This easy chocolate cake ball recipe will be your next favorite treat for when you’re craving something right now. Unlike cake pops, which need a finished cake product before you can make the cake pop, these bad boys take just a few minutes to make.
These chocolate cake balls are so decadent that they could be called chocolate cake truffles :drooling:
The best part?
The cake mixture isn’t even cake at all. It’s just plants and cacao powder.
I KNOW.
Jump ahead to the recipe if you’re ready, I’m going to pop some notes below on a few things I came across as I prepped this recipe in case you run into the same issues.
Preparation Notes
- I always use cacao powder in place of cocoa powder. Raw cacao gives it a super dark, bitter flavor plus a bunch of nutrients. Cocoa powder may just be raw cacao powder when you buy it, or it might be a mixture of sugar, evaporated milk, and other ingredients. Just check the ingredients list before buying.
- If you’d like to drizzle melted chocolate over the top, the easiest way is to grab an 80%+ dark chocolate bar and, uh, melt it. If you want to be raw about it, then you can combine coconut oil with cacao powder and maple syrup or agave until it resembles melted chocolate and drizzle over the top. I recommend doing this on a baking sheet with wax paper for easy clean up.
- If you’d like to have the chocolate coating like traditional cake pops, then you can dip the entire cake ball into the melted chocolate and set in the fridge to cool.
- You can also use white chocolate instead of dark chocolate, or any other kind of candy that would melt similarly. The possibilities are endless.
- You could probably swap out the chick peas for black beans, just taste as you go to get the flavor and consistency right.
Vegan No-Bake Chocolate Cake Balls (Gluten Free)
Equipment
Materials
- 1 can of canned or cooked chickpeas (1 can)
- 1 cup pitted medjool dates
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp vanilla essence
- 1 pinch sea salt
Optional
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp cacao powder
- 1 tbsp shredded coconut
- 1 tbsp chopped peanuts
- 1 tbsp melted chocolate
Instructions
- Place dates and chickpeas in a food processor. Pulse until they are chopped up into a rough paste.
- Roll balls in cocoa powder, shredded coconut, chopped nuts, sesame seeds and drizzle melted chocolate, if desired.
Notes
- Store balls in an airtight container in the refrigerator to firm and maintain freshness
What to try next
I really like this recipe because it’s healthy, high protein, and super easy to make. THAT BEING SAID. I still think it’s fun to have a real deal cake pop. The next time you have some leftover cake (I know, when is that?), then try giving cake pops a go. Tear the leftover cake to shreds with your hands until you have a nice, sticky cake crumb. Then smoosh it together and dip it into melted dark chocolate for a nice chocolate coating. Pop those bad boys into the fridge and you’ve got yourself authentic chocolate cake pops in a matter of minutes.
