Hey I made cake balls for the first time today...all chocolate (I think they are too rich, need to try something different next time....)...but I need to know why my candy melts are cracking when they harden onto the balls? I added a little shortening to the melts and also refrigerated the cake balls first.
???
I made chocolate cake balls for the first time a few nights ago too and my problem was that the chocolate candy melts kind of seized up when I poured them on top of each ball. I thought maybe my chocolate was bad or something so I melted a new bag and the same thing happened. Wondering if it was because the cake balls were too "wet" and that chocolate and moisture don't mix. Never got a smoothe coating at all and they look really pretty bad. VERY rich though! Tasted better after they were in the fridge.
KimAZ
Well, I don't add anything to the candy melts and didn't have any problems with the chocolate seizing or cracking, so I am at a loss. In fact I dip the cake balls when they are frozen. But perhaps try letting them thaw out or have then at room temperature before dipping.
Most of the time chocolate will seize when you get water into it when you are melting it, not afterwards when you dip the cake balls into it. These candy melts sometimes seize when heated too long, so be careful with that. Also, sometimes if they are not as fresh as they should be. I use the Merckens or Neilson's (only in Canada) brand. But I have also done them with melted chocolate chips, no problem.
If I have a lot of cake balls to dip, I keep the bowl with the melted chocolate over a larger bowl with hot water, so the chocolate doesn't cool too much. You have to be careful not to get water into it, but I haven't hd any problems with the moisture from the cake balls causing seizing.
Hugs Squirrelly
Yep you have to be careful when melting, especially in the microwave. You have to do a little then stir, then a little more. I don't add anything to mine either, and they work just fine, but if warmed in the microwave too long, you get a chunky mess!
Well, if you are using the Cookieman's recipe, the instructions are in the method, I do believe. He puts the broken up cake with added ingredients, in a blender or food processor and then shapes them the same way you would for the regular method, using a melon baller or a scoop.
The regular old method was to use about 1/4 cup buttercream icing to about the amount of cake a 6 inch round cake would give you and you mush it together wearing disposable gloves. At this point you use a melon baller or I use an icecream scoop to form the balls, then roll them in your hands to get them nice and round. Then either refridgerate or freeze them, covered. Then you dip them in melted chocolate. He removes the middle tongs from a plastic fork, you can actually buy a tool for dipping. I use a spoon and completely submerge the cake balls in the melted chocolate. Then I remove them to set on a parchment paper or waxed paper lined cookie sheet. When completely cooled and set, place in a sealed container or box.
Hope that helps,
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes
I wonder if the moisture issue (being too wet) could be solved by dipping the balls in powdered sugar before dipping them in chocolate? I have never tried making these, but cannot wait to try them!!!
The owner of a local cake supply store here where I live, taught me to melt the candy melts by getting two bowls, one slightly larger than the other and putting HOT water from the bathtub in the bottom bowl, then the chocolates in the smaller bowl and then putting this bowl in the larger bowl, (I guess you could do the same with a double boiler pan) But not boil the water...use hot water from the tub(it's normally the hottest in the house). By melting my chocolate this way, I have always had smooth results. It takes awhile to melt, but it is always smooth.
Just throwing out suggestions....I love new ways to do things!! 
[quote="gma1956"]
Well, if you are using the Cookieman's recipe, the instructions are in the method, I do believe.
What do you mean in the method?
Well I am going by his post on the site:
www.r-bdesigns.com
That was the post I had copied over to this site when folks couldn't find his original post that accidentally got deleted here. The recipe has since been re-posted on this site by other folks and since I am not sure if they posted the complete post, I don't know if that is the one you have seen.
By method, I mean the way he does things. He does use 1 tbps. of shortening to 1 pound of candy melts. I believe he does so because some of the candy melts melt better than others do. Anyway his post on that site is under the forums and under this heading:
Recipes / Cake Recipes / "Sweet Petites" on: March 21, 2005, 11:35:09 AM
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes
I wonder if the moisture issue (being too wet) could be solved by dipping the balls in powdered sugar before dipping them in chocolate? I have never tried making these, but cannot wait to try them!!!
The owner of a local cake supply store here where I live, taught me to melt the candy melts by getting two bowls, one slightly larger than the other and putting HOT water from the bathtub in the bottom bowl, then the chocolates in the smaller bowl and then putting this bowl in the larger bowl, (I guess you could do the same with a double boiler pan) But not boil the water...use hot water from the tub(it's normally the hottest in the house). By melting my chocolate this way, I have always had smooth results. It takes awhile to melt, but it is always smooth.
Just throwing out suggestions....I love new ways to do things!!
Well this is a good way of melting chocolate. Folks used to use a double boiler and actually boil the water with the chocolate in the upper pot. Now we know that it is easy to burn chocolate and also easy to get water into chocolate and cause it to seize. I tend to melt chocolate in the microwave when using it for candy molds but I use the same method you use when melting chocolate for other things. I put hot, but not quite boiling water in a larger metal bowl and place my smaller bowl filled with the chocolate inside, being careful that there is no risk of water going into the chocolate filled bowl. It is a good method for dipping cake balls. I remove the smaller chocolate filled bowl, wipe the exterior of it dry, dip the balls then return the bowl to the larger water filled bowl.
Hugs Squirrelly
Someone else on here said to use on of those mini crock pots to heat the chocolate and do the dipping. I melted mine in the microwave and then used the minicrock pot to keep it warm, it worked so great!
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