the sweet frosting.
• Cacao powder: for the delicious, rich ad indulgent chocolate buttercream.
• Dark chocolate: you could also use dairy-free milk or white chocolate, but the balls are quite sweet anyway, so the dark chocolate works really well.
• Sprinkles: or anything you want to decorate with!

These Vegan Chocolate Cake Balls are a favourite of mine, they’re soft, fudgy and cake-y with the next chocolate-y flavour. The chocolate coating cracks as you bite into it and then the inside is so melty in your mouth, soft and fudgy… the dream! You get cake, buttercream and chocolate in every mouthful.

If you are looking for more fun bakes, how about my:

• Snickers Banana Bread
• Hidden Gingerbread Banana Bread
• Banana Chocolate Chip Blondies
• Triple Chocolate Banana Bread
• Vegan Chocolate Star Bread

Vegan Chocolate Cake Balls (GF-Option)

• Servings: 15-16
• Time: 20 minutes plus chilling
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Rich and fudgy cake crumbs combined with deliciously chocolate buttercream rolled into balls and enrobed in dark chocolate – these cake balls are fun and easy to make. A great way to use up leftover cake and are naturally vegan and gluten-free.

Ingredients

• 1 x leftover Valentines Pink Banana Bread (or equivalent of cake)
• 100g vegan butter
• 150g icing sugar
• 30g cacao powder
• 170g dark chocolate
• To decorate: sprinkles, sugar cookies

Directions

1. Make sure the banana bread/cake is cool and sliced. Add the slices to a blender (you may need to work in batches) and blitz to a fine crumb. Pour into a large mixing bowl.
2. Add the butter to a blender and beat/whisk/blend until smooth with no lumps. Gradually add the icing sugar and cacao powder to reach a thick and smooth frosting.
3. Spoon the frosting into the cake crumbs and mix well to a sticky consistency.
4. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes or in the freezer for 10 minutes.
5. Line a tray with parchment paper and divide the mixture into 15-16 pieces and roll into balls. Place onto the tray and chill for 15 minutes to firm up.
6. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a shallow bowl.
7. Roll each cake ball in the chocolate, transfer to the lined tray and decorate with sprinkles and/or sugar cookies while the chocolate is still soft. Place in the fridge for 10 minutes to set.
8. Store in an airtight container for 5 days.

I can’t wait to hear what you think of these moreish little Vegan Chocolate Cake Balls, so please let me know in the comments below. If you make these, please tag me in your bakes, too, I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest  – please say hello!

With chocolate cake ball love x