chocolate cake balls

cake balls/coloured sprinkles

Move over candy sushi, there’s a new kid in town! Meet cake balls. I’ve been eyeing these little babies from afar like a lovesick teenager and am finally taking the “crumbled-cake-add-frosting-make-balls-chill-and-dip-in-candy-coating plunge” – the stream of endless gatherings, (peaking in December), where we’re required to produce an edible offering – and being slightly crazed – has pushed me over the cake ball edge.

What to bring to potlucks, blowouts, seasonal soirées, neighbourhood gatherings, kids concerts, recitals & spectacles, family get-togethers, office orgies, perpetual picnics – will no longer be an issue when your party treat belt is packed with these bad boys. And the best part is they’ll be talking about your balls long after the last ball’s been pitched.  So with no further ado – I give you chocolate covered cake balls. And if you want it to be really simple, bypass the cake and get yourself a couple of dozen donut holes and get dipping – and if you put it on a stick, hello cake pops. I’ll get to that next go round.

click here to jump down to the chocolate cake balls recipe

1. Make a cake.

2. Cut the cake in quarters.

3. Rub 2 quarters over a large bowl to create crumbs.

4. Keep rubbing and breaking up larger pieces.

5. Drag a pastry cutter or fork back and forth over the cake to help break it down.

6. Until you have a bowl of uniform cake crumbs.

7. Open a container of store-bought frosting and make sure you only use 2/3-3/4 of the container. If you use all of it your balls will pay the price!

8. See? A little left for icing a few cookies or melt in the microwave and drizzle over ice cream.

9. Add the icing to the bowl of cake crumbs.

10. Using a spatula or the back of a spoon, stir to thoroughly mix – until the mixture comes together in a ball.

11. Line a baking pan with waxed paper.

12. And load it up with balls. Use a uniform measure like a small ice cream scoop or large melon baller or a tablespoon.

13. Cover and place in the freezer for 15-20 minutes to firm up.

14. Get your candy coating organized.

15. Put them in a microwave-safe container – a 2-cup measure works well.

16. Microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring between each zap to completely melt.

17. Gather your decorations.

18. Keep a supply of toothpicks nearby for making painless corrections – you’ll see.

19. Take the balls out of the freezer, take a few off the pan and put the rest in the fridge until you need them.

20. Place a ball in the melted coating.

21. And turn over to coat completely.

22. Place on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper.

23. Add sprinkles right away, before the coating hardens.

24. If you want a clean base, using a toothpick draw a line near the base and when it hardens it will pull away neatly.

25. Just like this.

26. Repeat with all the balls.

27. Allow the excess to drip off.

28. Place on the waxed paper.

29. Add sprinkles before the coating dries.

30. Any sprinkles look great.

31. See? Looking good …

32. Keep going until you have yourself some happening balls!

yield 48 balls

make the cake balls

bake a box cake mix in a 9-by-13-inch cake pan and let it cool completely – making it the day before is even better
cut the cake in quarters, take each quarter and split it in half rubbing the two pieces together over a large bowl to create crumbs – be sure to crumble larger pieces until the whole cake is a bowl of crumbs
add 2/3 to 3/4 of 16 ozs. container of ready-made frosting and mix it into the cake crumbs using the back of a large spoon or spatula until thoroughly mixed – even though it is tempting, do not use all the frosting, the cake balls will be too moist
cover a baking sheet with waxed paper and using a small ice cream scoop, measure enough cake mixture to roll into 1.5“ round balls
roll the mixture between your palms until you have a nice round ball and place it on the waxed paper on the baking pan
repeat until you’ve used all the cake and frosting mixture – about 48 balls later
cover in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 15-20 minutes

prepare the candy coating

place 32 ozs. of candy coating, white or dark chocolate in a deep 2-cup glass measure and microwave in 10-15 second intervals until melted, stirring between each zap – melt enough for a few balls at a time – 8-12 ozs.
take a few cake balls out of the freezer to work with and put the rest back in the refrigerator so they stay firm.
place one ball at a time into the bowl of melted chocolate or candy coating and using a spoon, drizzle the coating over any uncoated areas of the cake ball to make sure it is completely covered in candy coating.
lift out the cake ball with a spoon or fork, and avoid stirring it in the coating, because cake crumbs can break off into the coating.
allow excess coating to drip back into the bowl before transferring the coated cake ball to a wax paper–covered baking sheet to dry
add sprinkles right away while the coating is still wet, if not, they won’t stick
if some of the coating pools around the base of the ball onto the wax paper, use a toothpick to draw a line around the base of the ball before the coating hardens – once the coating has hardened, the cake ball will break away cleanly
repeat with the remaining cake balls
extra candy coating can be put it in a resealable plastic bag, snip off the corner and drizzle it over the tops in a zigzag motion to decorate
cake balls keep well – so make them ahead of time, store them in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for several days

cake ball making tips

wash and dry your hands periodically during the rolling process – the cake balls will be easier to roll.
make sure you dry your hands thoroughly each time – you don’t want to add any moisture to the cake mixture
don’t get water in the candy coating or melted chocolate – it can may it unusable
use a mini ice cream scoop to get uniform-size cake balls
if you don’t want to make 48 cake balls, divide the cake in half for 24 cake balls or in quarters for 12 and freeze the remaining cake for another time – remember to adjust the amount of frosting accordingly