Because I apparently have nothing better to do, I’ve been trying to perfect making cake bites (formally known as “cake balls”). I admit, I have been a little obsessed.

The original cake bites recipes instructs:

1) make a cake
2) crumble it up and mix it with frosting
3) form into mini-balls and chill
4) dip in melted chocolate
5) eat!

I feel like the cake bites I made, following this recipe, with red velvet cake and cream cheese frosting turned out too goopy and too sweet. So I set out to find something I liked better.

I read comments online by other people who made a cake and didn’t use any binder (i.e., frosting) at all. Their cake was moist enough to form into balls and dip. But I was still interested in adding some additional flavor to the cake mix. Whatever binder you use becomes a major flavor enhancer.

I bought a professional cake bite from a local bakery (one tiny cake bite for A DOLLAR!) and thought about its texture and flavor, and then I tried to make mine a little closer to it.

I ended up making another red velvet cake (from a mix), and this time instead of mixing it with cream cheese frosting, I mixed it with melted dipping chocolate. Maybe about 9 oz. or so. The chocolate flavor was terrific in the cake, but I thought the texture was still too moist and goopy.

So then I added some flour and cocoa (tiny bit), and maybe a smidge of powdered sugar, to firm it up some. I think the result is much better!

The cake bites have strong chocolate undertones and, while still moist, aren’t sticky or overly sweet. I dipped them in vanilla-flavored Guittard chocolate. The red velvet cake bites freeze really well, which makes them stay on a sucker stick really well. So I made some of them into cake pops.

I have to say, the one problem I still have with the red velvet cake bites is that sometimes the filling oozes out from the chocolate shell. Not sure how to fix that yet.

I also tried a new filling by taking a chocolate cake mix and, instead of baking the cake, mixing the dry cake mix with 8 oz. cream cheese (1/3 less fat), Nutella (we had a little left that was getting old), and some water (to get it moist). It tastes kind of like those cream cheese cookies you make with cake mix, if you’ve ever had those. These turned out great as cake bites. I think, anyway. I’m basing this on John’s opinion, as I only dipped a couple tonight and then left for an hour, and when I came back, both were missing. John said they were good, though.

I will be sending these home to my folks this week for Christmas. (Surprise ruined! Act surprised when you open the box, Mom.) Pictured here are brownie bites dipped in peanut butter candy melt and vanilla flavored dipping chocolate (green colored). The cake pop is red velvet cake dipped in the vanilla chocolate.