Help - Putting Cake Balls Into Cakes/cupcakes - A Few Questions!!
Decorating By amypiac Updated 19 Apr 2013 , 10:49pm by amypiac
So I want to put a cake ball inside a cupcake for a surprise. I was going to just use a doughnut hole pan, but I've come to realize that the doughnut holes and cake pop pans/makers are just too big for the cupcake itself.
So I'm going to make my own, smaller cake balls (I did a little research since it will be my first time).
But I have a few questions! (HELP! lol)
1) I saw something about freezing the cake balls before placing them in the cake batter to bake. Thoughts? Pros? Cons? Supposedly it keeps the ball from floating to the top as they bake? What does the condensation do to the cake/cupcake as they thaw? (I don't want a mess or mush!)
2) I saw two methods - One using frosting to hold the cake ball crumbs together, and another using cream cheese for baking polka dots into a cake. What do you guys use? I really do not want to use the frosting and bake the frosting. I like the idea of the cream cheese though... What else would work? Sour cream (for a little less calories and cholesterol)? What bakes best while not drying out the cake ball? Or making it mush?
Any experiences and input would be greatly appreciated! Thank you :-)
I have made a polka dot cake only once, so I don't have a lot of experience, but I'll tell you what I did.
After mixing up my recipe, I put about 1/2 cup of the batter into four different bowls, and colored them with different colors. I preheated my Baby Cakes Pop pan. Spooned in a bit of the batter into each well, lowered the lid, and only baked for about 3 minutes (so not totally done). Removed and cooled on wire rack.
Once all were baked, I put a thin layer of batter in the bottom of my prepared cake pan. Placed the balls on top, then covered with more batter.
Baked the cakes, let cool, removed from pan, then finished cooling. Filled and frosted.
Some of the balls did rise a bit to the top of the layer, some stayed lower. The people who ate the cake were so amazed at the dots being in the cake, that they could have cared less that they were not all at the same level.
I would not suggest using a traditional cake ball that is made from mashed up cake and frosting mixed together, regardless of the type of frosting.
http://once-upon-a-pedestal.blogspot.ca/2012/05/polka-dot-cake-from-bake-pop-pan.html
This explains it pretty well.
Oh sorry, I missed where you said it was for a cupcake. I wouldn't put an actual cake ball (cake and icing mush) inside a cupcake, I think that would bake weird. If you wanted to do little cubes inside, that would be easy enough (bake a coloured cake, slice into cubes), but I am stumped on getting small round balls of just cake! Maybe try making a batter with less liquid, and piping little lumps onto a baking sheet and baking? Maybe pipe the batter lumps in your cake ball pan so the bottom of the lump is rounded too? Sorry - that is all I got!
Oh sorry, I missed where you said it was for a cupcake. I wouldn't put an actual cake ball (cake and icing mush) inside a cupcake, I think that would bake weird. If you wanted to do little cubes inside, that would be easy enough (bake a coloured cake, slice into cubes), but I am stumped on getting small round balls of just cake! Maybe try making a batter with less liquid, and piping little lumps onto a baking sheet and baking? Maybe pipe the batter lumps in your cake ball pan so the bottom of the lump is rounded too? Sorry - that is all I got!
Well thanks for your help and suggestions! I wouldn't want to use the frosting mush either. I've been looking up random things people have done online, and some have actually done that. But I won't. Someone else used cream cheese to bind the cake ball before placing it in a cupcake and it works. And I could see that since cream cheese is often used in baking. I was just curious if anyone else has tried it and could give more info. :-\
Look up the Mickey Mouse cupcake tutorial from mycupcakeaddiction on YouTube. I think she uses some kind of mixture of brownies and cake batter.
I couldn't find it :-\ I could only find a cake pop tutorial that uses frosting... And I need it to not be brown-chocolate anyway because I need to color them white, orange and navy blue.
I never tried putting "the surprise" in a cupcake but it should be the same as when done in a cake and I have done it a few times
here's one of my versions:
http://cdn001.cakecentral.com/3/36/900x900px-LL-369387d4_gallery8159031338303067.jpeg
I made one cake, cooled it, cut it into one super long letter T (since that was my surprise inside), I did the same as spooky_789 and poured some batter in pan first before placing the precooked part in the pan and pouring the balance of the batter over. The onceuponapedestal site is the place to look. I didn't freeze my precooked part before putting it into cake 2 but it seems some people do. That might also keep it from 'floating' up in the final cupcake if you are concerned.
My suggestion is whatever size you think you are putting inside, make it smaller! That way, if for any reason you trim the top off your cake or cupcake, you don't cut into your inside surprise!
Good Luck!
Theresa
I've make the little cake balls inside the cakes many times and have also done the cupcakes. All I did was color some batter and bake an 8" pan of the colors, pan doesn't have to be full, just enough so you can make the balls when done. After cooking I just take a melon baller to get the amount I need and compress it together. I then put batter into the bottom of the cup, put the ball in and fill the rest of the way with batter. bake as usual and ice when cool. Works every time, don't add anything to the cake after baking to make the balls. Like windshield wipers on a goats hiney, it won't work. ;0)
I've make the little cake balls inside the cakes many times and have also done the cupcakes. All I did was color some batter and bake an 8" pan of the colors, pan doesn't have to be full, just enough so you can make the balls when done. After cooking I just take a melon baller to get the amount I need and compress it together. I then put batter into the bottom of the cup, put the ball in and fill the rest of the way with batter. bake as usual and ice when cool. Works every time, don't add anything to the cake after baking to make the balls. Like windshield wipers on a goats hiney, it won't work. ;0)
LOL the "Like windshield wipers on a goats hiney, it won't work" COMPLETELY made my day! hahahaha That's fantastic!
And thank you SO MUCH for the suggestion!! I will DEFINITELY try that out! :-)
ATh
Original message sent by amypiac
I couldn't find it :-\ I could only find a cake pop tutorial that uses frosting... And I need it to not be brown-chocolate anyway because I need to color them white, orange and navy blue.
I've make the little cake balls inside the cakes many times and have also done the cupcakes. All I did was color some batter and bake an 8" pan of the colors, pan doesn't have to be full, just enough so you can make the balls when done. After cooking I just take a melon baller to get the amount I need and compress it together. I then put batter into the bottom of the cup, put the ball in and fill the rest of the way with batter. bake as usual and ice when cool. Works every time, don't add anything to the cake after baking to make the balls. Like windshield wipers on a goats hiney, it won't work. ;0)
This worked great! I tried a couple different sizes, but ended up going with a multi-color (orange, navy blue and white) decent sized ball for a sports-theme cupcake. Thank you so much! :-) They did come out quite dense though, but still tasted great!
LOL That would do it. Thank you :-)
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