Monday, March 2, 2009

The Cake Ball Pop



What in the heck is a Cake Ball??


That was my initial thought upon hearing about these cute little cake "bites". I needed to know the name of the genius who invented them because they are nothing short of BRILLIANT! I had to know. So I went on an extensive internet search and came up with .......absolutely nothing. Can you believe it?? No names, no secret recipe, no cake ball archives, no culinary history. Nothing. Not one person claims to be the first to come up with these mouthwatering little beauties.



Amazing.


The internet baking world is inundated with these sweet little treats in all flavors and colors. In fact, there are a couple of websites solely dedicated to them......so where did they originate??? Apparently we are supposed to believe that these sweet little round confections have been in existence since the beginning of time. Do you think cavemen invented them right after they invented the wheel?? That would sort of make sense......okay, I'm being ridiculous. Who cares who invented them?? The important thing here is that I'm making them, and they are fantastic!!



Cake Balls are a snap to make. Like I've always said, if you can read you can cook. Just follow the directions and you will totally "Wow" your friends and family. The recipe is a simple one. I used a Duncan Hines Strawberry Cake mix, Devils Food Cake mix, two containers of instant frosting and a couple of bags of candy wafers. Following the directions on the box, I baked each of the cakes in a 9 x 13 pan for about 40-45 minutes in a 350 degree oven and let them cool completely.


When the cakes were cool, I turned them out of the pans. After placing all the cake pieces into a large bowl, I used my little Kitchen Aid hand mixer to break it up into tiny pieces.




I added about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the frosting and continued blending it together. For the Strawberry Cake I used Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting and the Devil's Food Cake I used Milk Chocolate Frosting.

Using a small melon ball scooper, I shaped the mixture into 1"balls. Each cake mix should yield between 40-50 of them. (That's a lot of Cake Balls!) After they were all formed, I placed them on a cookie sheet and popped them into the freezer for at least 4 hours. The Cake Balls are easier to dip and work with when they are frozen.






While the Cake Balls were "chillin" in the freezer, I melted the candy wafers (or bark candy) in a double boiler. If you don't have one......improvise, because I wouldn't advise melting the candy directly over heat. Either put the candy in a bowl over boiling water or use the microwave.


I feel it necessary to caution you here. Based on my past
experiences, d
on't get any water or condensation into the candy. Any trace of moisture will cause the candy to "seize" up. It has the same effect as adding water to flour. It becomes an unworkable and gooey MESS!



I've used several techniques for dipping these Cake Balls but have found one that works best for me. I worked in small batches, taking only about a dozen out of the freezer at a time. For this batch I decided to convert my Cake Balls into Cake Pops, so I used lollipop sticks to skew them. I placed the stick about halfway into a Cake Ball and held it over the melted candy in the pan. With the other hand I used a tablespoon to evenly coat each one, I constantly turned the Cake Ball to keep the drips drying evenly. As soon as the candy stopped dripping, I placed the stick into a styrofoam pad to keep it upright while they finished drying. And then because they were so pretty to look at.......I just had to take some pictures....


and a teeny bite.....


Wait!!!! I almost forgot to mention that you can roll the Cake Balls in different toppings too. I found that it was best to do this in the 2.5 seconds between coating the Cake Ball and standing it up to dry. You will find that if you roll it too soon, the mixture will clump up in the candy coating and slide off. If you wait too long to roll, nothing will stick to the Cake Ball.

But if you are lucky, you will hit it just right!


You can use so many different toppings too....chopped nuts, chocolate jimmies, non-pareils, white coconut and toasted coconut just to name a few. How many different ones can you come up with?


I love the fact that you can use any cake/frosting combination with these. There are no rules. Lemon cake, lemon frosting and chocolate coating....Carrot cake, cream cheese frosting and vanilla coating...Pumpkin cake, cream cheese frosting and cinnamon vanilla coating. I even read about using crushed up Nutter Butter cookies, cream cheese frosting and chocolate coating to make Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls.


Gulp.


You can store your Cake Ball Pops in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. Keep in mind if you store them in the fridge, you may have condensation issues when you remove them. Trust me....they will stay fresh for up to about 7 days if you hide them in a nice cool corner of your kitchen (yeah, good luck with that). Maybe I should add "under the watchful eye of a sentry".....

Although I am a die-hard fan of chocolate cake, I have to say that the strawberry cake I used for this batch
of Cake Balls is such a beautiful rosy-pink color, isn't it? Oh...........and they tasted great too!




You're still sitting there reading this??




Why haven't you started your Cake Balls yet?









25 comments:

Minka said...

This one I'll have to try!! Thanks! :)

Minka said...

Looks great! I'll have to try it. Thanks!

Lynette said...

Love the cake balls! You have an awesome blog.

EDNurseasauras said...

Great! Think I'll make some right now! Love the pictures!

Anonymous said...

OMG!! Is right! I can't believe this... first Jen (amazingtrips), then Lisa (advent and other finnell adventures) and now you!! What is this world coming to??? Simply sweeter. Great name. Good blog! Looking forward to more...ARE YOU SENDING SAMPLES?? I think we need samples. Keep teeth out of it though! ;-)

(I have to admit Jen's had me thinking about jumping on the bandwagon too!) Love, Marg.

Lisa said...

LOVE,LOVE,LOVE THIS BLOG!!

I love your pictures. They are beautiful....

