Red Velvet & Chocolate Mocha Cake Balls!
My sister and I decided to spend last Sunday making cake balls. It was our first time making these little bite sized cakes, and we both spent ample time on the web (especially Bakerella’s blog) trying to perfect the art of the perfect cake ball. We took a ton of photos, so I’ll go through the process step by step.
Before I begin, let me explain that many recipes call for boxed cake mix and canned frosting. Jackie and I decided to be overachievers that day and not only made two different flavors, but also made our own cake and homemade frosting. Unless you’re feeling extremely ambitious, just use the boxed cake mix and frosting, it really just makes life a lot easier. Our balls took on a moister texture than they probably should have been, making them difficult to coat with chocolate. They came out so delicious though, I really can’t complain!!
First things first: Although I forgot to take a picture of our chocolate cake (sorry!), make your cake batter and pour it into a flat baking pan (we a used 13 x 9). We decided on chocolate cake with mocha frosting and red velvet with cream cheese frosting.
While your cake is in the oven, get started on your frosting. Unlike actual cake, cake balls require you to mix the frosting right into the cake, which give it that really moist inside.
After you take your cake out of the oven and let it cool for at least 30 minutes (I find it very important the cake cools before you crumble and mix it with the frosting. A warm cake makes the icing get kind of liquidy, which isn’t the best for rolling the balls), crumble the cake with your hands like so:
Then, add the frosting to the crumbles…
…and with your hands, or a stand mixer, mix the frosting into the cake so it’s a giant yummy, gooey mess.
At this point, stick the whole bowl into the fridge and let the cake mixture chill. Chilling it helps the balls stay firm and makes them less likely to fall apart when dipping them in the candy coating later. While that was chilling, I played with Eva the diva… Ain’t she cute?!
So back to business. Take the chilled mixture out and start rolling those balls! One recipe makes about 50 balls, so be ready to get your hands dirty.
When you’re done rolling all your cake into little balls, I suggest sticking them back in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, this way, when you dip them they don’t have the tendency to fall apart….. like ours. This was the trickiest part for Jackie and I. We checked out Pioneer Woman’s post with Bakerella herself showing how to perfectly ‘tap off’ the excess coating, but she makes it look far easier than it actually is. I’m convinced this whole cake-ball-making thing is an art skill that needs practice to be perfected. But hey, that’s just me!
In the end, we came out with what Jackie now calls, “cake bites.” They weren’t all perfect little spheres but they came out tasting heavenly.The candy coating gave it that crunch and when you bite it, the middle was so moist it nearly melted in your mouth.
Have any tips, tricks, or questions about these bite sized treats? Share them with me!