Easy Red Velvet Cake Bites

If you ask me, red velvet cake bites are a genius way to enjoy dessert.

These bite-sized treats take all the good stuff you love about classic red velvet cake and package it into perfect little portions. Rich cream cheese frosting meets soft cake crumbs, all wrapped up in a simple chocolate coating.

I started making these for my kids’ bake sales, but now they’ve become my go-to party dessert. There’s something about that familiar red velvet flavor that makes people smile, and the fact that they’re small means you can have just one (or maybe three).

They’re an easy dessert that looks fancy without much fuss – perfect for those times when you want something special but don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen.

What Kind of White Chocolate Should I Use?

For cake bites, you’ll want to use coating chocolate (also called candy melts or almond bark) rather than regular white chocolate chips or bars. Regular white chocolate can be tricky to melt and often seizes up, while coating chocolate is specifically designed to melt smoothly and create a nice shell when it hardens. You can find coating chocolate in the baking aisle of most grocery stores, usually sold in blocks or wafers. If you’re having trouble getting your coating chocolate thin enough to dip, try adding a teaspoon of coconut oil or shortening while melting – this will help create the perfect consistency for dipping your cake bites. Just make sure to avoid any contact with water while melting, as this will cause your chocolate to seize up.

Options for Substitutions

Need to make some swaps? Here are some helpful substitutions for this recipe:

• Red Velvet Cake Mix: While red velvet gives these bites their signature taste and color, you can use any cake mix flavor you like – chocolate, vanilla, or even strawberry work great. Just know the final color will be different!
• Vegetable oil: You can swap the vegetable oil with an equal amount of melted butter, canola oil, or applesauce (for a lower-fat option, though the texture might be slightly different).
• Cream cheese frosting: Store-bought vanilla frosting works in a pinch, or you can use chocolate frosting for a different twist. Just avoid whipped frosting as it’s too light for this recipe.
• White chocolate coating: You can use milk chocolate or dark chocolate coating instead. Regular chocolate chips won’t work as well since they don’t melt as smoothly – stick to candy coating or almond bark.
• Red candy melts: These are just for decoration, so feel free to skip them or use any other color candy melts, or even drizzle with contrasting chocolate for decoration.

Watch Out for These Mistakes While Baking

The biggest challenge when making cake bites is getting the right consistency in your cake-frosting mixture – adding too much frosting will make your bites too soft to work with, so start with just half the container and add more gradually until you reach a play-dough-like texture.

Temperature control is crucial when working with chocolate coating – overheating the chocolate can make it seize up and become grainy, so heat it in 30-second intervals in the microwave, stirring between each round until just melted.

Keep your cake bites small (about 1-inch balls) because larger ones are more likely to fall apart when dipping, and make sure they’re thoroughly chilled before coating – at least 2 hours in the fridge or 30 minutes in the freezer will help them hold together.

For the smoothest coating possible, let any excess chocolate drip off completely before placing your cake bites on parchment paper, and tap your wrist (not the fork) gently to help the coating settle evenly.

What to Serve With Red Velvet Cake Bites?

These sweet little cake bites are perfect for serving at parties or gatherings alongside some complementary beverages and treats. A hot cup of coffee or cold glass of milk makes the perfect drink pairing, helping to balance out the richness of the chocolate coating and cream cheese filling. For a party spread, I like to serve these alongside other bite-sized desserts like chocolate-covered strawberries or fresh fruit to provide different textures and flavors. If you’re hosting afternoon tea, these cake bites work really well on a dessert tray with some light cookies and mini cupcakes for a nice variety of sweet treats.

Storage Instructions

Keep Fresh: These red velvet cake bites stay fresh in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. I like to place them in a single layer, or if stacking is needed, put a piece of wax paper between layers to prevent them from sticking together.

Freeze: Want to make these ahead? You can freeze these little treats for up to 3 months! Just place them in a freezer-safe container with parchment paper between layers. They’re perfect for pulling out whenever unexpected guests drop by or when you need a quick sweet fix.

Serve: When you’re ready to enjoy frozen cake bites, just transfer them to the fridge overnight or let them sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. The chocolate coating might get a bit of condensation as it thaws, but the taste will be just as good. For the best texture, I recommend eating them slightly chilled rather than completely room temperature.

Preparation Time	30-45 minutes
Cooking Time	30-60 minutes
Total Time	60-105 minutes
Level of Difficulty	Medium

Estimated Nutrition

Estimated nutrition for the whole recipe (without optional ingredients):

• Calories: 3000-3200
• Protein: 30-40 g
• Fat: 150-160 g
• Carbohydrates: 400-450 g

Ingredients

• 1 box red velvet cake mix (15.25 ounces)
• 1 1/4 cups water (as stated on cake packaging)
• 3 eggs (as instructed on cake packaging)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil (as directed on cake packaging)
• 1 package cream cheese frosting (16 ounces or homemade version)
• 1 pound white chocolate coating or almond bark
• 15 red candy melts (optional for decorative red stripes)

Step 1: Bake and Cool the Cake

Prepare the cake according to the package instructions.

Once baked, allow it to cool completely.

For a quicker cooling process, place the cake in the freezer for about 45 minutes.

Alternatively, let it cool overnight to ensure it’s fully set.

Step 2: Crumble and Mix with Frosting

After the cake has cooled, place it in a bowl and crumble it thoroughly using your hands.

Add your container of frosting, incorporating about ½ cup at a time into the crumbled cake.

Mix until the combination reaches a consistency that holds together well for rolling into balls.

Step 3: Shape and Chill the Cake Bites

Roll the cake and frosting mixture into small balls of your desired size.

Keep in mind that these treats are rich, so smaller bites are usually preferred.

If you want them to look more like authentic cake bites, flatten them slightly into a disc shape.

Arrange the cake bites on a large baking sheet and refrigerate for about 30 minutes to help them firm up.

Step 4: Coat with White Chocolate

Melt white chocolate candy coating according to the package instructions.

Use a skewer to pick up each cake ball and dip it into the melted chocolate, rotating as needed to ensure even coverage.

Once coated, place the cake bite back onto a baking sheet or wax paper to set.

Step 5: Set the Coating and Decorate

Allow the chocolate to set.

For faster hardening, place the bites back in the fridge.

To add sprinkles, do so before the coating hardens.

If you plan to drizzle them with red candy melts, ensure the chocolate coating has completely set first.

Step 6: Drizzle with Candy Melts

Melt the red candy melts following the package directions.

Transfer the melted candy into a resealable sandwich bag, snipping a tiny corner of the bag to create a piping tool.

Use it to drizzle the candy melts delicately over each bite for a decorative finish.