 |  |  |
 Pina Colada |  |  |
 Lime Margarita |  |  |
 |  over waxed paper |  |  |
One of my favorite treats to make (and one of the more popular items I sell) are various kinds of "spirited" cake balls. They're all so easy and keep for at least a month (or more) in a Tupperware / Rubbermaid container in the freezer. I use a cake or muffin mix to make them, but if you use a regular size cake mix you'll be making a ton of those little balls (at least 75), so unless you're doing them for a crowd, I recommend a Jiffy cake mix (that's what I used here) or a muffin or brownie mix in a bag-type package.
I used the whole package of the vanilla candy coating (or sometimes called almond bark) ~ and then just put the unused part in a covered glass bowl in the refrigerator to reheat in the microwave another time. Same thing for chocolate ~ and you can always add more chocolate / vanilla to it, if you need to.
Another "trick" I do is use jello powder to color & flavor all kinds of baked goods (especially cookies, frosting or whipped cream) ~ so I also have a big Tupperware of opened packages of jello (with the opened packages in small snack baggies put back into the box).
Make sure you have some little bon bon papers to put these in.
TROPICAL DRINK CAKE BALLS
1 Jiffy yellow cake mix (made per package with 1 egg, but substituted unsweetened vanilla almond milk instead of the water called for on the package. Up to you to use milk or water). Bake just until it's done and don't over-bake! Just use any 1 layer size pan (spray it well).
While you're waiting for the cake to bake ~ I set out 2 bowls for the 2 flavors.
LIME MARGARITA: I put a heaping TB of lime jello mix into 1 bowl ~ and put about 1/2 cup of Tequila next to it ~ and a little tube of neon green food color, plus lime extract (if you have it).
PINA COLADA: I put a heaping TB of pineapple jello mix into another bowl ~ and set about 1/2 cup of rum next to it. Put a little bottle of yellow food color out, plus some coconut extract (if you have it) and tossed about a handful of sweetened flaked coconut into the bowl with the pineapple jello mix.
Cake is done! Cut in half and put half of the cake into each bowl. I used a rubber scraper to mash up the cake with everything else in the bowl ~ and add in about 2 TB of the appropriate liquor for the cake ball that I'm working with. Just mash it all together as smooth and tightly packed against the side of the bowl as possible.
I used a small cookie scoop (which is a little bigger than a melon baller ~ so maybe 1/2 TB) ~ using your hands, squeeze and roll into as tight a ball as possible and set on a pan (that you can put in the freezer). Do this with both bowls of mashed dough (you'll get more Pina Colada because you've added coconut in there ~ I got 12 Margarita and 15 Pina Colada). You may want to separate the flavors a little on the pan (especially if the colors aren't apparent), so you can tell them apart later.
Set up for the drizzle / decorating stage. I put a big piece of waxed paper on the counter with a cookie rack on top. I put out 2 smaller bowls with a drop of whatever food color I used in them, plus about 1 TB of either rum or tequila. Put whatever sprinkles you've decided to use out too (b/c they'll harden quickly, so you don't want to hunt for them later)
Take out the hardened cake balls (don't need to be in the freezer more than 1/2 hr. or so) and put each flavor on opposite sides of the rack.
DRIZZLES:
I did the whole package of the vanilla coating exactly as it said on the package and it "seized" up ~ not surprising since white chocolate is prone to that! DON'T PANIC! Use that rubber scraper to put it all into a glass dish that can go into the microwave and put about 1/4 cup of Crisco on top, plus about 2-3 TB of milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk). 25 seconds in the microwave ... nope, just "clumpy" ... 15 seconds more seemed promising! So I started whisking, and whisking (a little whisk) until it was really nice and smooth. If you need to whisk in a tsp. more Crisco or milk, go ahead.
It should run off a spoon easily, so just generously drizzle over the top of each cake ball (hopefully get them mostly covered). Now that you're going to say "Well, that's a mess under there!" but if you wait a sec, you can lift up the rack and put it down on a clean sheet of waxed paper. Then use a metal spatula to run over the messy waxed paper and scoop all the "used" white drizzle back into the bowl.
