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    Home » Recipes » Meal Prep

    Easy Birthday Cake Protein Balls

    Published: Aug 16, 2022 · Modified: May 3, 2024 by Nicole Addison · This post may contain affiliate links · 17 Comments

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    These easy birthday cake protein balls are super easy to make, are plant-based, gluten free and require no baking! Plus their packed with protein and taste exactly like your favourite cake batter.

    The background

    Is there anything better than a slice of birthday cake? I think not. When I was a kid I used to sit next to my mom every single year while she was making my birthday cake just so I could taste the batter. As an adult, I still think the absolute best part of my birthday is picking out what flavour cake I want.

    Which is why I knew I needed to find a way to enjoy birthday cake every single day. These cake batter protein balls are the perfect balanced snack. Their packed with protein, healthy fat, naturally sweetened and taste just like the classic 'confetti cake mix' we all grew up eating on our birthday. These are great protein balls for kids because their not only loaded with nutrients, but also look tasty, and appetizing with colourful sprinkles!

    Now you can feel like it's your birthday every single day!

    Ingredients needed for Birthday Cake Protein Balls

    This recipe is SO easy that now doesn't have to be your birthday to enjoy these no bake birthday cake energy balls!

    One thing to note is that although many of my protein ball recipes are customizable these have slightly less substitutions just because the birthday cake flavour is hard to mimic!

    Protein powder- You can't have birthday cake protein balls without protein! Vanilla protein powder or birthday cake protein powder both work perfectly here. I wouldn't recommend substituting with a unflavored protein or collagen as the extra flavour and sweetness is needed in these!

    this is my personal favourite vegan protein powder, I've been using it for years in all my recipes and find it has the least 'protein powder' taste and texture!- use the code NOURISHEDBYNIC to get 15% off your order!

    Almond extract- DO NOT SKIP THIS! I know it seems like such a small amount that it should be easy to just leave out but I promise it's important. Almond extract provides the 'birthday cake' flavour to these birthday cake energy balls. If you leave it out these will just taste like vanilla (which isn't bad but isn't birthday cake)!

    Vanilla extract- Artificial or natural vanilla extract works! I personally like using natural vanilla extract in anything I'm not baking as I find the flavour a little stronger, however either works great!

    Cashew butter- Once again sadly, I wouldn't recommend substituting this! Cashew butter has the least nutty flavour of any nut or seed butter I've tried. I have tried these with both peanut butter and almond butter and although they both do work they taste slightly more nutty and have less of a birthday cake flavour. If you really need a substitute almond butter works better than peanut butter!

    Oat flour- Oat or almond flour both work here! I typically use oat flour as it's cheaper, and super easy to either buy or make yourself at home (just blend up oats in a high powered blender or food processor). If you decide to use almond flour you will need a little bit more as it is less dense than oat flour.

    Note- if you are gluten free make sure you use either almond flour or gluten free oats!

    Sprinkles- Any sprinkles will work! I personally find the solid sprinkles work better than the crystallized ones as the colour tends to run less. Amazon has these naturally coloured sprinkles free of dye as well!

    Honey- I know honey isn't vegan BUT it is plant based. I have tested these cake protein balls with maple syrup as well and although it does work I would still recommend honey for a sweeter flavour!

    How to make cake batter protein balls:

    I love a good easy recipe that is packed with nutrients and this recipe fits both of those categories!

    To make these birthday cake protein balls all you need is a large bowl, a plate or baking tray and your ingredients (see above).

    Step 1: Add all of your ingredients to your large bowl. If you are making these protein balls for kids get them involved in this step! They can help you measure and mix all of the ingredients. When kids get involved in the kitchen their more likely to get excited about trying new things... so this is a great place to start!

    Step 2: Once your 'cake batter' is mixed together scoop out about two tablespoons at a time, using your hands to round the mixture into a ball. Place the protein balls on your plate or cookie sheet.

    Another option is turning these into birthday cake protein bars by pressing them into a parchment paper lined rectangle baking dish and slicing them into bars!

    That's it! Honestly these are so simple I'm not even sure I can qualify it as a recipe!

    birthday cake protein balls

    Other no bake high protein options:

    I love a good no bake snack option (especially one packed with protein to help keep me full and satisfied). These are some of my favourite sweet options:

    • snickers protein balls
    • smores no bake protein bars
    • chickpea cookie dough
    • cheesecake high protein dip

    PS. I love seeing my recipes in action! If you decided to make these no bake birthday cake protein balls don't forget to tag me on Instagram- @nourishedbynic or leave a comment below!

