Basic Cake Glaze

• The most basic glaze for cake balls consists of confectioner's sugar mixed with whole milk or cream and a touch of pure vanilla extract for flavor. When making the glaze, go for a consistency that is thin enough that you can easily dip in the cake balls, but thick enough that it will give them a nice coating without all of it dripping off. A mixture of roughly 5 teaspoons of liquid, including the flavoring, to 2/3 cup of confectioner's sugar should give you the perfect consistency, but you may need to add more liquid than that.

Flavored Glaze

• Experiment with flavorings other than basic vanilla to put your own spin on your cake balls. Use freshly squeezed lime, lemon or orange juice, or a combination of all three, to create a citrus glaze. Use some of the fruit’s zest, which is just finely grated rind of the fruit, to give it an extra kick. Dried spices also work well as glaze flavoring. Combine cinnamon and vanilla for a rich cinnamon taste, or add some cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves, allspice and nutmeg for a gingerbread-style flavor.

Chocolate Glaze

• Heat chocolate chips or grated chocolate, confectioner's sugar, pure vanilla extract, heavy cream and unsalted butter together to create a rich glaze that chocoholics will love. If you prefer a more candy-like coating, simply melt chocolate with a bit of vegetable shortening to create a smooth glaze that will harden on the cake balls after dipping.

Added Toppings

• Before the glaze hardens on your cake balls, roll them in a crunchy coating to give them texture. If you're using a chocolate glaze, coat them with coconut, chopped peanuts or crushed toffee. A vanilla glaze pairs well with crushed hard candies, shots or chopped chocolate. For added visual interest, drizzle a glaze in a different color or flavor on top of your glazed cake balls.