I was just checking out the forums and I thought I saw squirelly cakes say something about "cake balls" made from tops of leveled cakes? If so what are these, how do you make them. I have always wondered what to do with those extra tops, seems like a waste to throw them out.
Here's a recipe that cookieman uses:
2 cups crumbled cake scraps
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder (if cake scraps are not chocolate based)
1/4 cup chopped almonds (or any other nut you like; or mini-chocolate chips; or mini M&MS...you get the idea!)
2 generous shots of amaretto (or any other liquer you may like--a good non-alcohol substitute is any flavored coffee creamer)
Put all ingredients in a mixer and mix on medium speed until the ingredients form a ball. If the mixture seems too dry, add a bit more of the liquid used to make it moist enough to form into balls.
I use a tablespoon cookie scoop to make the balls uniform in size. Roll the scooped dough in your hands to form a nice smooth ball. Allow cake balls to set on a parchment-lined cookie sheet for a couple of hours, then dip them in chocolate (following) or roll them in confectioners' sugar or cocoa.
Melt 1 lb. of candy melts and add approximately a tablespoon of Crisco to make it a bit more smooth. Also, put the container (in my case, a Pyrex measuring cup) of melted candy melts in a very hot (I use almost boiling) water bath to keep the chocolate fluid. Dip balls into the chocolate using a spoon and a dipping fork (in my case, a plastic fork with the two middle tines cut out). Don't worry if the dipped balls have a "foot" at the base after drying. You can break some off after they have hardened, and once they are in the little cake liners, no one will notice. Also, you can decorate the tops with just about anything: sprinkles, candy confetti, candy confetti, chopped nuts, etc befor they dry. Or, after they've dried, pipe designs with royal icing or melted candy melts of different colors.
If you have any questions...just ask!
Go into the General Forum and look for the post called leftover cake- cake balls? It is very good reading.
Thanks, I found it in the forum and I'm printing it out now as I type.
that's bloody amazing! I've never thought that cake scraps could be made into something else. I always feel bad about having to throw away cake...
Cake balls have been around for a long time! Ladycakes has them on her site too.
I think all of us think we invented it, the first time we do them, haha!
I generally use cake scraps and a scant amount of whatever kind of icing I have to mush them together. I believe that Ladycakes gave a good estimate, about 1/4 cup of icing for say, an amount equivalent to a 6 inch cke or so. Anyway, you mush it together. Then I use an icecream scoop and shape the balls. I freeze them so they keep their shape and then I microwave milk chocolate candy melts or white chocolate ones or dark, you can use chocolate chips too. Then I dip the balls into the melted chocolate and set them aside on waxed paper to set.
Sometimes I just roll the uncovered cake balls in sprinkles of various kinds, even just icing sugar or sugar mixed with cinnamon, whatever. Sometimes i make a sugar glaze and dip them in that.
Sometimes I add liquers or rum to the mixture, sometimes not.
The Cookieman's version is excellent and more the consistency of rum balls. Mine are more like cake normally would be.
Hadn't made them in quite awhile but the last batch were popular. Sometimes I just make up an extra cake or cupcakes and use that.
But let me tell you, dipped in chocolate, well these are deadly, haha!
They stay fresh for a good length of time too, that is, if you have any left!
You can also serve them in icecream cones to children, they are a real hit! Especially if you double scoop and put a cherry on top!
Normally I put them in muffin liners, once they are set. They are less messy to eat than cupcakes too. Upside down with a cone on top, well you can make faces on them and make them look like faces with party hats. They are really nice served in those chocolate covered sugar cones too, yummy!
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes
I will save the recipe for cake balls, they do sound good, but frankly, I don't ever have any cake to throw away (three guesses what happens to them 
). Okay, I guess if I were baking cakes every day eventually I would have too much for me to eat, but so far that hasn't been a problem. 
Janice
Haha Janice, I don't get enough leftovers either, hhmn, has something to do with hubby, but I tend to make up a cake or cupcakes, just for this purpose, it is that worthwhile, haha! Unfortunately, the cake balls can disappear even faster than the levellings!
Hugs Squirrelly
In order to save a recipe or directions from postings here in the forum, I copy the article and then print and/or save it to Microsoft Word, or whatever your word processing software might be.
(I've been printing and saving quite a few items this way in the few days since I found Cake Central.) Janice
Here's my two cents:
You don't have to use just cake scraps. If you make a box cake (horrors!) and divide it into two pans, you can use one cake for one batch of the recipe posted somewhere above. You can freeze the other cake for another time. Heck, you can even buy a plain cake from your local supermarket and use that.
Here's a pic that I posted a while ago for those that are new to these delicious treats.
Cookieman,
You make everything look so yummy! I have a half used box of cake mix from a cake that I marbled recently. I had no idea what I would do with the other half beyond a few cupcakes. Now I know exactly what I will be doing with it!! The only problem is that I can see that I could easily sit down with these in front of the TV and eat them like a container of BonBons! Heh heh!
Hi Bigcatz, I was glad that I could help somebody with something, I get so much help from the forum, and I'm new at the cake business so I don't have much to input there!
Cookieman, those cake balls look fantastic! I now know that I should NOT make any, I would indeed eat them all myself! Those would make good samples, maybe? (If you didn't eat them, that is.)
Janice
This looks like a really old topic... bumping it up again... hope no one minds!
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%