HOW TO MAKE DELICIOUS CAKE BALLS


Many people love baking cakes and other goods. If you love baking a cake you’ll love making and eating cake balls. Cake balls are made of a mixture of crumbled cake, icing, and melted chocolate. It takes a long time to successfully bake and complete a batch of cake balls, but the process is worth the work. One of the most popular kinds of cake balls is a recipe based that is used for birthday cakes. These instructions will tell you everything you need to know about the ins-and-outs of making a “Birthday Cake” cake ball. One batch of cake balls can make 40 to 55 cake balls depending on the size you make them.
The Cake

To start off you will need to bake a vanilla cake and one made from scratch is preferred over a box mix. For a homemade vanilla cake you will need the ingredients listed below.
Ingredients:
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1 cup granulated sugar
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4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
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2 eggs, at room temperature
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1 tablespoon vanilla extract
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1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
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1 ¾ teaspoon baking powder
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½ cup milk

1.
To bake a basic vanilla cake you will first need to preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 10 inch round cake pan. You may want to also set out a cookie sheet covered with a sheet of wax paper now. Later, it will be used to hold the cake balls so they can be placed in the freezer.
2.
Use an electric mixer to cream together the sugar and butter in a large bowl. Once the sugar and butter have been combined beat in the eggs and vanilla.
3.
In a separate medium bowl, mix together the flour and baking powder, and then add the dry mixture with the wet ingredients in the large bowl. After the two bowls have been combined you must stir in the milk.
4.
When all the ingredients have been successfully blended pour the batter into the greased cake pan. Bake the cake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until fully baked. If you are unsure of how long you should bake your cake set your timer for approximately 32 minutes. Make sure to check on your cake as it is finishing so it doesn’t get burned.
5.
Once you think your cake has finished baking take it out of the oven. Stick a toothpick in your cake, and if it comes out clean then your cake is done. Let the cake cool to room temperature. You can cut the cake into a few pieces to help it cool faster.
The Icing

While the cake is cooling you should start making the icing. There are three main types of icing that are used in cake balls: basic chocolate icing, basic vanilla icing, and basic cream cheese icing. For the “Birthday Cake” cake balls you use basic cream cheese icing. You can either use store bought icing or make your own. If you choose to make your own you will need four simple ingredients.
Ingredients:
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4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
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4 ounces cream cheese, softened
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1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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1 ¼ cups confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar)

Beat together the butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer on the medium speed. Make sure the butter and cream cheese are mixed until they are smooth. Then you need to mix in the vanilla. Once those ingredients are combined, slowly work in the sugar until the icing is smooth and creamy.
Making the Cake Balls!

First make sure that the cake is completely cooled before you attempt to crumble it. When you are sure the cake is completely cooled, get a separate mixing bowl ready. Take small pieces of the cake and break them up into crumbs. After you are sure there are no chunks or large pieces of cake in the bowl you can start mixing the cake and icing together. Transfer the crumbled cake over to the large bowl of icing and mix them together with your hands. The best way to do this is to do a kneading movement with your hands to ensure the icing completely mixes with the cake crumbs.

Place the cookie sheet with wax paper next to your mixing bowl for easy access. To ensure that the cake balls are the same size you may use an ice-cream scoop to pick up your cake ball mixture. After you have your desired amount of mix in your hands, roll the portion into a ball and place it on the cookie sheet. Repeat this action with the rest of the dough-like mixture. Once all of your cake balls have been rolled you need to place the cookie sheet in the freezer for at least two hours. The cake balls can be decorated after they have been in the freezer for at least two hours, but you should start melting the chocolate a few minutes before you take the cake balls out of the freezer.


Dipping and Decorating

Start melting your desired chocolate at least a few minutes before taking the cake balls out of the freezer. For “Birthday Cake” cake balls it is recommended that you use 24 ounces of white chocolate for coating. Baking chocolate or normal chocolate candy bars will both work. After the chocolate has been melted, quickly pull the cake balls out of the freezer for dipping. Use a toothpick to pick up the cake ball and lower it into the bowl of melted chocolate. A spoon can be used to ladle chocolate over the cake ball. Once the chocolate hardens you may drizzle a small amount of chocolate over the top to cover up the hole where the toothpick was. Before that chocolate hardens you can put on sprinkles or other candy for decoration, but it all depends on your personal preference.

You may serve the cake balls immediately or refrigerate them for later. Cake balls can be stored in the freezer for months if you can resist the urge to eat them. The great thing about cake balls is that you can put your own twist on any recipe and make it your own. It takes practice, but you too can turn yourself into a cake ball extraordinaire.