 |  |  |
 cake ingredients |  mix batter |  before baking |  after baking |  add chocolate stuff & flour |
 mix well |  form balls & chill |  roll in perfect balls |  some choices to use for dipping |  dip into melted vanilla wafers |
 let harden |  gently lift up from paper |  trim off excess white coating |  writing choices |  write / draw sports ball lines |
These were "spur of the moment" for my granddaughter's 15th birthday. (She's on the Sophomore volleyball team, in addition to a competition volleyball team for her city.) She wanted a pure white vanilla layer cake, and I couldn't find volleyball decorations that I liked, so I made these and just put them into little silver bon bon papers. (Besides, that gave her 3 older teenage brothers and 1 older teenage sister sometime to snack on before she cut the cake when her friends came over.)
Let me say that although I can make perfect cake balls up to the point where you roll (or dip) them in melted coating, I've just never mastered a nice smooth coating. I've tried many different ways, so I'll give you one here ~ but if you have a way that works better, all the better! Still, the kids didn't care (and I told them these were volleyballs at the end of the year ~ haha). **
I bought several types of icing writers & edible ink pens. I didn't like pens at all (they don't leave a dark enough line), but the icing writers are great! However, I ran out of plain black, so some of them are blue & gold (her high school colors).
All being said, they TASTED delicious ~ and my grandmother (the best baker ever!) once told me that homemade baked goods shouldn't be perfect because then people will think you bought them! I go with that excuse quite often (haha) ~ when cakes are slightly tilted, or just don't look exactly as I'd pictured.
VOLLEYBALL CHOCOLATE CAKE BALLS or POPS
1 7 to 7-5 oz. pkg muffin or brownie mix
(raspberry, strawberry, chocolate chip are good muffin mixes to use)
TIP: if you use raspberry or strawberry, you can add 1 tsp same jam when you do the canned frosting later)
Milk, eggs, oil and/or water ~ whatever is called for on box
1/2 cu+ canned frosting (fudge or chocolate)
1 TB dark chocolate syrup…………..1 TB dark unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 lb. white chocolate melts (chips or bark)
Chocolate or black edible food markers or icing
***
Prepare muffin mix with whatever ingredients are called for on the box, PLUS 1 TB dark unsweetened cocoa powder. Bake in an 8” pan (that’s been sprayed with non-stick spray) according to package directions (less 5 minutes ~ so a toothpick comes out clean, but no hard edges. My package called for 425 for 14-17 min., but I baked @ 400 for 10 min))
Let cake cool completely, then break apart and crumble with your hands (in a big bowl) until crumbled up. .Stir in frosting and chocolate syrup (with wooden spoon) until a dough forms.(If the dough seems dry, you can add additional frosting, 1 tsp. at a time, until desired consistency).
Roll the mixture into tablespoon-sized balls (or use a small cookie scoop). Put the balls on a parchment lined baking sheet and chill for at least one hour. Take the cold balls out of the refrigerator and roll them on the counter until they’re a smooth, even ball.
Melt the white chocolate in a bowl in the microwave, (I do 45 sec), and stir until completely smooth. (A 2-cup glass measuring cup works best b/c it’s deep enough to cover the cake balls when you dip them). I got 14 cake balls.
CAKE BALLS: Put cake ball on a fork and dunk into the melted white chocolate to cover. Tap against the side of the bowl to remove excess candy melts. Put back onto the baking sheet until chocolate hardens.
CAKE POPS: Dip the end of each stick into melted chocolate; then insert into a cake ball. Dunk to completely cover cake ball. Stand the sticks up in a big block of Styrofoam to harden.
Let me say that although I can make perfect cake balls up to the point where you roll (or dip) them in melted coating, I've just never mastered a nice smooth coating. I've tried many different ways, so I'll give you one here ~ but if you have a way that works better, all the better! Still, the kids didn't care (and I told them these were volleyballs at the end of the year ~ haha). **
I bought several types of icing writers & edible ink pens. I didn't like pens at all (they don't leave a dark enough line), but the icing writers are great! However, I ran out of plain black, so some of them are blue & gold (her high school colors).
All being said, they TASTED delicious ~ and my grandmother (the best baker ever!) once told me that homemade baked goods shouldn't be perfect because then people will think you bought them! I go with that excuse quite often (haha) ~ when cakes are slightly tilted, or just don't look exactly as I'd pictured.
VOLLEYBALL CHOCOLATE CAKE BALLS or POPS
1 7 to 7-5 oz. pkg muffin or brownie mix
(raspberry, strawberry, chocolate chip are good muffin mixes to use)
TIP: if you use raspberry or strawberry, you can add 1 tsp same jam when you do the canned frosting later)
Milk, eggs, oil and/or water ~ whatever is called for on box
1/2 cu+ canned frosting (fudge or chocolate)
1 TB dark chocolate syrup…………..1 TB dark unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 lb. white chocolate melts (chips or bark)
Chocolate or black edible food markers or icing
***
Prepare muffin mix with whatever ingredients are called for on the box, PLUS 1 TB dark unsweetened cocoa powder. Bake in an 8” pan (that’s been sprayed with non-stick spray) according to package directions (less 5 minutes ~ so a toothpick comes out clean, but no hard edges. My package called for 425 for 14-17 min., but I baked @ 400 for 10 min))
Let cake cool completely, then break apart and crumble with your hands (in a big bowl) until crumbled up. .Stir in frosting and chocolate syrup (with wooden spoon) until a dough forms.(If the dough seems dry, you can add additional frosting, 1 tsp. at a time, until desired consistency).
Roll the mixture into tablespoon-sized balls (or use a small cookie scoop). Put the balls on a parchment lined baking sheet and chill for at least one hour. Take the cold balls out of the refrigerator and roll them on the counter until they’re a smooth, even ball.
Melt the white chocolate in a bowl in the microwave, (I do 45 sec), and stir until completely smooth. (A 2-cup glass measuring cup works best b/c it’s deep enough to cover the cake balls when you dip them). I got 14 cake balls.
CAKE BALLS: Put cake ball on a fork and dunk into the melted white chocolate to cover. Tap against the side of the bowl to remove excess candy melts. Put back onto the baking sheet until chocolate hardens.
CAKE POPS: Dip the end of each stick into melted chocolate; then insert into a cake ball. Dunk to completely cover cake ball. Stand the sticks up in a big block of Styrofoam to harden.
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