Princeton Happenings

<img src=”{filedir_1}Cake_Balls.jpg” alt=”Shamrock Cake Balls” height=”217″ width=”420″ />The first time I attempted this recipe it was a disaster and I was swearing at Paula Deen for making it sound so easy. I was eager to hop on this new food trend, and red velvet cake balls coated in white chocolate seemed like such a good idea for the teachers for Valentine’s Day. It was an absolute mess. It took me a year to consider trying again, and this time with a few changes the results were fantastic! With the addition of some mint extract and green food coloring, my shamrock cake balls were a big hit for St.Patrick’s Day at my son’s school.

Here’s how to achieve the just about perfect cake ball and impress your friends the next time you need to bring a dessert to a party.

CAKE BALLS
1 cake mix, and ingredients required for preparation
4 ½ cups powdered sugar
4 tablespoons shortening
4 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract, or other flavoring
2 bags candy coating wafers <em>DO NOT substitute chocolate chips. Trust me on this.</em>
Optional: sprinkles, colored sugar, chopped nuts for topping

Prepare the cake according to the package directions, reducing the oil by half. When baked, <em>and it’s better to over-bake a bit,</em> allow the cake to cool completely.

Make frosting by combining the powdered sugar, shortening, butter, milk, and vanilla extract in a large bowl, beating with an electric mixer until smooth. <em>You may see recipes that call for canned frosting. DON’T do it! That stuff tastes like the container it comes in and makes the dough difficult to work with.</em>

Shred the cake into the frosting, and beat until it becomes a smooth mixture. Refrigerate the dough for an hour or longer.

Form the dough into balls approximately the size of a walnut, then refrigerate for another hour.

For best results, melt the candy coating in a double boiler. It can also be melted in the microwave, though this often results in it getting too hot and clumping, or burning. <em>Yes, I had that problem the first time too!</em>

Using a toothpick, spear the cake balls and dip them in the melted candy coating. Place them on a waxed paper lined cookie sheet. There will be a small hole from the toothpick. Take a bit of coating on the back of a spoon and swirl on the top to cover it. Sprinkle with topping before the coating sets, and cool in the refrigerator.