I've tried making cake balls three different times now and they always end up way too mushy. One response I got was that it was like eating already been chewed cake. YUCK!! I tried it adding buttercream and then I tried it with canned frosting. Am I just adding too much? Or should I try using a different kind of binder? Or is that just kind of how they are?

PS. The first failure was most likely due to the fact that I used egg-free cake which always tuns out more brownie-like for me.

Thanks!
Christa

I have been able to make the cake balls with no additional icing. My WASC is so moist, I don't use any "binder". Then I just dip them in white or dark chocolate. I find them mushy also. I think they are an acquired taste.

Someone had posted on a different thread about baking the balls after they are formed (with binder). I tried this and they were great!! Nice little crunch (not a big crunch, just a nice subtle crunch lol) Think Timbits.....

I baked them at 325 for about 10 min or so. Let them cool and then dipped in chocolate.

HTH

Missy

You might want to go check Bakerella's blog.

www.bakerella.com

Also, there's a video on Amazon (since her cake balls came out) that you could watch.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0811876373/?tag=cakecentral-20

I have made these a number of times.... I believe that you are putting too much binder. Mine were like that when I first made them and the more I made them- the better they came out. You really don't need much binder- so start with just a little & add more as you see fit. Once you add it- just try making a ball, and you will be able to tell at that point. I have never baked mine after adding binder-but I never needed to. I also use icing and not the liquid creamers(maybe that is the problem too). Hope it helps!

I just made these for the first time and everyone loved them! I used one 8" yellow cake and 1/2 can of buttercream, the consistency was just right. I am a total newb but i happened to get lucky, hope that helps...

I make mine like Debbie (ddaigle). I don't add any binder at all. My cakes are usually moist enough. I just break them up, stir it around with a fork to make it really loose, then use a melon scoop to make my balls. I pack it in the scoop really tight then pop them in the freezer. They are more cake-like and not mushy. When I first tried making them, I used bc, but didn't like how squishy they were.

I just had my first success with cake balls last week and I'll share what I learned.

I crumbled up the cake with my hands until it was really crumbly. I was just using cake from single 8" rounds. In my strawberry, I just used about 1/8 - 1/4 cup of whipped buttercream and mixed it in the blender to get it well mixed. In the chocolateI make chocolate with raspberry flavor and only a little. I dipped them in melted semi-sweet chocolate. They were the biggest hit ever! I had tasters that raved over them.

We provided a dessert bar at a doctor's open house that evening and brought them. I was amazed at the response. I'm not a big chocolate candy fan and they are too rich for me. Everyone just raved about them. One lady has a gift shop and wants to talk to us about packaging and selling them in her store. Everyone talked about how moist they were and how they melted in your mouth. I guess I figured out...finally.... how to make them.

When I have made them in the past with my cake scraps I would use just a bit of creamer..not much..and also add other items like mini m&ms or toffee crunch or really any kind of candy to make it more interesting.

Generally my cakes are moist enough that no binder would be necessary, but since I think a lot of flavor comes from the binder I tend to ever so slightly over bake my cake, then after I turn it into crumbs I let those sit out for a bit to let them get a bit dryer and this helps me to be able to add flavor binders without getting mush.

since each batch is slightly different the amount of binder you add is different every time. sometimes no binder is needed and sometimes considerably more can be added. But go slow and try to form a ball after each addition of binder.

also, I don't use icing as my binder usually, ie. I use cream cheese for the red velvet, almond paste for the almond, a coconut paste I make for the coconut, also have been known to use various liqueurs for an extra kick.

I do my cake balls in a slightly different way that I read about somewhere on this site. Instead of mixing the cake together with frosting or some other binder, I put the cake scraps in a bowl and knead them until they are a solid mass, almost a fudgy consistancy. Then I freeze them for a little while before dipping them in chocolate. They're really yummy, and not too mushy like I've read about other methods.

I'm with texan. I love moist cakes so I don't need any binder. That also cuts down on the sweetness.