Cake Balls Amazingly Delicious Bite-Size Treats

by Ankeny, Robin; Lyon, Charlotte

• ISBN13: 9780762445769
• ISBN10: 0762445769
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-07-31
• Publisher: Running Press Adult

Summary

Authors Robin Ankeny and Charlotte Lyon started The Cake Ball Company in 2006, and it has quickly become the leader in the cake ball market. Perfect for both new and experienced bakers and all those who are sick of boring plain cakes and the cupcake trend, cake balls are bite-sized bits of moist cake blended with rich icing and surrounded in a beautiful chocolate shell. Cake balls are super-fun to make and the end product is cute yet elegant--not to mention delicious--making them the ideal dessert for parties, brunches, showers, weddings, and more. Included within this tasty little cookbook you will find three cake and three icing recipes, for which all of the 51 cake ball recipes in the book are based on, troubleshooting tips, decorating and packaging ideas, and 45+ full-color photos throughout. Some of the tasty recipes include Southern Red Velvet, Triple Chocolate Chip, Gingerbread, Tiramisu, Carrot Cake, Strawberries and Cream, and many more.

Author Biography

Robin Ankeny was a wine consultant for a number of years before she became the founder of The Cake Ball Company in 2006.

Charlotte Lyon is co-owner and marketing director of The Cake Ball Company. She has a business and marketing background, used to have her own freelance design business, and did advertising for numerous food accounts. Visit them at cakeballs.com.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Getting Started

