I have attempted to make cake balls on several different occasions. Maybe I am not doing it right. Everyone here raves on how great they are and that they taste so good. Well I can't complain on the taste, but the texture always seems like chewy cookie dough. I have tried dipping them in chocolate, but they are just like chewy chocolate covered dough balls. I put powdered sugar on them and it just melts into a sugary mess. I would really love to include these with the cake orders when I have left over trimmings just as a little something special. But I don't want to serve something that well for lack of better words "sucks".

I guess I am asking for others opinions on the texture of theirs so I know if I am doing it wrong or it is just me.

sounds like your using to much liquid. I just use enough to get the cake to stick together. If it is a moist cake to begin with you need very little binder.

Well I have only tried cake balls once, and to me the ones I made were almost classified as non-edible. They were sticky without any p.s. so I put some p.s. on them and it just made them worse! I was so excited to make these at christmas time and by the time I was done with them I was in tears .. so I would really like to know if there are any good hints out there as well!

I don't think it needs much liquid at all...actually if I stick my cake in a mixer, it is usually so moist it mushes together on its own. If I add much more of anything, it turns gross. One time I added preserves and it turned into a mushy grainy mess!

Next time I make them, I'll probably not use anything extra in the cake and see how that works.

I have tried very little liquid to alot. I guess I need to know what the texture is supposed to be like. When I mix them should they form a large ball or should the cake be really crumbly? Mine always seem to be like bread dough after it is all mixed (you know like when it doesn't stick to the side of the mixing bowl)

I add about 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup liquid to a full cake mix. When I made my first batch, I didn't care for them much at all, but I brought them to work anyway and people loved them!

And now I get orders for them all the time.

Go figure.

I will say they are a bit too rich for me...

Also, the cake does seem doughy to begin with but seemed like the next day after I made them, they tasted more like "cake".

Maybe try without adding any liquid, and then let them sit overnight (not refrigerated) and see what they taste like. Also stop mixing before it gets too doughy...once it seems sticky enough to make a ball, stop.

I mix by hand so I stop adding liquid when the cake is still crummy but will compress into balls with my hand. My end texture is somewhere between a dense cake and a moist brownie.

I'm so glad I'm not the only one!! I made these once, spent good money on chocolate to dip them in and they were awful, IMO! I used coffee syup to bind and I thought they were just a doughy mess. I didn't like the texture or the taste. From now on, my family just eats the scraps with ice cream! I give up on cake balls! Give me a chocolate truffle anytime!

After you mix it together it should be like dry cookie dough or like brownies. Then you still have to let them sit at room temp or in the fridge to dry out some. If you make them a little to moist let them dry out for a few hours at room temp then a couple of hours in the fridge. If they are to dry, you will not be able to roll them into a ball.

I made them once. The kids liked them, but I thought they tasted like dense raw flavored cake dough. Kind of like cold HEAVY brownies that were really really dense. Well, maybe if I make them again, I won't use any liquid. I'll try that and see what happens.

The only way ANYONE here will touch those things is if there's NO added liquid, and dipped in Ghirardelli chocolate! I made some with a german chocolate cake that I had left over, that was very moist to start with (I add the coconut pecan icing in with my mix), and everyone loved them. As soon as I add any liquid at all, my kids won't even touch them. They even say they taste like already chewed cake!

It's not just you. I think the texture is nasty.

I made them once and I didn't like them either. Mushy and too sweet. I'm sure it was because I added all the liquid called for in the recipe and the cake was made from a moist cake mix. Not only that, I was hoping they were going to be like donut holes except they would be cake. It was hoping for a quick treat to just pop into your mouth. I guess if you like truffles you would probably like cake balls. One day I'll have to play around with this idea to see if I can make them to be more of a cake consistency.

I'm not a huge fan either.....I didn't add any liquid at all and dipped them in chocolate and I didn't care for the texture or how unbelievably sweet they were! Even my husband, who has the most giantic sweet tooth of anyone I know thought they were too sweet.

Well now I feel better that it isn't just me. My DH likes to scarf up the cake as I trim away. He prefers me to trim while it is still hot, but there are just times when you can't do that. If I don't want him around while decorating, I will let the cake completely cool. If I am need of a little companionship I will start to level the cake while warm and he hangs around just enough for small chit chat. AHHH a method to my madness!!!!

I've only made them once and we all really liked them. I used scraps from a butterpecan cake (with extender and doctored with chopped pecans) I did not use any liquid, I used leftover thinned buttercream. I also did not break them up very fine at all. I left some medium sized pieces, It broke up a little more as I mixed in buttercream. I did not coat them in anything. We ate them cold out of the freezer and they were so good! My 4 year old dd doesn't eat cake (just icing and sprinkles) but she really liked the cake balls.

The first time I made them I thought everyone who raved about them was insane!!! They were horrible! Then, I made them again using just a dab of whipping cream and a lot of liquid flavor (white/yellow cake, lemon flavoring, dipped in white chocolate is amazing!!) and they turned out great. I thoroughly 'crush' the cake with a fork until it's a fine crumb, mix the flavoring into a tiny dab of cream, then drizzle into cake and stir just until mixed. It should be a super coarse crumb, like pie dough almost, but when you roll into balls it will stick together. I really like them now! But I make them VERY small because they ARE definitely rich! I use a baby spoon to portion them!

Edited to add: I also realized that what I tried the first time was ignorant... I tried powdered creamer to add flavor, and it made it grainy and nasty! I also tried adding some buttercream instead of liquid and that was rank too!

Hey everyone, after reading this post I just tried this for the first time. I had an extra small chocolate cake in the fridge so I started smashing away. Turns out that the cake was so moist (I guess) that I did not have to add any liquid at all. Made a whole bunch and put out on my shelf to sell. We'll just have to see if they sell. I tasted one and it was good, very very rich. Not a real bad experience for me though.

I don't like them either, I think they taste like pre-chewed cake. My friends loved them.

I made some once with chocolate cake and I mashed fresh raspberries into the crumbs with a little coffee creamer, then I froze them. They were yummy! I can't keep those around or I'd have a hand in the freezer ALL the time!

I've never added liquid. The way I make them is using chocolate cake with coconut pecan frosting and dipping in chocolate. My husband can't get enough of them!

Someone a few months back mentioned re-baking them when they were too moist.

I hadn't thought about rebaking them. One more thing to put on my "to do" list

I prefer to freeze them and set them out a few minutes before serving them. They don't seem so doughy that way.

tdybear1978 ~ those are great looking cake balls! Nice display!

I find them to be disgusting. When I was a teenager, everyone raved about a similar recipe, oreo balls, where you put a whole pack of oreos and a pack of cream cheese in the food processor, a la cake balls.

They were so horrible I still have flashbacks. Cake balls are even worse.