A first time for everything..the cake ball experience

I've spent the last two nights making my first "Cake Balls". Thanks to Sara for informing me of their existence during her visit in August. I googled recipes for Cake Balls, and ran across the Bakerella blog, and OMG that woman has amazingly good ideas and so much talent. I didn't fully understand her talent until trying to make cake balls myself..

Mine have a loooooong way to go before they look as professional as hers...but it's a goal worth working toward...besides, NZ tasted one and gave me the thumbs up..along with, " These would get smoked in 5 minutes if I took them to work!" , so even if they aren't absolute perfection, they're man approved.

To make Cake Balls you will need:

Box cake mix (unless you're a real go getter and make it from scratch )

Buttercream Frosting ( enough for one cake)

Wilton Melting chips (or baking chips)

Assorted sprinkles ( jimmies, confetti, nuts, sugar crystals)

I made 4 different kinds.

Yellow with vanilla frosting and sprinkles coated in Wilton Pink Melts

Yellow with vanilla frosting and sprinkles coated in White chocolate

Chocolate with peanut butter chocolate frosting coated in Reeses PB chips

Chocolate with peanut butter frosting coated in semi sweet chocolate chips

I did my best to take photos of each step, but some...scratch that..MOST... are missing because it's so easy to forget to stop and take a picture..The sheer excitement of baking got the best of me!

Step 1: Bake Cake as directed ( I was so excited I didn't take a picture..off to a good start, right? But ya'll know how to bake a cake..so I'm not teaching you anything new here.)

Step 2: Let Cake Cool. Super duper important. Don't rush this step!

Step 3: Make Buttercream frosting ( I always use the recipe off of the C&H Powdered Sugar Box)

Step 4: Crumble cake into a bowl

Step 5: Mix in frosting with Hands ( at this point I was glad I had taken my rings off. It was an icky gooey mess!) The crumbled cake and frosting mixture will resemble a paste.

Step 6: Cover bowl in Saran Wrap and Refrigerate overnight.

Step 7: Make 1-2 inch balls and chill for at least 3 hours ( fast forward the process by putting them in the freezer for an hour..if you're impatient like me)

Step 8: Melt Candy coating or chocolate chips in a microwave proof bowl, or use a double boiler ( if microwaving, zap for 20 second intervals until melted)

Step 9: Insert Toothpick in each ball, submerge in melted coating. Use a Spoon to drizzle over uncovered sections.

Step 10: Place dipped balls on WAXED PAPER ( The use of WAXED paper is imperative. Anything else and it sticks!)

Step 11: Sprinkle toppings while coating is still soft.

Step 12: Refrigerate until ready to serve.

They're so much fun to make! I am already looking forward to trying Bakerella's Turkey cake ball pops for Thanksgiving. What a fun baking project!