I wanted to make these because they seemed so much easier (read: less messy) for Samantha's friends at day care to eat than birthday cupcakes or cake. I figured the teachers would be grateful. And they were. I also had requests for the recipe. More than two months later, I'm finally getting around to typing the whole thing up.
Cake (you can use a box mix but I prefer to make my own – adapted from The Joy of Baking):
- 2 ½ c. cake flour, sifted
- ½ tsp. salt
- 2 tbsp. cocoa powder
- ½ c. unsalted butter, room temperature (I used Earth Balance soy-free)
- 1 ½ c. sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1 c. buttermilk (I used 1 c. unsweetened So Delicious Coconut Milk Beverage “curdled” with 1 tbsp. distilled white vinegar)
- 2 tbsp. red food coloring
- 1 tsp. distilled white vinegar
- 1 tsp. baking soda
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 and place rack in center of oven.
- Butter a 9x13” cake pan/glass baking dish
- In a mixing bowl sift together the flour, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the butter until soft (about 1-2 minutes).
- Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes).
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.
- In a measuring cup whisk the buttermilk with the red food coloring.
- With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.
- In a small cup combine the vinegar and baking soda. Allow the mixture to fizz and then quickly fold into the cake batter.
- Pour batter into buttered dish and smooth top with the back of a spatula.
- Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 25 - 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean.
- Allow cake to completely cool.
Buttercream Frosting (again, you can use canned but I prefer homemade):
- 3 c. confectioners' sugar
- ½ c. butter (again, I used Eath Balance soy-free)
- ½ c. shortening
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1-2 tbsp. whipping cream (I used So Delicious French Vanilla Coconut Milk Creamer)
Directions:
- In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk, mix together sugar and butter. Mix on low speed until well-blended and then increase speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes.
- Add vanilla and cream (start with 1 tbsp. and add more if frosting seems too thick) and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 minute
Coating for cake balls:
- 12 oz semi-sweet chocolate morsels
- 2 oz unsweetened baking chocolate
- 1 tbsp. coconut oil (butter or canola/vegetable oil will work, too), optional
Making the cake balls:
- In a large bowl, crumble cake
- Mix in frosting until cake holds its form when rolled into a ball (it’s messy, but a lot easier to use your hands to mix in the frosting) (if you use canned, you’ll probably need about ¾ of a 16oz tub, with the homemade, I think I used most of it)
- Roll mixture into quarter-sized balls (I usually get 4 dozen)
- Place on parchment or wax lined cookie sheets and chill or freeze for several hours (I put mine in the deep freeze overnight – it really made dipping easier)
- Melt chocolate over double boiler or in microwave being careful not to get any water in it. Stir in oil if necessary to thin enough to easily dip cake balls.
- Dip cake balls – I found it easiest to put the ball on a spoon, dip, then transfer back and forth between two spoons to make sure the ball was coated and to let excess drip off
- Place on parchment/wax lined cookie sheet to set - if decorating, be sure to do so before chocolate sets too much
Store in an airtight container.
I got a ton of compliments on these. They are sooo good and soooooo rich. If you don't need all of them right away, I'd put any undipped cake balls in an airtight container and freeze them. In fact, I have some in the freezer now . . .
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