No-Bake Vanilla Cake Bites

Was having a “I need something sweet/carb-y but fairly healthy NOW” moment. Oh-and GF/dairy free….MB to the rescue! All my dates had been made into caramel (dates pureed with bit of coconut milk and splash of vanilla). So switched recipe measurements to metric and used that amount of date caramel to sub for dates. It came together beautifully, dipped them in some DF melted choc chips-heaven! Craving satisfied, quick and easy! The rest are chillin’ in the freezer for future such moments! Thank you MB from the bottom of my heart! ;-)

Simple, easy, and not too sweet! I wanted a lightly sweet treat as a snack and had the most of the ingredients on hand, so I really appreciated the simplicity of this recipe! Think of them as that – a lightly sweet snack, not a sweet fluffy cake ball. The texture is denser than most cakes, but still great!

I didn’t have walnuts so I used whatever I had on hand – raw pecans and slivered almonds. I rolled a few in sprinkles, and will probably try dipping some in royal icing later to make them a little more decadent.

This recipe is wonderful! Just did a second time today and I gotta say it’s completely addictive! Just a quick troubleshooting: I ran into a problem as the dates I use are too dry, so the texture stayed as “wet sand” even after mixing all ingredients. The solution for this is adding 1tsp coconut oil and ~ 1tbs water. Thanks ;)

Loved these! Will definitely make again. I mixed in chocolate chips 🙂

I love this recipe! I’ve done it several times. My favorite variation of it was to make it with dried figs instead of dates (because I had some extra) and it turned out super delicious too!

I made these and they were so very yummy. I love not adding any sugar. I didn’t roll in coconut as I don’t like it much to my husband’s dismay. But hey what he doesn’t know want hurt him right? We are cyclist and I am always looking for small packable snacks. These will be perfect, well when all of this snow melts. Thanks!!

I love these! They were a little crumbly, but once warmed a bit in my hand and then refrigerated they held together. The coconut flakes didn’t really stick though. But they’re a favorite for me!

Can’t stop eating these! Great quick snack! Dangerously addictive lol thank you!

While I LOVE most everything I’ve made from minimalistbaker.com, I didn’t love these. I used all almond flour as the recipe says that’s ok (I don’t have coconut flour), but they just didn’t hold together very well….meaning they don’t hold their shape as well as other energy balls.
I did add some fresh orange zest to the last few, which was a nice add. Without that, the flavour was very mild. I might suggest a bit more vanilla extract? Or maybe even some dried cherries! Oooh!

Like others stated, this recipe resulted in dry crumbles for me. I made 3 different date ball recipes (from this site) in the same afternoon, using the same dates and this is the only one that had a consistency problem. I ended up adding an extra tsp of vanilla, then 1 TBSP of water so I could form balls. In the end, they tasted really good but we’re still a bit crumbly.

The mixture was too dry and crumble. Used the metric measurements. I had some trouble. I started off using a glass blender, the dates were too difficult for it to blend so it burnt out. I ordered a new one. I transferred it to the food processor which found it difficult too but handled well. I put it aside. I used ground almonds for almond flour, teff flour in place of the coconut flour. And carried on. But it kept getting finer but not stickier. I added more dates (not sure what to do) and although it looked better it still was really crumbly. We ate some of the mixture to try it and the rest I’ve pressed into 8×8 cake tin and into the freezer. (Didn’t no what else to do). I really wanted to try a vanilla version for a change as we always go with chocolate.

The cake bites turned out great. The recipe was easy to follow. Thanks

Grr. I screwed up BUT I’m still giving this a 5 star!!!

I used the ingredients as written. The flavor was phenomenal (seriously, I was spooning crumbs into my mouth) but my “dough” was too crumbly to form. I just did the No Bake Sugar Cookie and wanted to try these out as my son and I love dates and nuts.

I used “bleached” almond flour already in my pantry. Could that have been the problem?

Also, I ate a date before I put it in and thought it was moist, but maybe I should have soaked it like you suggested. Or I should have just went out and bought a new package.

Or maybe I didn’t mix the dates enough. It broke into pieces but did not form a ball.

To save the “dough” and so I don’t end up eating it with a spoon (yummm), I warmed up a heaping tablespoon of warm (Date Lady) date syrup in the microwave. It worked! I was able to form bites! And it was absolutely heaven.

I will definitely be making again with fresher dates, better almond flour, mixing dates longer… blah, blah, blah.

But thank you. Love, love, love your recipes. My family and I enjoy it very much.

These are very nice and tasty and easy to make. I found it a little hard to get the desiccated coconut to stick to the balls but its not a problem they still taste nice.

