So, on the weekend of September 25, there was a wedding, for which I made the cake.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, more is to come on that, but first I want to show you what I did with the leftovers.  I made cake balls!  Cake balls are cake that has been crumbled, mixed with icing, shaped into balls, and then dipped into chocolate or candy coating. 



For more on cake balls and all their creative variations, visit Bakerella's blog.  I am apparently in a hole, because Bakerella has had her blog and fan following for something like 3 years and I'm just getting around to discovering her adorable creations.  I had heard of cake balls from a show I watched a long time ago on Food Network, and then they popped up again when I happened upon Bakerella's site.  I had a bunch of leftover cake pieces from where I trimmed the wedding cake or the recipe made more than I needed, etc, and I didn't want to just throw the scraps away, so I tried my hand at these balls.  I took them to two different events I had the following weekend they were a huge hit at both.  It's pretty safe to say that whatever flavor you choose, they'll rock the party. 



You can pretty much choose any cake and icing combination that you want to make these cake balls, but my leftover cake and icing were red velvet and cream cheese, respectively, so that is what I used.  You can also use a boxed mix cake and purchased icing or homemade.  These are so forgiving!  If you use homemade cream cheese icing, you'll need to store the balls in the fridge.  I am pretty sure that any other icing is OK to leave out at room temperature.  So, here is the "recipe" for the cake balls:

Cake Balls
inspired by Bakerella

1- 9x13 cake, baked and cooled or the scrap equivalent
1-2 cups (1 can) of icing
24 oz. semisweet chocolate, almond bark, or candy coating of your choice

Crumble the cake so that it's just a bunch of crumbs.  Mix in the icing, starting with 1 cup and adding more if it's too dry.  You want a soft, mushy mixture that holds its shape.  Shape the mixture into 1 inch balls and place them onto a wax paper or parchment lined baking sheet.  Place the balls into the freezer for at least 15 minutes to allow them to really firm up. 

While the cake balls are chilling, melt your chocolate/candy coating in the microwave or a double boiler. 

One at a time, dip the balls into the chocolate/candy coating and roll around with a fork or silicon scraper to coat.  Using two forks, pick up the coated cake ball with one fork and gently rock it back and forth between the two forks to remove the excess chocolate.  Use one fork to place the cake ball back onto the baking sheet.  Repeat with all the balls.  Once the cholocate or candy coating is dry, store in an airtight container.  Enjoy!