    📖 Recipe

    birthday cake protein balls
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    4.72 from 7 votes

    Birthday Cake Protein Balls

    Prep Time10 minutes mins
    Total Time10 minutes mins
    Course: Snack
    Servings: 10 protein balls

    Ingredients 

    • ½ cup cashew butter see notes
    • 3 tablespoon honey
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ¼ tsp almond extract
    • ⅓ cup vanilla protein
    • ¼ cup oat flour
    • 2 tablespoon sprinkles

    Instructions

    • In a large bowl, combine all ingredients.
    • Use your hands to roll the mixture into 10 equal sized protein balls (grabbing about 2 tablespoon of mixture per ball).
    • Store in the fridge for an easy grab and go snack.

    Notes

    *I have included an estimation of the nutrition information for this recipe below. However, always remember a recipe is so much more than just nutritional content and these numbers do not need to dictate your food choices. Please don't forget that both your body and soul need nourishment! The owner of this website is not liable for this estimation.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1protein ball | Calories: 130kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 12mg | Potassium: 100mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin C: 0.03mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1mg
    Did you know....rating and sharing recipes is one of the best ways you can support your favourite food bloggers? If you make this recipe, I would love if you clicked the stars below to leave a rating and/or sharing a photo on social media by tagging @nourishedbynic or using the hashtag #nourishedbynic!

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Nina says

      July 15, 2024 at 5:26 pm

      I made these a while ago and can’t remember did you add water or milk to mix them cuz for the most part there is no liquid and mainly dry mix

      Reply
      • Nicole Addison says

        July 15, 2024 at 6:52 pm

        Hi Nina! No I did not! Typically the honey and peanut butter work as the moist ingredients to bind everything together in this recipe. If you are really having a hard time holding them together you can add 1 tbsp of water!

        Reply
        • Nina says

          July 17, 2024 at 6:20 pm

          lol I feel like I asked a few yrs ago too when I first stumbled upon recipie did you warm your honey as well I noticed in your picture yours looked like it filled the bowl more mine was pretty thick so that could be why it was not enough liquid

          Reply
          • Nicole Addison says

            July 17, 2024 at 8:04 pm

            I did not warm the honey however I find sometimes if you have had your honey in the cupboard for a while it will begin to thicken as it crystallizes!

            Reply
    2. Rachel Loeschen says

      July 03, 2024 at 3:37 pm

      5 stars
      My kids and I love these and are equally excited when these are prepped and available on busy days. Such a great quick way to get some added protein and the flavor is so fun!

      Reply
    3. Christina says

      May 31, 2024 at 7:21 pm

      5 stars
      My teenager has been making these delicious birthday cake balls as her breakfast meal prep for the week. She loves them and they fill her up til lunchtime! I recommend doubling the recipe for extra snacks throughout the week.

      Reply
    4. Jill says

      May 02, 2024 at 10:19 pm

      3 stars
      I might have to tweak this recipe somehow. I found them to be too sweet. I also failed to see that there was only 5g of protein but that’s on me. I couldn’t figure out how to divide them into equal balls so I just put them whole thing in a container and will munch on it when hungry or add a spoonful to yogurt.

      Reply
      • Nicole Addison says

        May 03, 2024 at 1:43 am

        Hi Jill, I'm sorry you found this recipe too sweet! I find the type of protein powder you use can greatly effect the taste as some are much sweeter than others. For a small energy ball 5g of protein is a very good amount, for a great satisfying snack you can grab two balls for a total of 10g of protein! The balls can be divided just by using your hands! I find grabbing about 2 tbsp per ball and rolling between your hands is an effective way to do this.

        Reply
    5. Frances says

      March 14, 2023 at 5:02 pm

      5 stars
      These were tasty! Instructions were super easy to follow. I like that it's a break from PB and chocolate chips!

      Reply
      • Nicole Addison says

        March 14, 2023 at 8:01 pm

        Hi Frances, I am so happy you enjoyed these!! Thank you for the review!

        Reply
      • Michelle says

        April 01, 2024 at 11:42 pm

        5 stars
        Delicious…so worth making!!

        Reply
    Newer Comments »
    Nicole Addison, RD

    Hi I'm Nicole!

    I’m a Registered Dietitian, recipe developer and content creator on a mission to help individuals rediscover the joys of cooking with easy, accessible, healthy recipes.

    On my page you'll find yummy recipes, wellness tips, and even some of my favourite travel and lifestyle recommendations!

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