These were good but didn’t excite me like the chocolate cake ones on the blog (heaven), but I think that was more my own tastes/preferences because they definitely hit the vanilla cake spot. I was short on dates and ended up using roughly 2/3 dates and 1/3 sultana raisins, and it seemed to work well. My coconut wasn’t fine enough to stick to the balls but I see others have rolled these in hemp seeds so if I give them another go (jazzed up somehow, maybe with chocolate chips, or almond extract, or pumpkin pie spice) I’ll try that out.

These are delicious! My dough was not wet enough to become homogenous to scoop so added a dash of almond milk.

Pro-tip: don’t blend all the way and use the delicious crumble in various other ways 👀 ⬇️

The cake bites are DELICIOUS. It really does taste like vanilla cake, it blew my mind! I made one batch and it was gone so fast, I made another one basically right after. However I eyeballed the ingredients the second time around, and ended up putting too few dates so it didn’t come together as well. But instead, I crumbled the mixture on top of some puffed quinoa and ate it like a cereal with some hemp milk! Highly recommend. If using it as a cereal / crumble mix, consider putting shredded coconut and sliced almonds as opposed to their flour equivalent :)

Unfortunately these didn’t work for me :(
They came out tasteless and I guess since my food processor isn’t great, it didn’t mix well and it was too “flour-y” in the end.
I had to add coconut oil to be more moist and tried adding a bit of maple syrup and vanilla extract for taste, but still overall it was meh and not worth all the ingredients used in it :(
Too bad! I still prefer 100% more the cashew salted bites!

I just made these for the first ( definitely not last) time and they turned out great! So quick and easy to make. Love them. Would love to try and make them Christmasy next time ( by adding some spice). As they are I think they could work really well as marsipan if you want a plant based version of that.

I made these today and they came out perfect. I subbed walnuts for pecans because I did not have enough walnuts. Otherwise I followed the instructions as stated and they turned out delicious. I love all of your recipes so much. I always go to this site when I feel like trying something new. All of the recipes never disappoint.

Yum! I made these with oat flour and a mix of pecans and walnuts. I added a dash of almond extract and some warming chai spice. Delicious! Thank you for a great and forgiving recipe ❤

These turned out delicious! Very naturally sweet and perfect when you have a sweet tooth. I think you could do so many different flavor variations with this recipe!

These are amazing! They are dense, chewy, and perfectly sweet. They make a great grab and go snack to keep my husband and I fueled for workouts or a busy weekend running errands. They have become a staple in our house!

These are the BEST! My special birthday treat – they turned out even better than I had hope. Thank you!

The mix was very dry and did not hold together. However the flavor was great. I will make them again but add some moisture. Perhaps date paste?

These were great. I did substitute roasted cashews for the walnuts and omitted the sea salt. This is a nice treat.

Outstanding recipe Dana! I am new to gluten free cooking and came across this dessert. Thank you for not only an exceptionally delicious recipe but for a fabulous website. It is clear much thought and work went behind your website, it is beautifully designed and very easy to navigate. I also appreciate your minimalist style as most of us don’t have a tremendous amount of cooking time. I look forward to trying your other recipes!

Made these today. Subbed walnuts for cashews and added some lemon rind. Yummy!!!! These are so delicious. A wonderful healthy treat.

Thank you for another fantastic recipe!

Wow…what a simple, great recipe! I made this, using the almond flour as suggested in the recipe. I soaked my raw walnuts in very hot water for about 10 minutes, then rinsed thoroughly, to remove the enzyme coating on them that makes them difficult to digest (and gives you that funny tingly feeling in your mouth). Dry on a dishtowel for a few minutes, then 5 minutes in my air fryer, set on “dehydrate” mode. Followed the recipe exactly after that; rolled some of them in fine coconut, and the rest in carob powder. I froze them to take to a small get-together later in the day. They defrosted but stayed cool by the time we ate them…and holy cake ball…they were a huge hit! Everyone loved them! I am the only vegan in the group, so I like to take them tasty foods to try, to let them know that delicious food does not have to be sacrificed when eating a healthy diet!

I absolutely love these! I religiously made your date sweetened chocolate truffles, but was looking for something a little different. And I can say I will be adding another staple to my desert recipes. I subbed cashews for the walnuts and only used almond flour!

These were delicious! I made a double batch tonight after I made your best Whole roasted cauliflower with chimichurri sauce, mushroom quinoa, roasted Brussel sprouts. We love your recipes! Thank you!

hi! i love your site + make your recipes often. these cake bites, wow! they are amazing. i’ve already sent the recipe to several friends to try. thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe.

Obsessed with these cake bites! I’ve made them with walnuts and with cashews – both ways turn out delicious. I also love to add fresh lemon juice for a zesty fresh taste.

In the freezer. Second time making these. They are really good and healthy too. They were easy to make. Put a stick in it and coat with plant based chocolate or frosting for a healthy cake pop and fool the kids!