I've been wanting to try my hand at making cake balls for the last year or so and during my Thanksgiving break, I decided it was finally time to do it. I had the time to devote to actually making them look nice and also extra motivation to do so as I had several events/dinners in which I was slated to bring a dessert. Now, I can make a mean cupcake, an amazing pumpkin loaf, and a ridiculous number of delicious pies and cookies; however, as fabulous as they may taste, they don't always look all that pretty.
So let's just say that while the cake balls I eventually served were gorgeous and delicious, they were a huge pain in the ass because I was so set on making them look a certain way (otherwise, they're super easy to make!). It took multiple batches and a lot of cursing before I finally ended up with enough decent-looking cake balls. I used a mold (similar to the ones found here), which greatly helped with the symmetry and shape; it took me a while to get the hang of the mold, but once I finally did, there was far less cursing and many more lovely cake balls.
The cake balls were a huge hit with everyone and I look forward to experimenting with some other flavor combinations... they just might not look as nice the next time, as I refuse to ever be so Type A crazy about cake again (and this is exactly why I could never be a pastry chef)! :-)
Chocolate Cake Balls
So let's just say that while the cake balls I eventually served were gorgeous and delicious, they were a huge pain in the ass because I was so set on making them look a certain way (otherwise, they're super easy to make!). It took multiple batches and a lot of cursing before I finally ended up with enough decent-looking cake balls. I used a mold (similar to the ones found here), which greatly helped with the symmetry and shape; it took me a while to get the hang of the mold, but once I finally did, there was far less cursing and many more lovely cake balls.
The cake balls were a huge hit with everyone and I look forward to experimenting with some other flavor combinations... they just might not look as nice the next time, as I refuse to ever be so Type A crazy about cake again (and this is exactly why I could never be a pastry chef)! :-)
Chocolate Cake Balls
INGREDIENTS
Chocolate cake: mix or from scratch
Cream cheese frosting: pre-made or from scratch
1-2 packages of chocolate coating bark or microwavable candy melts (milk, dark, and/or white)
Sprinkles for garnish (optional)
DIRECTIONS
1. If using a mix, bake cake according to the package; otherwise, make your favorite chocolate cake from scratch. I used Martha Stewart's Chocolate Cake for Cupcake Pops recipe (with King Arthur double dutch dark cocoa).
2. While cake is cooling, make cream cheese frosting (skip this step if you're using canned frosting). I used Martha Stewart's Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting recipe. I would highly recommend making your own frosting even if you use a cake mix. It took about 5 minutes total to make this frosting and it was soooo much better than the canned stuff!
3. After the cake has cooled completely, trim off edges and break up the cake into fine crumbs (you can use your hands or a mixer to break up the cake, but the following step is most easily done by hand!).
4. In a large bowl, combine cake crumbs with the cream cheese frosting. It's easier to mix the two by hand, but as Bakerella warned, it will get messy! Once mixed, it should have a doughy consistency - it should be moist enough to stick together and roll into balls, but not overly wet/tacky.
5. Roll dough into balls and place on a cookie sheet. You can do this by hand, but for consistency with size/shape, use a melon baller or mini ice cream scoop. If you want to get fancy, you can use a mold like I did (there are so many awesome ones available on Etsy!). For a larger batch (40-50), keep the balls around 1.5 inches in diameter. Mine were almost 3 inches (per the mold), so I got considerably less out of each batch (approximately 20).
6. Refrigerate for two hours or place in the freezer for 30-45 minutes (chill them all the way through, but don't freeze them).
7. Melt chocolate bark or candy melts in the microwave or on the stovetop (low heat in a double boiler). I'm not a huge fan of melting chocolate on the stovetop when I'm baking by myself (it's just so messy and way too easy to burn), so I melted Wilton Candy Melts in the microwave. I melted the chocolate in small batches so that I had enough time to coat each cake ball before the chocolate cooled. I also found that the chocolate was a bit too thick; after a quick google search for a remedy, I thinned it out with a few drops of vegetable oil.
8. Roll balls in chocolate & use the back of a spoon to smooth. Lay the cake balls on wax paper until firm. Repeat step 7 if you want to layer chocolate flavors (use a fork dipped in thick chocolate to create the lines). Store in a covered dish for up to a week or freeze (I froze mine & then thawed in the refrigerator for four hours before serving).
*modified recipe based on Bakerella's Red Velvet Cake Balls
Chocolate cake: mix or from scratch
Cream cheese frosting: pre-made or from scratch
1-2 packages of chocolate coating bark or microwavable candy melts (milk, dark, and/or white)
Sprinkles for garnish (optional)
DIRECTIONS
1. If using a mix, bake cake according to the package; otherwise, make your favorite chocolate cake from scratch. I used Martha Stewart's Chocolate Cake for Cupcake Pops recipe (with King Arthur double dutch dark cocoa).
2. While cake is cooling, make cream cheese frosting (skip this step if you're using canned frosting). I used Martha Stewart's Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting recipe. I would highly recommend making your own frosting even if you use a cake mix. It took about 5 minutes total to make this frosting and it was soooo much better than the canned stuff!
3. After the cake has cooled completely, trim off edges and break up the cake into fine crumbs (you can use your hands or a mixer to break up the cake, but the following step is most easily done by hand!).
4. In a large bowl, combine cake crumbs with the cream cheese frosting. It's easier to mix the two by hand, but as Bakerella warned, it will get messy! Once mixed, it should have a doughy consistency - it should be moist enough to stick together and roll into balls, but not overly wet/tacky.
5. Roll dough into balls and place on a cookie sheet. You can do this by hand, but for consistency with size/shape, use a melon baller or mini ice cream scoop. If you want to get fancy, you can use a mold like I did (there are so many awesome ones available on Etsy!). For a larger batch (40-50), keep the balls around 1.5 inches in diameter. Mine were almost 3 inches (per the mold), so I got considerably less out of each batch (approximately 20).
6. Refrigerate for two hours or place in the freezer for 30-45 minutes (chill them all the way through, but don't freeze them).
7. Melt chocolate bark or candy melts in the microwave or on the stovetop (low heat in a double boiler). I'm not a huge fan of melting chocolate on the stovetop when I'm baking by myself (it's just so messy and way too easy to burn), so I melted Wilton Candy Melts in the microwave. I melted the chocolate in small batches so that I had enough time to coat each cake ball before the chocolate cooled. I also found that the chocolate was a bit too thick; after a quick google search for a remedy, I thinned it out with a few drops of vegetable oil.
8. Roll balls in chocolate & use the back of a spoon to smooth. Lay the cake balls on wax paper until firm. Repeat step 7 if you want to layer chocolate flavors (use a fork dipped in thick chocolate to create the lines). Store in a covered dish for up to a week or freeze (I froze mine & then thawed in the refrigerator for four hours before serving).
*modified recipe based on Bakerella's Red Velvet Cake Balls
