Can you believe Halloween is almost here? We’re only about a month out, which means it’s time to solidify those Halloween party plans… and that means adorable desserts and spooky treats! These Spooky Ghost Cake Balls fit the bill. They’re easy to make, even if you’re the worst cake pop dipper ever (like me) and they can be customized in any flavor you’d like. Plus, these not-too-scary ghosts taste great and are perfect for everyone, from kids to adults.
Start making your cake balls by baking a cake according to package directions. You can make any cake you want– I made one blue velvet cake and one chocolate fudge cake, but you can choose any flavor or color you like, or tint a white cake mix to your liking. Once the cake is baked and cooled completely, you can crumble it into fine crumbs in a bowl.
Add a can of frosting to the cake crumbles; you might want to do this a spoonful at a time until you have a texture that can be shaped into balls. You don’t want it too moist, but it also needs to be easy to shape.
Freeze the shaped balls until firm; this will help the coating cool around them quickly, as well as making them less likely to fall apart during dipping. Once firm, dip the balls, then tap the extra coating off. It’s okay if the balls are slightly misshapen or uneven– since we’ll be covering them in fondant, it won’t be obvious that there are lumps. That’s one of the things I love about the ghost cake balls– there’s no need for expert effort. If you can get the balls to taste great and drape the fondant, you’re all set. It helps because I am the worst at getting evenly coated cake balls!
Now, here is where you could make your own fondant or marshmallow fondant, or you could use store-bought white fondant. I purchased mine. Start by working the fondant and kneading it until it’s soft and pliable. Roll it out very thin, then use a cookie cutter to cut a circle larger than your cake ball. You’ll want these circles to be large enough to drape over the top and sides of the cake ball. I cut the circles, then used my rolling pin to roll them out until they were slightly less even– perfect circles don’t drape quite as nicely as more oval shaped fondant cutouts.
Carefully drizzle the top of each cake ball with white chocolate, then drape the fondant over it, allowing it to stick to the chocolate. Try not to use your fingers too much because fondant gathers fingerprints easily– I like to either use gloves or a small piece of parchment to smooth out any fingerprints. Carefully add ruffles to the fondant so it drapes and gives it a little bit of shape to turn into a ghost.
Once the chocolate has had a chance to set, you can add some eyes using edible marker. I used blue, but black also works.
If you’d like, you can also attach bows to the ghost cake balls using melted white chocolate before serving.
Either way, you have to admit these ghost cake balls are super cute– AND super easy to make! They take no time at all to be impressive for a Halloween party, and they’re simple enough that your kids can make them, too! Add a stick, and you’ve got a spooky ghost cake pop to share!
What are your plans for Halloween? Tell me all about it in the comments below!
