Friday, July 2, 2010

Patriotic Cake Balls

Happy almost 4th of July friends! Just whipped up a little something that I thought would be fun for our celebration this year. You see, not only is it the 4th of July, it is also my husband, my grandfather, and my birthdays... all celebrated in one weekend! (And I'd say that calls for something extra special!)
Here's how I made my patriotic cake balls:
Bake a regular box-mix white cake according to the directions in a 9x13 inch pan and allow it to cool. (Betty Crocker's mixes are always way better than the others if you ask me!)
Next, throw your cake into a big bowl and mix it with your electric mixer until there's nothing but crumbs left. (I know you feel weird doing this, but trust me!)
Then mix in one container of your favorite store bought icing. (Of course you could always make your own if you're up for it, but believe me, it's easier this way.)
Here's how I made mine taste extra yummy and less store-bought. Add in 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract.
After mixing all of that with your electric mixer, this is what your dough looks like. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Then shape your dough into small balls about 3/4 to 1 inch in diameter. I used a melon scooper to make them uniform. Place the balls on a cookie sheet covered in wax paper and freeze the balls for at least 2 hours. (The balls will keep in this frozen stage for a few weeks if you'd like to do this much ahead of time.)
Finally, working in small batches, dip the frozen balls in Almond Bark Coating and top with sprinkles while the coating is still soft. Try not to eat too many! At this point you can keep the cake balls out at room temperature for a few days. If you refrigerate them now they will sweat and your sprinkles will look more like smears!
This is a great article for a more detailed recipe and different varieties of cake pops.
Bakerella has some amazing decoration inspiration. She even makes her cake balls into miniature wedding cakes and cupcake shapes!
I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

6 comments:

Leslie Larson said...

Sarah, SERIOUSLY! I need to try these ASAP like we discussed :) they look WAY too good!

Heather said...

I have made these before with red velvet cake filling covered in white chocolate, amazing!! Just think of the possibilities mint cholocate for christmas, pumpkin spice for fall, lemon for a light spring dessert!! So happy you shared these! :)

Rachel said...

I have made these before with homemade frosting and even though it tasted better, it doesn't hold it's shape as well, so it's better to stick to the canned stuff.

Amber said...

Last time I made these it didn't cross my mind to use my mixer. That would have made things go much easier! I'm going to try your almond extract tip next time...and the mixer!!

Robbie and Melissa said...

Love this idea thanks Sarah!

CK said...

Oh my goodness, those look so yummy! I've never known how to make those cake pops before