Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Red Velvet Cake Balls

You may remember I posted last spring here about a cupcake class my daughter and I took at the Viking Cooking School. The class was loads of fun and provided us with a fresh stock of recipes and the hands-on experience we needed to make the recipes at home.

CIMG1947

We made several different types of cupcakes, but we also learned how to make another little confection that seems to be taking the entertaining world by storm----cake balls! Cake balls have all the flavor of a big dessert packed into cute little meatball-sized package. Best of all, they look like a LOT more trouble than they are!

CIMG2475

Recently I chose to make Red Velvet Cake Balls for a friend who loves red velvet no matter what the season. They make a beautiful presentation too! You have lots of options and your imagination is your only limit. You can use a commercial cake mix or start from scratch! It’s never to early to start collecting recipes for all the upcoming holiday events.

CIMG2749

You can serve them as “balls” or put them sticks as cake “pops”.

CIMG2487

Because the balls need to be frozen, you can even spread the preparation out to suit your schedule. I made the cake balls on one day and dipped them in chocolate on the next.

CIMG2493

They were a HIT! I have since made mint chocolate chip cake balls and have plans to make coconut cake balls for an upcoming shower. I am including the recipe from the Viking Cooking School. I have shortened and adapted it.

Red Velvet Cake Balls

1 cup of cream cheese frosting (make your own or buy it!)

1 layer red velvet cake (I used a box)

8 ounces of semisweet chocolate or white chocolate

1 tablespoon zero transfat vegetable shortening (Crisco)

Bake the cake in a single layer and crumble into fine crumbs, discarding any hard edges. You should have about 4 cups of crumbs. Place the crumbs in a large mixing bowl and spoon frosting and mix gently. You may not need all the icing depending on the moistness of the cake crumbs. Clean hands work better than a spatula or spoon for mixing, but it’s messy! The crumbs and frosting should be evenly mixed, but mix gently so as not to compact crumbs any more than necessary. Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled (about an hour) or freeze about 15-20 minutes.

Using a measuring spoon scoop out about 1 tablespoon of the the cake mixture and roll lightly between the palms of your hands to form round balls. They should hold their shape, but handle them gently to ensure they will be tender. Place the balls on a baking sheet line with parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer until very firm, at least 30 minutes.

Place the chocolate of your choice and the vegetable shortening in the top of a double boiler and set aside. Fill the bottom portion of the double boiler 1/4 full with hot water; place over high heat and bring to a boil. As soon as the water boils, remove the pot from the heat; place the upper portion of the double boiler containing the chocolate on top of the hot water. Stir occasionally while the chocolate and shortening melt, then stir until smooth. You may have luck doing this in the microwave; I don’t.

Remove balls from freezer. Use a wooden skewer to dip each of the balls into the melted chocolate. Pause after dipping each cake ball. Hold it over the bowl to allow any excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl. Place the chocolate-coated cake balls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Allow the the chocolate to set, then serve or store in an airtight container at a cool room temperature. ***The recipe recommends that you do not refrigerate or the chocolate will sweat. I made these in July when even inside temperatures were hot. I refrigerated; they sweated; nobody cared :)

I know this is long, but it is easy –really! I am linking to our favorite foodie hostess Michael Lee West at Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday. Click on her button on my sidebar. Thanks for coming and y’all come back!

28 comments:

  1. Susan, I can't wait to make these delightful treats. One good thing about them is that if you only eat one you can have a little yummy sweet and not ruin your diet!
    I would love to make these with spice cake. I just don't know what kind of icing to use... maybe white chocolate with some pumpkin spice?
    Yummy!!!!!
    I have never seen a recipe for them so I'm very excited about you wonderul and thorough instructions.
    Yvonne

    ReplyDelete
  2. Now this looks like fun for th ekid-lings to enjoy doing. TY for sharing.

    Have a beautiful day ~
    TTFN ~ Hugs, Marydon

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh I adore Red Velvet cake at any season too! Yum.

    ReplyDelete
  4. We just had these at a party a couple of weeks ago. So very yummy! And you never eat as much as if you had eaten a whole slice of cake. Thanks for posting the recipe.
    Karen
    Ladybug Creek

    ReplyDelete
  5. These will be a hit at Christmas...thanks for the recipe, Susan!

    xoxo
    Jane

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love the fact that you don't make them with candy melts...which I am not a fan of. I am going to add some shortening to my semi-sweet chocolate and try some. Love things on a stick...it's more fun that way. Joni

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm saving this. I've been seeing these and I have a party coming up...looks like a fun treat to add.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thank you for sharing... you've certainly sparked some interest... I've been seeing a lot of cake pops lately and I'm dying to try making them

    ReplyDelete
  9. These look so yummy and it makes one's imagination run wild with so may concoctions you can make. Thanks for the demo and the recipe! I will be making these soon! I am thinking of my homemade pumpkin cake with cream cheese icing in white chocolate for fall!
    Thanks for sharing! maybe that is the recipe used in the favors at the wedding I posted. ~♥

