i have been experimenting with cake balls and having issues. i have done many searches online and read many directions...all sound pretty much the same...however...no one is mentioning having issues with dipping!

i am using wilton chocolate wafers, melting in microwave 30 seconds, stir, 30 seconds, stir and by then it is usally all melted...but it is too thick to dip and makes clumpy cake balls instead of a smooth finish. i read that i can adds vegetable shortening (1 tsp per bag of chocolate) but that doesnt help...
i like the wilton melts for the colors...but...

i was going to try white chocolate bark to dip in next, but b4 i go through expense of purchasing colors and flavors for the chocolate, which ones do you suggest?

thanks for any advice!!!! jenny

I've had the most success with Merken's chocolate disks. They always melt so nice and smooth. I've had clumping problems with Wilton brand melts.

Hmmmm. I use Merckens chocolate. Haven't tried Wiltons. Are you sure its not too hot? Positive no water got in the mix and made it seize? Maybe its not warm enough.

I wish I could help more. I had so many issues with hot spots and burned chocolate I gave up using the microwave and bought a Wilton's chocolate melter. Made things soooooooo much better and easier.

Good luck!

Hmmmm. I use Merckens chocolate. Haven't tried Wiltons. Are you sure its not too hot? Positive no water got in the mix and made it seize? Maybe its not warm enough.

I wish I could help more. I had so many issues with hot spots and burned chocolate I gave up using the microwave and bought a Wilton's chocolate melter. Made things soooooooo much better and easier.

Good luck!

Thin it out by adding some vegetable shortening, about a teaspoon... that should fix it. Works for me! and be sure the balls are cold.

I just melted some Merckens last night that I bought a month ago. They clumped so I added shortening (not oil) to them. They never did get completely smooth.

Try some Ghiardeli (probably not spelled correctly) chips. I've had good luck with them.

Can you figure a way to rig up a double boiler system instead of the microwave? You can probably keep a better eye on the viscosity of the chocolate. The science behind the heating can make a difference in different things.

What exactly is the problem you are having? Cake ball falling apart, off the stick? I melt my chocolate (Wilton usually) in a pyrex measuring cup in the microwave, add the shortening at the end and then I put it on a candle warmer. This keeps it warm but not too hot. Agree though that the cake balls need to be cold. Also, make sure you are dipping the stick in chocolate and letting set if you are having "staying on the stick" issues!

I'm waiting for a good answer too. I can't get a nice smooth finish on my cake balls either. Candy melts seem way too thick after melting. I have added the shortening too but it never gets thin enough like it looks on the video tutorials.

BoozeBabe, I looked up your profile because of your name. We should swap ideas for alcohol/cake combinations in these cake balls. Then we can worry about covering them.

If the chocolate is too hot, it will clump and you can't save it. I normally microwave Wilton at no more than 50% power for 30 sec or even less at a time to make sure it doesn't get too hot.

thank u all for your advice...yes my cake balls are cold-in the freezer for hours...the problem is that the chocolate is too thick for dipping and getting nice smooth finish...i dont know if i would call it clumpy as in seized, but maybe it is on the way to that...i think i will give up on the microwave method bc i tried the almond bark tonight and it did the same thing...thanks again!

I know exactly what your taking about. I make tons of cake balls each week and unfortunatly when people request a colored chocolate I have to use wiltons brand because i have not came around to trying out Candy oils that dye white chocolate. I Have tried chocolate bark from every grocery store and almost every brand and what it the smoothest is the cheapest brand. Go to Aldi's grocery store if you have one and they sell white chocolate and chocolate bark and they are only a little over $1 for 12 bars and they are a life saver. They come out so smooth and perfect.

Are you thinning your chocolate out before dipping? Almost all brands of non-tempered chocolate need to be thinned out before they are the right consistency for dipping.

Try double dipping for smooth finish and if that doesn't help try poured fondant. Good luck

Hi, Magicalmakery!

Try adding paramount crystals -- I've heard from other CCers that they work wonders for making the chocolate the right consistency for cake pops.

In the past, I've added paramount crystals to both Merckens and Guittard "buttons" to thin the chocolate for truffle dipping; they should work just as well with the Wilton wafers.

In fact, I'm tyring that 2mrw w/a friend. (Making cake pops.) Will let you know how they work.

(I purchase them at our local cake shop.)

HTH!

Okay, we tried both the pink and the dark cocoa Wilton candy melts yesterday. The dark cocoa needed a LOT more of the paramount crystals to thin it to the correct consistency for dipping than did the pink, but the crystals definitely did the trick.

Here's a link to some paramount crystals, just so you know what they look like: http://www.confectioneryhouse.com/paramount-crystals

(You can also Google "paramount crystals" for a vendor closer to you/get a better price.)

BTW, I was totally surprised by the taste of Wilton candy melts.
We were using them as this was a "test run," and I didn't want to use my more expensive chocolate.
The Wilton melts tasted surprisingly okay (not a horrible waxy taste that I was expecting).

Anyway, HTH.