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If you’ve followed this blog for any length of time, you probably know I’m very honest about my inability to make a pretty iced layer cake. I’ll attribute it to lack of training, or something like that. But my daughter (my baby) turned 23 this week and she needed birthday cake. I recently purchased a book titled “Cake Pops” written and created by one of my favorite bloggers, Bakerella. This was the opportunity I was waiting for – let’s make some cake balls!
You can make a homemade cake or use a mix. I went to the trusty box of Duncan Hines. My daughter Allie likes white or yellow cake so yellow cake it is. You will also need ready made frosting, and candy coating.
First bake the cake according to the box directions and cool. Crumble the cake in a large bowl.
Stir in 3/4 of the container of frosting, mixing well using the back of a large metal spoon. Make sure it is well mixed. Retain the remaining frosting for another use.
Roll the mixture into balls about 1 to 1 1/2 inch in size. Set them on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper and refrigerate until cold.
This candy coating comes in a rainbow of colors. Since this was my first time using candy coating, I went with simple white and chocolate colored coatings.
Using a small glass bowl. melt candy according to manufacturer directions. I microwaved the pieces for several 30 second intervals, stirring in between with a spoon.
Take out a few cake balls from the fridge and coat them one at a time.
Using a spoon cover the cake ball completely with the candy coating.
Scoop the cake ball onto the spoon tapping off the extra coating on the side of the bowl. Quickly slide the dipped ball onto a baking sheet lined with waxed paper. I tried a couple of different methods but finally went back to the instructions mentioned in the book. I found you have to work fast because the candy coating will set up in no time at all.
Once set you can decorate as desired. I used the chocolate coating and spelled out “Happy Birthday Allie” on individual cake balls. The remaining cake was decorated with squiggly lines and such.
Once I got the hang of it, these were really fun. You might think they’d be overly sweet but that was not the case. I was surprised at how much I liked them!
My daughter Allie and I talked about making some of the other fun projects in the Cake Pops Book. The book has great photos, ideas and pages and pages of how-to tips.
Since she no longer lives at home, I thought these would be easy to take with her and easy to share.
She said she loved them and the birthday was enjoyed by all!
Birthday Cake Balls
Course: Dessert
A fun project decorating cake balls.
Ingredients
- 1 sheet cake any flavor baked according to package directions
- 1 container (16 oz) ready-made frosting
- 2 pounds candy coating any color
Instructions
- Bake the cake and cool completely. Crumble the cake into a large mixing bowl. Blend in ¾ of a container of prepared frosting. Store remaining frosting for another use. Mix the cake and frosting with a large metal spoon using the back of the spoon to incorporate the frosting. Roll into 1 to 1 ½ inch balls and place on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Refrigerate the cake balls for several hours or until chilled through.
- Melt 1 pound of candy coating in a deep glass bowl. Be sure to use the instructions for your candy coating. I used 50% microwave power and heated the candy at 30 second intervals stirring after each. Working with just one chilled cake ball at a time, dip the ball completely in the candy coating. Using a spoon, tap the side of the bowl to help remove the excess coating and slide the cake ball onto a waxed paper lined baking sheet. Decorate as desired and serve!
Recipe Notes
From the Cake Pops Book by Bakerella
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. When multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.
Nutrition
Calories: 3903kcal | Carbohydrates: 672g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 123g | Saturated Fat: 108g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 4174mg | Potassium: 243mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 469g | Calcium: 1091mg | Iron: 11mg
Mary
Ooooh, just saw your pic for these. Love the way you drizzled the icings on top. So very pretty! I love cake balls.
Bri
I'm going to save this recipe as a snack to send in to school for Kiely's birthday next February. It's a great idea instead of sending in a whole cake or cookies!