I've been making cake balls for some time now. I can make them into various shapes and sizes and characters without any issues. However, I have the hardest time making them into perfectly round, smooth balls, much like candy truffles. What am I doing wrong? I roll the balls of cake nice and tight. They are very cold before I dip them. I thin out the chocolate. But the minute I dip them, they turn into rough looking balls, and I want smooth, round ones. HELP!!!!

I personally don't make them, but i wonder if you could use a mold for them? From what i have read of them i don't see why you couldn't

I have only made them a few times. I found the second time around, I put them in the freezer overnight, then dipped them. They definitely came out more smooth that way. Once they started coming to room temperature, I noticed a difference again.

i would also like to know. i make my crumbs using a food processor to make sure they're fine and uniform. i bet if i add more buttercream they would be more doughy and more smooth ... but i'd lose the cake texture that i like.

The only time I've had issues with my cake balls coming out lumpy or other than rounded in shape after dipping was when i didnt add enough shortening to my melted shocolate. When I've used (let's say) 1 pkg of chocolate almond bark and added about 2 tbsp shortening, I've never had an issue. If you add too much shortening then they tend to run down the sides of the cake balls and make them look less than appetizing. If you don't add enough the chocolate is too thick and looks tacky. this is all from my experience in them and I hope this helps.

Could someone tell me what I'm doing wrong. Why do some of the cake balls crack while there drying. I would like to make some for gifts but I really don't want to give them cracked...Please someone HELP!!!!

I've only been adding about a TBS of shortening because I was afraid of making it too runny. Maybe I will try a little bit more. After that, I'm lost. They are definetly very cold and hard when I dip them.

for the smoothness, I think if the chocolate is too thin the balls look lumpier. I only thin with shortening if it is absolutely necessary.

For the cracking, in my experience when the chocolate is too warm and the balls are frozen (mine generally are frozen when I dip) then they will crack. I usually just use the colored drizzle to cover the crack unless it is severe or I am selling the batch. I also find I have this problem WAY less when I use Merkins chocolate instead of Wilton's.

When I melt the chocolate, as I stir and all the shocolate is melted I turn off the heat and add another handful of the chocolate to stir in and this usually gets it to the perfect temperature-just about the same as your body temperature.

Hope this helps.
There is an extremely long but incredibly informative thread called "how about a serious thread on cake balls". The "experts" tend to keep an eye on the thread and will usually answer questions pretty quickly. It also has tons of flavor ideas.

I have never used shortening mixed in with my chocolate. I also haven't used the candy melts, just local brand almond bark. I've never had an issue with cracking when drying.

Out of the thousands of cake balls I've made in my life, only about 10 have ever cracked. I do believe it's because the chocolate goes from hot to cold so quickly. I know that when I worked at a restaurant years ago, we had to let our glasses cool when they came out of the dishwasher before we put a cold liquid in them, or the glass would crack and break. I'm sure it's the same thing.