I just made some oreo truffles and some red velvet truffles-both dipped in white almond bark. The oreo truffles had been mixed/shaped and in the freezer for 2 weeks. I let them thaw slightly in the frig-but returned to the freezer when lots of pieces were coming off into the white almond bark.

The red velvet ones were crumbled in the kitchen aide (great for a fine text. if you don't have a processor-cake needs to be cool) & mixed w/ 1/2 jar of crm cheese icing. I do not have a dipping spoon-or even a plastic fork. So I used a reg. fork and another spoon to spoon the coating over-or again, too many pieces ended up in the coating. I did add 2t shortening to 6 squares of bark-it was a nice coating consistency, but a bit to thin as you could see the ball under the coating-UG!

My cake truffles were about 1 1/2" in diameter-which I think is a bit too big. My best dipping was with a toothpick-and they kept breaking the toothpicks! I used a thicker toothpick & twisted (KEY) it out, while nudging with another toothpick. It only left a small hole, easily repaired by taking the toothpick I pushed the truffle onto the wax paper with and dipping it in the coating & covering the small hole. Now I see the orea ones have some oily drops. What causes the oil & how do you keep the white coating free of debris? I got 40 balls out of the velvet mix.

I've discovered if my coating is too thin in spots or if it cracks that there are oily spots that leak

Maybe add a tad more binder (couple T) to hold the cake together better & you shouldn't have crumbs.

I use to thin my almond bark too until seeing the pioneer woman's blog w/ bakerella. I just melted this past time & was pleasantly surprised!

Whew! Doesn't take long for this thread to get away from you.

I don't know of any other methods to cove the cake balls with chocolate. I drop my cold cakeball into the chocolate. This melted chocolate sits approx. 1/2 way up the cake ball. I roll it around the bowl once or twice to make sure it is covered. I use the fork to remove, gently tapping the bowl for any excess chocolate, then I gently transfer to a chilled cookie sheet lined with wax paper.

I don't think my process is any different from any others, especially reading this thread, but I know for a fact that Wilton and Merkens candy melts are much denser (if that is a proper word) than mine. I haven't used bark and don't remember what it taste like.

So I'm sorry I don't have another solution, I didn't like the toothpick idea. Maybe someone else will.

Wow...I just read through all the pages and what great flavours and advice. I have made these a few times but had problems with pooling and marks/holes. So the last time I did them I used my big fork that I've use for carving a turkey or roast (not sure the technical name) - the two prong metal one - the prongs seemed far enough apart to just hold the cake ball (looked like it was going to fall between the prongs) but when I put it on the wax paper I could press the fork down and pull it away very easiy (almost like the ball popped off the fork). I had no marks and hardly any pooling because it seemed more stable for tapping off the excess.
Can't wait to try other flavours...Happy Baking

I had my instructions typed out for my son to make cake balls, so I thought I would post the way I do it for you guys. Highlighting my personal dipping method which has always worked well for me.

CAKE BALLS

Cake of your choice (Ive done chocolate, German chocolate, banana, strawberry, cherry chip, spice, white, yellow)
Buttercream icing (Instead, you can also use flavored coffee creamer in any flavor to compliment your cake, Ive never tried this though)
Chocolate of your choice for dipping (can use chocolate chips, candy melts, Hershey kisses)
Sprinkles, nuts or coconut

Bake your cake as directed on package. Let cool and crumble into a big bowl. Add just enough icing (or coffee creamer) so mixture can be formed into a ball. Careful not to add too much or your balls will be soggy.

Roll cake into balls and place on a waxed paper lined cookie sheet. Freeze for a couple of hours. At this point you can transfer the balls to a Ziploc bag, freeze and dip them as needed.

DIPPING

Melt your chocolate in the microwave, stirring after 20 second intervals until smooth and melted. If it seems a bit gloppy or thickish, add about a Tablespoon of vegetable shortening, melt and stir until smooth.

Have a cookie sheet ready covered with waxed paper. I usually take out about a dozen at a time from the freezer. Working quickly since the balls thaw kind of fast, stick a toothpick into the balls. Dip and roll your balls into the melted chocolate. Tap ball gently but firmly on edge of bowl. Using a fork, (I use a small cocktail fork) rest your ball on the fork with the toothpick between the tines of the fork. Slide the toothpick down and twist it gently out of the ball leaving the ball resting on the fork. Using the toothpick, gently push the ball onto the waxed paper lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle with desired topping before chocolate sets. Work fast!
Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes is good. Transfer balls to those cute little cupcake holders and package up as desired.

Couple of things.do NOT use the chocolate/peanut butter chips for coating balls, they dont melt properly. White chocolate chips work good and the mint chocolate chips are MY personal favorite with chocolate cake balls. Tastes like a yummy Andes mint.

Im gonna have to try that scoring method to eliminate pooling. It never really bothered me because I place the balls in paper holders, but it sounds like a cool idea.

Has anyone tried dipping with Trader Joes Dark Choc Mint UFO's? I bought a package and I wanted to see how they would do for the choc coating. I just havn't had time to use them yet.

I don't know if this will help you all but when I was reading about dipping chocolates someone suggested using the small wire wilton cake leveler thing to tap off the excess chocolate.

He used a fork and the leveler was propped over the bowl with the chocolate.
That method seemed to work well, and all the excess chocolate goes back into the bowl.

HTH someone!

This thread is awesome. I love making cake balls. I can't wait to try some of the flavors listed here! Thanks so much for sharing.