The ball cakes looks like something Kathryn and I will have to play with one day.

It was so cool seeing my mothers handwriting and thinking.... Hey, what's that?

The purse cake is just amazing!!! I can't wait to try the mug cake! The cup cakes are something I will have to try for Kathryn's 12th birthday......

YAY!! Chocolate!!!

BUT! You didn't tell us how Emily was??? You know sometimes we just fall in love with our pets and they become part of us........I really hope she is better.

Can't wait until we get more from SIMPLYSWEETER!

Remember the peanut butter/kiss cookies you hid in Bill's room that time?? That is a funny story!

Love,

Anne said...

Yes...I have already "written" the Peanut Butter Kiss Cookie story and dedicated it to Bill. But that's for another time. Emily is much better, thanks for asking. The Vet says she's just getting older....like me I guess. We're both just slowing down a little. LOL

The Amazing Trips said...

I'm glad to hear Emily is doing better.

And this post is hilarious. OMG is right. But I've got so much happening - I think it would be best if you just come out to California and make some of these for us?? We'll give you room & board in exchange. M'k?

So... you'll have to tune in to my cancer crusader contest this coming Friday. It's the biggest one yet and I have a feeling it will be RIGHT up your alley, Oh Simply Sweeter bloggess... :)

The Amazing Trips said...

FOR REAL > my comment modification just now was DESSERT. Bwahahahahaha!!!!

Anonymous said...

Anne this is awesome! It's very late but I had to ready everything! Well done. I want a strawberry cake ball. I need to go see what I can conjur up in the kitchen now to satisfy my craving! Bet I find nothing but some chocolate chips- perhaps with a little skippy anyone?

Ta Ta,

Holly

EDNurseasauras said...

OMG indeed!
Told you I would scarf down that cakeball before I left the parking lot, but it was so sinfully delish I savored it for a good 1/2 mile! I would like to order about 300 of them. Amazing!

Anonymous said...

OH COME ON...ANOTHER BLOG TO GET ADDICTED TO?

AND THIS ADDICTION ISN'T GONNA BE GOOD FOR MY FIGURE!!! I'VE SAMPLED YOUR DELECTIBLE SWEETS AND NOW YOU FORCE ME TO DROOL OVER YOUR PICTURES. YOUR CONFECTIONS LOOK OUT OF THIS WORLD.

FUN STUFF! NICE BLOG!

SEE YOU SOON AND DON'T FORGET THE CUPCAKES!!
~REGINA

Anonymous said...

Hello there Birthday Buddy,

It is true, we all do love CHOCOLATE. I do not, however share the passion for baking, perhaps because my mother was more apt to improvise than perfect. {You know, if you don't have sugar use maple/karo syrup.} It did not always have the same effect.

Anyway, I will happily taste test anything you care to send in my direction. Everything looks fantastic.

Love your little Chunk of the world.

Peg O.

Anonymous said...

These cake balls are awesome! Can't wait to give it a try. Thanks for sharing all those tips and yummy photos. I love your blog already!!

Anonymous said...

OMG This blog is awesome. After I finished reading, I felt like writing and begging for more. We always knew you were talented but never dreamed you were so multi-talented. There isn't anything you don't excel at. Looking forward to tasting some of these delectable treats. The pictures and layout are terrific. Send samples soon so that I can have another cup of coffee and read your blog. Love it, Love it!

Anonymous said...

Love your profile picture. You look like you should be the star of your own TV show. Or maybe a reality show? Well whatever it is, you will certainly be tops at it. Look forward to more blogging...can't wait for the next chapter...

Alicia said...

these cake balls sound like a such a cute idea and soooo yummy!!!
what could i use to make a vanilla coating instead of a candy coating?
i am def going to try these!! thanks for the great idea. :-)

Anne said...

Hi Pink Lady! They sell candy wafers in almost every color. You can get them in white with vanilla flavoring as well.

annie w. said...

Seriously? you've never seen Bakerella's site?
http://bakerella.blogspot.com/

cakeballs, pops, cupcake pops, xmas trees, reindeer, turkeys, hello kitty...
check it out.

Anne said...

Hi Annie W.!
Yes, I have seen Bakerella's site...many times. Like thousands of others, I am a devoted follower. Isn't she fabulous??

Carry Grace said...

I love cake balls. I have made them before,but they weren't pretty. I'm so glad you gave the tip about putting them in the freezer first. I will give them another shot.

Anonymous said...

The Lady who came up with these delicious treats is a lady Named Jeri Kopecky. Despite their recent popularity surge, she has been making them for about 15-20 years. She owns the Cake Carousel in Dallas, Texas.

Anonymous said...

I had the same idea! I'm waiting now for my cake to cool, so I thought I look on the internet to see how someone else did with the lollipop stick. I came across your recipe and I was glad I did. You have some great tips that I never thought of. I can't wait to get them made. I'm making them for a friend for her birthday, (she loves, loves, loves them). Thanks again for tips. cj

Anonymous said...

I know them by another name: Cake Pop. Either way, yummy!

Nancy said...

I have been making hundreds of these for my wedding. Have u ever tried to freeze these? And if so did it work ok?? Flavours I have tried are. Almond cake white choc and coated in crushed almonds (my fave!!) choc orange, choc mint, choc hazelnut coated it crushed hazelnuts (also yummy!) and coconut cake coated in white choc and coconut!! Yummmmm