Even after 30 years writing about food and drink, I manage to learn something new every day. And much of the time, that’s thanks to my kids.
Take, for example, my recent encounter with Red Velvet Cake Balls. Maybe this is old news to you. Maybe you already knew about these luscious blobs of tinted buttermilk cake, cream cheese frosting and thick chocolate ganache.
But I was completely entranced when my son’s friend Katie showed up at his apartment with a large baking sheet crowded with dozens of the still-gooey globes.
It was Ben’s Cinco de Mayo party. I helped him ready the buffet table with carnitas, taco shells, guacamole, chips and salsa. But my contribution to the fiesta paled when Katie arrived with the glistening cake balls.
Twenty-eight years in the trenches as newspaper food editor and I had no idea how one would go about baking a round cake. Did you have to pour batter into a rounded muffin pan and glue two halves together with frosting, or what?
Katie shared her source with me -- Bakerella.com, a fascinating Website with great photos, easy-to-follow recipes and over-the-top inspiration for Cake Balls, Cupcake Pops, Balls and Bites. There’s also a Pop Shop where you can purchase candy molds, coatings, sticks, etc. and the enticing cookbook, “Cake Pops,” released last year and also available at Amazon.com for $11.97.
(This photo of precise, professional Cake Balls is from the Bakerella Website; the Cinco de Mayo desserts were larger and drenched in tons of melted chocolate.)
I was completely blown away by the recipe and directions for Red Velvet Cake Balls. .
For starters, you bake a regular red velvet cake, from scratch or packaged mix.Then…
1. Crumble the whole cake into a bowl. (Whaaaat?)
2. Using your hands, mix in a load of cream cheese frosting (homemade or packaged. (Whoa!)
3. Roll the mixture into balls, place on a cookie sheet and chill.
4. Drench in classy chocolate ganache or foolproof microwaved chocolate “bark.” (Wow!)
The result is super moist, super chocolatey, super fun.
You can follow Bakerella’s recipe on-line....or invite Katie to your next party.
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