Birthday Cake Bites

No need to bake a cake for these birthday bites. This is the kind you roll in your hands, dip into cacao butter, chocolate, sprinkles, or chopped nuts, or all of the aforementioned. They set in the refrigerator or freezer for a bit and then they're ready to grab and go.

You'll use just a few simple ingredients, and mix them together in a bowl to form a dough. I use cashew butter because it tastes like vanilla cake in this recipe, however feel free to use another nut or seed butter. For the flour, I use almond flour but you can also use coconut flour, cashew flour, or other nut or seed flour. Note that the measurement for coconut flour is different than using almond flour.

Let's talk toppings. I recommend leaving the dough in the freezer for about an hour to make it easier to form balls or bites. Because the dough is somewhat soft, the toppings will stick directly to the bites. For a more decadent version, dip them in melted cacao butter, coconut oil, or chocolate before adding the toppings. I use a toothpick to hold each bite as I dip it into the cacao and then topping (see the video in the recipe).

I found two brands of sprinkles made with natural dyes: India Tree and Sweetapolita, which I used in the photos. Beware that they both use sugar, so they're not suitable for sugar-free diets, and India Tree also uses corn starch.

For sugar-free folks, you have options. You can top them with freeze-dried fruit, or crushed nuts or seeds, or all of them. I like toasting cashews and then crushing them in a mortar and pestle for a mixture of small and large nut crumbs to roll the bites in. Hope you enjoy these and if it's your day, happy birthday!