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Festive, colorful and fun to prepare, Christmas cake bites are a cheerful twist on classic cake pops. These little treats start with crumbled cake mixed with frosting, then shaped in molds before being coated in smooth melted candy. A touch of shortening gives the coating a glossy finish while seasonal colors make them pop on any holiday table. Each bite is soft inside, crisp outside and full of holiday spirit. They’re easy enough for beginners and still look polished and party ready.
These Christmas cake bites are made with cake mix, frosting and candy melts. They’re a lot of fun to make, festive and simple to decorate with bright seasonal colors.
If you enjoy this delicious recipe, also try fall cake bites, Christmas marshmallow pops, Santa hat cupcakes and Biscoff reindeer Linzer cookies.
Why You’ll Love It
Holiday spirit: Red and green candy melts give a seasonal look to your cake ball bites.
Easy prep: Cake mix and frosting make the base simple and these are so much fun to make.
Customizable: Switch flavors or decorations to fit your style.
Kid-friendly: Fun to shape, dip and decorate together.
Christmas Cake Pop Bites Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
White cake mix: Bakes into a light base for the cake bites.
Vanilla frosting: Canned frosting binds the crumbled cake into a dough-like texture.
Candy melts: Provide colorful outer shells in red and green.
Shortening: Makes melted candy smoother and shinier.
How to Make Christmas Cake Pops
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Bake the cake: Prepare according to package directions and let cool.
Crumble: Pulse cooled cake in a food processor until fine.
Mix: Blend in frosting until the mixture forms a dough.
Shape: Press dough into holiday molds and chill briefly to firm.
Melt coating: Melt candy melts and stir in shortening.
Prepare bags: Fill a piping bag with the melted coating.
Coat molds: Pipe a thin layer into molds and chill until set.
Assemble: Place cake bites inside the chocolate shells, then top with more coating.
Finish: Attach chocolate toppers and decorate with extra melted red or green.
Substitutions and Variations
Gluten-free option: Use a gluten-free cake mix and frosting.
Flavor change: You can use any cake mix. This Duncan Hines spice cake would be good or you could try dark chocolate cake with chocolate frosting or vanilla cream cheese icing.
Color swap: Use melted milk chocolate for the toppings or try gold, silver or blue candy melts for a different theme, or even white chocolate with a little peppermint extract. You can really get creative with these!
Different frosting: A cream cheese frosting would be good.
Toppers: Add a melted chocolate drizzle, colored sprinkles or edible glitter for more flair.
Serving Suggestions
With a hot drink: Enjoy a Grinch green hot chocolate or boozy salted peanut butter hot chocolate with your Christmas cake balls. This pumpkin spice latte is another sound choice.
With a festive cocktail: Santa hat rum cocktails are fun to make and serve.
With other festive bites: Present a Christmas tree charcuterie board or Christmas bugles with your Christmas cake pops.
How to Store Festive Cake Bites
Store: You can store them for up to 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container. If the dough feels dry, you can take off the chocolate topper and remix the dough in the food processor again with a little bit of icing.
Freeze: This isn’t suitable for freezing. The coating cracks and the texture becomes dry.
Top Tips
Chill before shaping: Cold dough is easier to mold and holds shape.
Add shortening: It keeps the candy coating glossy and smooth.
Tap out bubbles: Lightly tap the bowl to release air from melted candy.
Work in batches: Keep dough chilled while working so it doesn’t soften.
Decorate fast: Apply the chocolate toppers while the coating is still soft so they set firmly.
Christmas Cake Bites FAQs
Stir gently and tap the bowl on the counter to release bubbles.
It isn’t required but makes coating smoother and shinier. You can use coconut oil instead.
Christmas Cake Pop Bites Recipe
Christmas Cake Bites
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Box white cake mix, 15 ¼-Ounce, plus ingredients listed on the box
- ½ Cup vanilla frosting
- 2 Tablespoons shortening, melted, optional
- candy melts, green and red
Instructions
Bake the Cake
- Prepare cake as directed on the cake box
- Bake the cake.
- Let it cool completely
Prepare the Cake Ball Mix
- Add the cake to the food processor and crumble.
- Once the cake is crumbled, add the vanilla frosting and mix until dough forms.
Shape the Cake Mixture
- Press the dough into the mold filling it up halfway. You can put it in the freezer for 10 minutes to firm the dough before pushing it out if you like.
- Make the gingerbread man a little thicker to help decrease risk of it breaking when pushing the dough out.
- Repeat until all dough is used.
- Place the platter in the refrigerator while prepping the chocolate melts.
Melt the Candy Melt Icing
- Melt chocolate melts as directed on the package.
- Add in the melted shortening (if using) and mix until combined.
- The shortening will help the chocolate be smoother and give it a shine. You could swap it for coconut oil or leave it out if preferred.
- Prep a tall glass with an icing bag by pushing the icing bag into the glass and fold the bag over the rim of the glass.
- Pour the melted chocolate into the bag and then tie the bag to close.
- Cut the tip of the icing bag with scissors and then fill the molds with a thin layer of chocolate.
- Place the mold in the freezer for 10 minutes to set the chocolate faster.
Top the Cake Bites with the Toppers
- Take both the cake pop bites and the set chocolate and place them on the counter.
- Push the set chocolate out of the Christmas mold and repeat until you have enough chocolate to cover each cake pop bite.
- Reheat the chocolate if needed and then apply melted green or red chocolate onto the top of the cake pop bites and then apply the set chocolate on top to secure the chocolate to the cake pop bite.
- Repeat until all the cake pop bites are covered with a chocolate topper.
- Arrange on a platter and serve.
Notes
Add shortening: It keeps the candy coating glossy and smooth.
Tap out bubbles: Lightly tap the bowl to release air from melted candy.
Work in batches: Keep dough chilled while working so it doesn’t soften.
Decorate fast: Apply the chocolate toppers while the coating is still soft so they set firmly.
Nutrition
Christmas cake bites are a festive win for your dessert table this holiday season, combining the simplicity of cake mix with the charm of bright candy coatings. They’re festive, portable and perfect for sharing at gatherings or gifting. The base stays moist thanks to frosting while the candy shell adds crunch and shine. You can switch up the colors, toppings and flavors to suit your celebration, making them versatile as well as fun. With minimal effort, you’ll get treats that look and taste like a bakery specialty.
Other Recipes to Try
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
