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Valentine’s Day is the perfect excuse to whip up something sweet, and these adorable love bug cake balls are just too cute to resist! With a rich, chocolatey center and a colorful candy coating, they’re as delicious as they are fun to make. Whether you’re surprising your sweetheart, treating the kids, or just indulging yourself (because you deserve it!), these cute little love bugs will bring a smile to anyone’s face. Decorated with candy melts, sprinkles, and googly eyes, they’re almost too cute to eat—almost!
Create the sweetest of memories this Valentine’s Day with delicious love bug cake balls. They’re so easy to make and are simply perfect for sharing with loved ones.
Looking for more sweet ideas? You might also like to make love bug cupcakes, red velvet sugar cookies, and strawberry cream Rice Krispie treats.
Why You’ll Love It
Easy to make: Using a boxed cake mix streamlines the recipe and adding the love bug decorations is also straightforward.
They’re so cute: This easy Valentine’s day treat is sure to bring a smile to anyone’s face!
Tasty flavors: Chocolate is the main flavor in this cake pop recipe, and then there’s a complementary vanilla flavor plus sprinkles and candies too.
Valentine’s Cake Balls Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Chocolate cake mix: Using a boxed chocolate cake mix is a simple and convenient way to create the base for the cake balls. Adding brown sugar enhances the flavor, making it more decadent and indulgent.
Chocolate frosting: This recipe uses store-bought frosting to bind the cake crumbs together. You can substitute your own chocolate buttercream frosting though.
Cream cheese: Adds a smooth, tangy flavor and improves the texture.
Mini pretzel sticks: Create fun, edible “antennae” for your charming little love bugs.
Red candy melts: These provide a glossy, sweet exterior. Red gives the classic “love bug” look. Substitute red candy melts with pink or purple for a fun twist.
Eyeball candies: Bring the love bugs to life!
Heart sprinkles: To add a cute nose and a Valentine’s Day theme.
How to Make Valentine Cake Balls
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Make and bake the cake: Follow the instructions on the boxed cake mix, adding some light brown sugar too, then bake as directed and cool completely.
Create the cake balls: Break the cake into crumbs and combine with the cream cheese, frosting and vanilla. Keep mixing until moldable, then shape into 1-inch balls and refrigerate.
Make the antennae: Break all the pretzel sticks in half. Melt some of the red candy melts and then dip the pretzel stick tips in there. Add a heart-shaped sprinkle to each one.
Coat the cake balls: Melt some more candy melts and then dip the cake balls into the mixture to cover. Add the pretzel antennae. Let the cake pops set on parchment paper or wax paper.
Add the eyes and noses: Use more melted candies to stick the edible eyeballs and sprinkles for the nose on each love bug. Let them set completely before serving.
Substitutions and Variations
Chocolate cake mix: Use any flavor of cake mix you want.
Vanilla extract: Prefer a different flavor? You can use another flavor extract for your Valentine’s Day cake pops.
Chocolate frosting: You can use readymade frosting to save time or make your own cream cheese frosting or any preferred frosting.
Candy melts: Use melted chocolate instead, perhaps white chocolate or semi-sweet.
Serving Suggestions
Appetizers: Enjoy these heart shaped potstickers or how about some chips with your favorite dips?
Main dishes: A romantic main course idea is this heart shaped pizza with a melon proscuitto salad.
Desserts: Finish your feast with these love bug cake balls and maybe passionfruit martinis!
How to Store Love Bug Cake Balls
Store: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Freeze: For make-ahead options, freeze undipped cake balls for up to 1 month.
Thaw: Defrost them before coating and decorating.
Top Tips
Candy dipping tool: Using a candy dipping tool is helpful (I use this set!) You can also use a skewer to dip the cake balls into the candy. Tap each dipped cake ball to remove any excess.
Reheat the candy melts: You may need to reheat your candy melts while dipping the cake balls. The melted candy will thicken as it cools. Be careful not to overheat.
Enlist the kids’ help! Let your children decorate the love bugs with sprinkles and candy eyes.
Use a cake pop stand: This is the best way to present your homemade cake pops (these are great!)
Valentine’s Cake Balls FAQs
If the melted candy mixture is too thick, add vegetable oil, a teaspoon at a time, to thin it. Stir to combine until you reach the desired consistency.
Pour the melted candy into a wide-mouth jar to make the dipping process more manageable.
Cute Love Bug Cake Balls Recipe
Love Bug Cake Balls
Equipment
- Baking Dish 9 x 13-Inch
- Skewers or Candy Dipping Tool
Ingredients
- 1 Box chocolate cake mix, 15 ¼-Ounce, plus ingredients listed on the box: eggs, oil and water
- 2 Tablespoons light brown sugar
- ½ Cup chocolate frosting, store-bought
- 4 Ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 Teaspoon vanilla extract, pure
- 20 to 25 mini pretzel sticks, cut in half
- 24 Ounces candy melts, red
- 80 to 90 candy eyes
- heart sprinkles, heart-shaped
- nonstick cooking spray, as needed
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to the temperature specified on the cake mix box. Prepare a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with parchment paper or cooking spray.
Prepare the Cake Mix:
- Prepare the chocolate cake mix according to the package instructions, adding 2 tablespoons of light brown sugar.
- Bake as directed, then allow the cake to cool completely on a wire rack.
- Once cooled, crumble the cake into fine crumbs in a large mixing bowl.
Make the Cake Balls:
- To the cake crumbs, add the cream cheese, chocolate frosting and vanilla extract.
- Use clean hands or a spatula to mix until the texture resembles moldable dough.
- Roll the mixture into 1-inch balls and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place the cake balls in the fridge and chill for 30 minutes.
Make and Add the Decorations:
- While the cake balls are chilling, assemble the “antenna” for your love bugs. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Break all the pretzel sticks in half.
- Melt ¼ cup of red candy melts in the microwave in 20-second increments until melted.
- Dip the tip of the pretzel stick in the melted red candy.
- Add a heart-shaped sprinkle to each pretzel stick and place them on the parchment-lined tray to dry. Set aside.
- Remove your chilled cake balls from the refrigerator. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the remaining red candy melts per the directions on the package.
- Dip each cake ball into the melted red candy coating, ensuring it is fully covered. Quickly press a half-piece pretzel stick into each side of the cake ball for “antennae.”
- Arrange the cake balls on parchment paper to set.
- Once the cake balls are set, you can add the eyes and noses of your love bugs.
- Reheat the remaining red candy melts and use it as glue to affix the edible eyeballs and sprinkles for the nose.
- Allow the candy coating to set completely before serving.
Notes
Reheat the candy melts: You may need to reheat your candy melts while dipping the cake balls. The melted candy will thicken as it cools. Be careful not to overheat.
Enlist the kids’ help! Let your children decorate the love bugs with sprinkles and candy eyes.
Use a cake pop stand: This is the best way to present your homemade cake pops.
Nutrition
These love bug cake balls are adorable and a perfect treat for Valentine’s Day. They easy to prepare and so tasty. Making cake pops is a fun Valentine’s Day activity and using a boxed mix for the cake really streamlines the recipe. So, if you want to impress your significant other this Valentine’s Day, grab some cake mixture and the other ingredients and whip up these charming Valentine’s Day cake balls!
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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.