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks for sharing the recipe and your extra information. A couple of those would be good about now, but I don't need them. To much fast food the last few days.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi Susan,

    These look delicious - shame we do not have the box of red velvet cake, over here.
    Enjoy the weekend

    Hugs
    Carolyn

    ReplyDelete
  12. We love to make these too. I have served them at weddings and parties. Everyone goes crazy over them.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Looks yummy! Bakerella is making a fortune on them, did you see her new book? At WSonoma.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thanks for sharing the "how to"! These look great and everything is more fun on a stick:@)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Ooh...I love cake balls! My daughter-in-love makes them for me for some of the luncheons that I host. They are always a hit. I use the cake pops for centerpiece/party favors. Thanks for sharing the recipe. Cherry Kay

    ReplyDelete
  16. Susan, I'm so glad you posted this recipe! I will be trying this during the holidays. Yours look so pretty. Thank you. laurie

    ReplyDelete
  17. People are very interested to watch the latest crime
    news. World news often has news that is related to famous Hollywood celebrities or sports person or international socialites.
    They can also update news on their site as and when
    the event occurs while the newspapers have to wait until
    the next morning.

    my blog post: just click the following webpage
    My webpage: http://www.oasiscollectors.com/

    ReplyDelete
  18. So, if you want to get these amazing and funny gifs
    animated images, then what are you waiting for.
    If you have your own website and want to use these Funny Animated
    Gif Images on the home page of your website then you
    can easily take these images and place them on your websites.
    Music: My - Space is indeed the friend of music, but it has close ties with
    the independent artists, who make up for what they lack in record contracts and money by being My - Space-strong, building a strong fan base
    and creating loyal street teams, which then take on a lot of the advertising on the band's behalf.

    Also visit my blog: funny pictures about work

    ReplyDelete
  19. Don't put limits on what you eat as much as you do how much you are eating. According to experts, water and juices from various kinds of fruit are essential part of good diet. To keep one motivated it is important to alternate the activities after one to two weeks.

    my web page fitness tips at home

    ReplyDelete
  20. It improves blood and oxygen flow to the muscles that are
    recovering from the prior hard workout. Blowing off some steam with a
    quick round of solo travel fitness in the morning can make your whole day brighter.

    Nothing is more motivating than seeing physical proof of results.



    Take a look at my web-site: http://wiki.computerhaus.org/index.php?title=Benutzer:NiklasLer

    ReplyDelete
  21. I can't help but believe that the market for products with photos imprinted on them, now made accessible by the Internet, represents a truly enormous opportunity. With this amazing app Write Pad, You can take notes by. if you want to get these amazing and funny gifs animated images, then what are you waiting for.

    Here is my page - just click the following post

    ReplyDelete
  22. Hi there, its pleasant post concerning media print,
    we all be familiar with media is a enormous source of facts.


    Visit my web site :: bio tech

    ReplyDelete
  23. But it's always wise to check in with a doctor before you start using a supplement regularly. What you should do is to focus or target a particular group of muscle for once or even twice a week. This type of exercise will increase your cardiovascular endurance, improve your flexibility, increase your muscle strength, improve your balance and can actually reduce the risk of osteoporosis.

    Here is my site: Suggested Site

    ReplyDelete
  24. The Updated funny celebrity gossips mostly consists
    of on the scandals of famous or popular celebrities like James waltz dating with David Arquette.

    Every day many new websites are coming on the internet, which can be used for all sort of
    access to stuff that can make you smile. While almost every cat is a work of aesthetic beauty, they are often animals that combine silliness and a fierce disposition.


    Check out my blog linked web-site

    ReplyDelete
  25. It improves blood and oxygen flow to the muscles that are recovering
    from the prior hard workout. Blowing off some steam with a quick
    round of solo travel fitness in the morning can make your
    whole day brighter. Nothing is more motivating than seeing physical proof of results.



    Also visit my webpage; usidolonline.com

    ReplyDelete
  26. People sometimes tend to think, “if only I were
    a celebrity, everything would be better”.
    You can give tips to the workers in the salon, restaurants where
    the star visit frequently. The singer will not be charged for her public intoxication, but her boyfriend was charged a $30,000 bail fee to release himself after he was tested positive for driving under the influence.


    My web blog: latest celeb news

    ReplyDelete
  27. If you have a website, you can use Google
    Trends for your website traffic to increase as well.
    Both the content and presentation of news are drastically different from what it used
    to be. I want to mention a part of the Prime Law (Twelve Visions Party) which is part
    of Neothink.

    My web-site: http://www.10feb.com/

    ReplyDelete
  28. I must thank you for the efforts you've put in penning this blog. I am hoping to view the same high-grade blog posts from you later on as well. In truth, your creative writing abilities has inspired me to get my own website now ;)

    My weblog - celebrity news and pics

    ReplyDelete