Description
Delight in these Strawberry Cake Truffles, a perfect bite-sized dessert combining moist strawberry cake with creamy cream cheese, coated in smooth vanilla and pink candy melts. These colorful, festive truffles are easy to prepare, featuring a unique heating step to ensure safety and a luscious texture accented with optional sprinkles for a fun finish. Ideal for parties, gifting, or a sweet treat anytime.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake Base
- 9.15 ounces strawberry cake mix (e.g., Betty Crocker)
Filling
- 4.8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 0.2 cup cream cheese chips, roughly chopped
Coating and Decoration
- 7.2 ounces Ghirardelli vanilla melting wafers
- 0.3 cup Wilton pink candy melts
- 0.3 cup Wilton bright pink candy melts
- Sprinkles, optional
Instructions
- Heat Treat Cake Mix: Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the dry strawberry cake mix evenly on the baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes to heat treat and eliminate any bacteria. Once baked, transfer to a wire rack and allow the cake mix to cool completely.
- Create Cream Cheese Mixture: In a medium mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese using a hand mixer on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy to ensure a velvety base for your truffles.
- Combine Cake Mix and Cream Cheese: Add the cooled cake mix into the bowl with the cream cheese. Gently fold the cake mix into the cream cheese using a rubber spatula to minimize flour mess, then finish mixing with the hand mixer on medium-high speed until fully combined into a dough-like consistency.
- Incorporate Cream Cheese Chips: Fold the roughly chopped cream cheese chips evenly into the dough to add delightful bursts of creamy texture within the truffles.
- Chill the Dough: Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours, allowing it to firm up for easier shaping.
- Scoop and Shape Truffles: Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a 1½ tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop dough portions onto the sheets and roll each into smooth, even balls by hand. Set them aside to rest and expand for about 15 minutes to prevent cracking of the coating.
- Melt Vanilla Melting Wafers: Set up a double boiler on the stovetop over low heat and melt the Ghirardelli vanilla melting wafers, stirring gently until smooth. Alternatively, melt them in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second increments on low power, stirring between each until fully melted.
- Dip Truffles in Coating: Using a fork, dip each dough ball fully into the melted vanilla wafers. Lift out and tap the fork gently on the pot’s edge to remove excess coating. Place dipped truffles on the lined baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- Add Sprinkles: Before the coating sets, sprinkle your choice of sprinkles onto half of the coated truffles for a decorative and festive touch.
- Melt Candy Melts for Drizzling: Place the pink and bright pink Wilton candy melts into separate small microwave-safe piping bags. Microwave on low in short intervals until melted, then snip a small tip off each bag to drizzle the candy over the remaining plain coated truffles.
- Set and Serve: Allow the truffles to completely set at room temperature before serving. Enjoy these rich, creamy, and colorful strawberry cake truffles as a sweet treat or party dessert.
Notes
- Store truffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days to maintain freshness.
- Chilling the dough makes it easier to roll and helps prevent cracking of the coating by allowing the truffles to expand before dipping.
- If you prefer not to heat treat the cake mix in the oven, you can microwave it in a microwave-safe bowl for 3 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds to ensure even heating and eliminate bacteria.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 truffle
- Calories: 160
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 90mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 25mg
