What do you use to dip your cake balls in chocolate or candy melts? Is there a specific tool that works really well?

thanks!

wow I'm glad you asked that I was wondering the same thing HOpefully somebody replies to us!

I read a cake ball thread where they used plastic forks with the middle 2 prongs broken off.

I use on of these ( see picture ) for me the round one works best but you can buy both for only $2.99

Stephanie 214 made this suggestion a while back and I have been doing it ever since... I freeze the cake ball first then only take about 6 or 7 out of the freezer at a time. I stick a toothpick in it and dip in the choc., turn on its side and shake the excess choc off and back into the container, then I have a elevated cooling rack, run the toothpick through the rack and let the choc. set. You can pull the toothpick out the bottom and your cakeball has a smooth surface, no holes in it, and no feet or puddling under it.

I just use a teaspoon - tried my dipping spoon and my fork and didn't get the look I wanted. So I use my teaspoon and slide it up the edge of my chocolate bowl to drain most of the chocolate out -- but I like mine to have a "bottom" like truffles for display purposes...

I've been reading all the cake ball discussions recently and am really excited to try it. One question--I don't plan on making a cake and using scraps. I just want to make a cake exclusively for cake balls. I assume this is ok, right? How many cake balls would I expect from a normal 8 inch round cake? And then once I make and cool the cake, do I just break it up and throw it into the blender (that sounds so sad, doesn't it?!). Thanks for your help!

out of 1 cake mix i can get about 70-80 cake balls

thanks for all the tips everyone. Agagnier, where did you get those things? that's kind of what I was thinking.

you can buy them at any store that sells chocolate making supplies or you can order it right off the wilton site.

I've tried the plastic fork method....it works, but you just have to be very careful not to lose any pieces of the plastic fork in the process! The toothpick with the elevated cooling rack sounds like a good idea, I was also thinking of trying chopsticks next time (the kind with a round tip).

Doesn't using the grid leave grid marks on the bottoms of the cake balls? Please advise.

Jodiedew - i've only made cake balls twice but I've never put the scraps i the blender !!! Has anyone else? I just crumbled them up. I think the blender would mutilize them to a pulp !!!

I mix and roll mine by hand.

I use plastic gloves and do mine by hand also, this helped me get a good feel for when the dough had the right amount of moisture in it for rolling. I'm also wondering about the grid marks now, but know from experience that it's hard to get the toothpick out after you're done dipping it, and this sounds like a good solution. Maybe you can smooth out the grid marks some how?

So I'm super curious about all of this cake ball talk. It sounds like a fantastic idea..I'm just not quite sure if I understand exactly what you do. I thought I did until this talk of blenders and mixin. I know you dip them in chocolate, and they are from scraps of cake but other than that..I'm confused

Thank you for your help!!

Here's the link for the recipe on this site:

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-2099-Cake-Balls.html

Thanks auntsushi for the idea of how not to use a mixer. It seemed a bit odd to me, too, but that's what the recipe on cakecentral says. I'll try to just handcrumble the cake and hope for the best! Can you use one cake batter, but then separate the scraps with different flavors of liquor or creme to make different tasting cake balls?

Old school bakeries use to call them RUM BALLS. Simple was is to throw your cake scraps into your mixer, a little liquid ( extract, liqour ) a little frosting. Roll, and you can dip into cocoa powder or dip into melted chocolate.

and before they set you can make them pretty by using the holiday sprinkles!

This is the easiest way to make them.

Sorry to leave ya hanging on the grid mark question. Had to put the little one to bed. AHHHHWWW another hour until DH comes home-- The silence in the house is WONDERFUL!!!

Never bothered to much by any grid marks on the bottom. I set them in little paper cups when done so you never see the bottom anyway.

Hey what if you left the cake balls on the toothpicks and then stuck to tooth pick into a pice of styrofoam(sp). Then when the choco is set pull out the toothpick, Im guessing the little hole would be visable but less than grid markings. Im thinking of making some eyeball cake balls for Halloween.

What if you put a piece of wax paper over the cooling grid, then poke the toothpick through the wax paper and the grid together? That way, you can pull out the toothpick easily and also not have any grid marks...hmm....

I know, styrofoam paper plates, they could handle the weight better!

Hmmm....good idea mamkau.

I know this is not pretty but maybe it would work.

Wow, famousamous, you took some time to do that!! good idea.

another question for everybody: How long in advance can you make cake balls and how do you store them if making in advance?

thanks!

what am I doing wrong SOmeone please help! I am dying to try these wonderful treats but I have made them twice and Yuck! Mine have no flavor. I used white cake (just the amt. you get from cutting the dome off 2 8 inch pans) a little icing, a little van/car creamer and a little chocolate powder. They just don't taste like anything, I am getting SO frustrated

Just today tried making cake balls for the first time....

I must admit, I am so disappointed. I couldn't WAIT to try these...I was even dreaming of them while I was sleeping! I used chocolate cake crumbles with some choc bc icing mixed in...and a dash of caramel vanilla coffee mate (dry) and mixed it together and rolled into balls.

How in the H@*# do you dip these suckers???!!! Mine was crumbling in the melted chocolate and I could hardly get them out in one piece!

I am SO bummed...I was so looking forward to doing these and now I just feel like I wasted my morning!

ACCCKKKK...don't tell me that! I am about to try something right now for the first time! I will let everybody know how mine turn out! has anybody tried using a hazelnut creamer?