Use a spoon (or 1/4 cup measure) to put some of the white drizzle into each of the little colored bowls and mix well. Drizzle the yellow over the PINA COLADA and I used some white sprinkles that were in various shapes ~ neon green over the LIME MARGARITA with lime green sprinkles. I do about 5 at a time for the sprinkles, so the drizzle doesn't harden up.
Let them harden on the counter ~ then put into bon bon papers and store in refrigerator or freezer.
I used the whole package of the vanilla candy coating (or sometimes called almond bark) ~ and then just put the unused part in a covered glass bowl in the refrigerator to reheat in the microwave another time. Same thing for chocolate ~ and you can always add more chocolate / vanilla to it, if you need to.
Another "trick" I do is use jello powder to color & flavor all kinds of baked goods (especially cookies, frosting or whipped cream) ~ so I also have a big Tupperware of opened packages of jello (with the opened packages in small snack baggies put back into the box).
Make sure you have some little bon bon papers to put these in.
TROPICAL DRINK CAKE BALLS
1 Jiffy yellow cake mix (made per package with 1 egg, but substituted unsweetened vanilla almond milk instead of the water called for on the package. Up to you to use milk or water). Bake just until it's done and don't over-bake! Just use any 1 layer size pan (spray it well).
While you're waiting for the cake to bake ~ I set out 2 bowls for the 2 flavors.
LIME MARGARITA: I put a heaping TB of lime jello mix into 1 bowl ~ and put about 1/2 cup of Tequila next to it ~ and a little tube of neon green food color, plus lime extract (if you have it).
PINA COLADA: I put a heaping TB of pineapple jello mix into another bowl ~ and set about 1/2 cup of rum next to it. Put a little bottle of yellow food color out, plus some coconut extract (if you have it) and tossed about a handful of sweetened flaked coconut into the bowl with the pineapple jello mix.
Cake is done! Cut in half and put half of the cake into each bowl. I used a rubber scraper to mash up the cake with everything else in the bowl ~ and add in about 2 TB of the appropriate liquor for the cake ball that I'm working with. Just mash it all together as smooth and tightly packed against the side of the bowl as possible.
I used a small cookie scoop (which is a little bigger than a melon baller ~ so maybe 1/2 TB) ~ using your hands, squeeze and roll into as tight a ball as possible and set on a pan (that you can put in the freezer). Do this with both bowls of mashed dough (you'll get more Pina Colada because you've added coconut in there ~ I got 12 Margarita and 15 Pina Colada). You may want to separate the flavors a little on the pan (especially if the colors aren't apparent), so you can tell them apart later.
Set up for the drizzle / decorating stage. I put a big piece of waxed paper on the counter with a cookie rack on top. I put out 2 smaller bowls with a drop of whatever food color I used in them, plus about 1 TB of either rum or tequila. Put whatever sprinkles you've decided to use out too (b/c they'll harden quickly, so you don't want to hunt for them later)
Take out the hardened cake balls (don't need to be in the freezer more than 1/2 hr. or so) and put each flavor on opposite sides of the rack.
DRIZZLES:
I did the whole package of the vanilla coating exactly as it said on the package and it "seized" up ~ not surprising since white chocolate is prone to that! DON'T PANIC! Use that rubber scraper to put it all into a glass dish that can go into the microwave and put about 1/4 cup of Crisco on top, plus about 2-3 TB of milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk). 25 seconds in the microwave ... nope, just "clumpy" ... 15 seconds more seemed promising! So I started whisking, and whisking (a little whisk) until it was really nice and smooth. If you need to whisk in a tsp. more Crisco or milk, go ahead.
It should run off a spoon easily, so just generously drizzle over the top of each cake ball (hopefully get them mostly covered). Now that you're going to say "Well, that's a mess under there!" but if you wait a sec, you can lift up the rack and put it down on a clean sheet of waxed paper. Then use a metal spatula to run over the messy waxed paper and scoop all the "used" white drizzle back into the bowl.
Use a spoon (or 1/4 cup measure) to put some of the white drizzle into each of the little colored bowls and mix well. Drizzle the yellow over the PINA COLADA and I used some white sprinkles that were in various shapes ~ neon green over the LIME MARGARITA with lime green sprinkles. I do about 5 at a time for the sprinkles, so the drizzle doesn't harden up.
Let them harden on the counter ~ then put into bon bon papers and store in refrigerator or freezer.
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