Okay my email notices are sparadic at best -- I am wondering if there has been a google doc made for this thread. Let me know!

When there is one, please let me know so I can update the recipe links. Thanks all!

crisseyann, where do you find the mint chocolates? That does sound divine and around the holidays would scrumptious!

crisseyann, I posted most of your cake balls instructions/suggestions in another thread (Anyone wants to join my christmas basket project???), hope thats ok with you. Thank you for posting.

Well, I've started a google doc. So far, I've logged in the flavor combo ideas through page 4 of this thread. Hope it works, it's my first time creating a Google Document. I'll continue updating as I have time.

http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AWyT_ZcILkBTZGRkNHF6cjNfNWduNzY5YmNm&hl=en

Perfect! I'll be updating the recipe links in the next few days so I'll add this to it.

WOW what a great thread! I just finished reading it last night and decided to try for a THIRD time to make cake balls. I'm sooooo glad for this thread because like they say three times the charm.

Just in case there is anyone out there that is having the same problems I was, here is what how I fixed it (based on all the responses in this thread)

Problem: My cake balls were too soft and gooey on the inside
Solution: Added very little frosting because my cakes are always super moist to begin with.

Problem: Chocolate was not smooth and runny enough to cover the balls properly and make them have a nice and smooth finish.
Solution:
1- I added oil a little at a time until I got the right consistency, just enough to pour the chocolate over the ball. ( I used regular chocolate chips)

2- I placed the ball on a fork while holding it over my bowl of chocolate and used a spoon to pour the chocolate on the ball.

3- Very important part here. After the chocolate is poured over the ball, tap the fork on the side of the bowl this pulls down any clumps from the top of the ball and makes a perfectly smooth ball.

4- Use a toothpick to slide the ball off the fork.

Now my cake balls are perfectly smooth. Here is a picture, I was rushed doing these as my baby was about to wake up and I wanted to finish them quickly. I cant wait to get started on another batch and take my time with them. Thanks for all the fantastic pointers.



Here is the inside, next time I will use even less frosting because they are still just a little too gooey.

Those look perfect Cakelovincrazy! I totally get the baby thing and even so they look fab!

I need a little help. I have a HUGE order for christmas. (my first real order) I make the pops and package them as bouquets. They ordered 20 bouquets of 20. It is a business that is giving my bouquets to their clients. So that is 400 pop to make. Has anybody made that amount at one time?

I did a tasting with them and they chose two flavors. Choc mint. and then pumpkin spice. The two to me seem like they don't match so I was thinking of doing a few plain chocolate to give the "picky" person a chance to have one. I say this only cause the customer has given me free range and I will already have chocolate cake for the choc mint. so it wouldn't be more cost.


Any thoughts/advice would be great!

Truffleshuffle, Congratulations on your big order. I have made quite a few but not have to package them individually. I kept mine refridgerated until needed. And by all means get some help! Even if its just to help with the prep work, the tiny details is what kills you.

Good Luck!

Cakelovincrazy, those are beautiful! Can you imagine what you'll do with a bit extra time.

Okay, so my kiddos were quiet today and I was able to finish updated the Google doc. I may try to organize it further if I have more time, but at least we have everything up until now in one place.
http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AWyT_ZcILkBTZGRkNHF6cjNfNWduNzY5YmNm&hl=en

I've set it that anyone can edit, so feel free to update, just make a notation on the bottom (i.e. Last update 11/20/09 by Fullhouse) so we don't duplicate each others efforts.

SugarBakerz...I purchased Hershey's Mint chocolate morsels at Meijer's and Krogers, right next to the other morsels.

GatuPR.....glad you found my tips helpful Post away!

Thank you Fullhouse for your hard work, got it bookmarked

Just made Spice Cake with decorator cream cheese frosting binder, dipped in white choc. or semi-sweet choc.

Taste testers DS & DH loved them. DS's eyes popped and he said he likes these better than regular cake.

thanks full house!! I just didnt have the time!!!

new question!!

What size scoop does everyone use?

I just got a 1 inch one! is that too big ( had to go to 13 different stores t ofind it! and it was 14 bucks)

I use a 1" & think it's the perfect size. I bought mine from Pampered Chef long ago but think it was about $12.

I use a full (level) tablespoon, then round it by hand. I guess it's about an inch diameter. It's one bite for DH, but it takes me two. LOL Man, those things are rich! Love em though.

Thank you FullHouse for putting the Google doc together. It's so nice to have all of the info. in one place.

Happy cake balling to all!

I have had pretty good success with my method of dipping the cakeballs. I actually use a spoon, not a fork. When my cake balls are well refrigerated, I take a piece of foil and lay it flat on my counter. I then dip each ball with a spoon and roll it around once to make sure it is fully covered. I then tilt the spoon downward slightly to let the excess drip off. The most important part is to then quickly let the ball roll off the spoon onto the foil while holding the spoon completely upright. Make sure the tip of the spoon is not touching the counter, because that's when you get pooling. If any excess appears to be dripping off the spoon I just drip the excess over the top of the ball and it actually makes a nice little affect on the finished ball. I hope this makes sense and hope this helps.

I wanted to share that tomorrow Sunday is the last day for the Holiday Taste of Sam's Club for members and non-members from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

According to their website, they will have a Chocolate Dipping Event using Ghirardelli Candy Dipping Kit, which will be on sale also. I have used this chocolate before and is my favorite for dipping oreos and other things.