Equipment

Making Cake Balls

Dipping and Drizzling

Decorating

Tips and Troubleshooting

Parties, Displays, and Gift-Giving

Cake and Icing

Cake

Basic Chocolate Cake

Basic Vanilla Cake

Basic Yellow Cake

Icing

Basic Chocolate Icing

Basic Vanilla Icing

Basic Cream Cheese Icing

Cake Balls

Classics

Birthday Cake

Brownie

Chocolate Toffee

German Chocolate

Southern Red Velvet

Wedding Cake

Chocolate Lovers

Candy Bar Overload

Chocolate Butterscotch

Chocolate Buzz

Chocolate Covered Cherry

Chocolate Salty Pretzel

Chocolate Macadamia

Chocolate Pistachio

Chocolate Coffee Hazelnut

Triple Chocolate Chip

Fresh and Fruity

Apple Cinnamon

Banana Walnut

Blackberry Cobbler

Blueberry Muffin

Chocolate Apricot

Coconut Cream

Hummingbird

Lemon

Orange Poppy Seed

Strawberries and Cream

Peanut Butter Banana

Jingle Balls

Carrot Cake

Dark Chocolate Peppermint

Cinnamon Streusel

Creamy Eggnog

Gingerbread

Pumpkin Spice

A Little Bit Tipsy

Almond Amaretto

Bourbon Pecan Pie

Raspberry Champagne

Irish Cream

Key West Rum Cake

Margarita Lime

Piña Colada

Tiramisu

Fun with Cake Balls

Chocolate Malted Milk

Honey Granola

Chai Latte

Dreamsicle

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Dough

Cookies and Cream

Salted Peanut Butter

S'mores

Salted Caramel

Snickerdoodle

Tres Leches

Index

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

[introduction]
Introduction
If you are new to the wonderful world of cake balls, then you might be asking yourself, “What the heck is a cake ball?” Well, let us tell you . . . they’re just what you’ve been waiting for! They are crumbled bits of moist cake blended with rich icing, rolled into a ball, and then dipped in a deliciously wonderful chocolate coating. Cake balls are an exciting twist on the everyday cupcake and a sophisticated yet fun alternative to traditional dessert. It’s no wonder why they’ve become such a sweet sensation!
Plain and simple, cake balls are pure greatness. There are a gazillion different variations of cake and icing, with every different flavor combination offering a unique, mouth-watering experience. And every bite delivers that thrilling combination we all love—cake and icing! Who hasn’t been disappointed to realize that she has finished all the icing, leaving a sad slice of cake just begging for sticky sweet frosting? A cake ball promises to never leave your cake stranded.
The greatness doesn’t just stop with the tastiness either. Cake balls are just the right size. At The Cake Ball Company, we call them portion-controlled. When you are feeling the need for something small and sweet, you can indulge without having to down a big slice of cake. Their ideal size also makes them perfect for parties and entertaining. You can set out your cake balls on a serving tray with napkins, and be done with it. There’s no slicing, no plates, no forks, and no mess. Your guests can have one cake ball, if they just want a little something sweet. Or, in the case of a recent party we hosted, a guest can stuff his face with ten! We won’t name any names here, but you know who you are.
Maybe you are wondering how cake balls came to be. Maybe you aren’t. But, we’ll tell you anyway. Robin grew up in a small southeast Texas town where her mother often served her one-of-a-kind cake balls at family events and celebrations. After Robin graduated from college, she moved to Dallas and brought her mother’s cake ball recipe with her. She began making these cake balls for friends in the big city where people had never heard of her tasty little treats before, and she started giving her unique cake balls as gifts. Gifts turned into favors, favors turned into requests, and, low and behold, requests turned into orders. All the while, she experimented with new flavors.
Before she knew it, Robin had to go pro to keep up with the demand. Once out-of-town orders started coming in, Charlotte joined the operation. In 2006, the business officially became The Cake Ball Company, and we have worked every day since to make cake balls a part of the American everyday vocabulary. The Cake Ball Company now has a production facility and retail shop in Dallas. We hope that next time you find yourself in the Big D, you’ll stop by the shop and say “howdy!” We have shipped cake balls to all fifty states, and we are constantly coming up with and testing new flavor combinations. In this tasty little cookbook, we’ve offered the most exciting and delicious recipes just for you.
We do work hard at The Cake Ball Company, but if there is one thing we know how to do best, it’s have fun. The main philosophy of our business is “always have a ball.” Laughing is the only way for us to remain sane when we are up to our elbows in hundreds of orders—and chocolate. Cake balls are not meant to be serious business. (How could it be when one is up to her elbows in chocolate?) So, we hope that you’ll have a ball making the recipes in this cookbook. Experiment with the cake and icing combinations. Play with decorating ideas. Don’t worry if they don’t come out looking fabulous. By following our tips and tricks and with some practice, your balls can look just like the ones in this book. Don’t forget that you can also order your cake balls from us at any time at www.cakeballs.com. We’ll be happy to ship you a box of perfectly portion-controlled cake balls.

[samples from Classics chapter]
Classics
The Cake Ball Company opened its doors in 2006 with six decadent flavors. Today, those first six flavors are fondly referred to as our classics. These include Birthday Cake, which is our most popular, Brownie, Chocolate Toffee, German Chocolate, Red Velvet, and Wedding Cake. Although we have had a blast trying and testing new flavors, these six remain the best sellers in our shop and on our website. The Cake Ball Company has been steadily rolling up hill since our modest beginnings with these tried-and-true flavors.

Birthday Cake
This is the recipe for the first cake ball ever sold and remains our most popular flavor to date. It is the most basic of all recipes, but makes a great blank canvas to add flavors to, flex your creative muscles, or experiment with some fun decorating ideas.
For the cake and icing:
1 (18.25-ounce) box vanilla cake mix or basic vanilla cake (page XX)
1/2 to 3/4 cup store-bought cream cheese icing or basic cream cheese icing (page XX)
For coating and decorating:
24 ounces white chocolate, for coating
Approximately 1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles, for decoration
1. Follow the instructions for baking a vanilla cake (page XX).
2. While the cake is cooling, prepare the cream cheese icing (page XX) or open your store-bought icing.
3. After the cake has cooled, follow the cake ball method instructions (page XX).
4. After the cake balls are dipped in white chocolate, drizzle them with fine lines. Do one at a time and sprinkle them with rainbow sprinkles to give each a festive feel.

Brownie
This is our second bestselling cake ball. It is pretty simple, but a big hit every time. It tastes like yummy fudgy brownies. If you aren’t a fan of pecans (we love ’em), you can try another nut or omit the nuts altogether.
For the cake and icing:
1 (18.25-ounce) box chocolate cake mix or basic chocolate cake (page XX)
1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped
1/2 to 3/4 cup store-bought chocolate icing or basic chocolate icing (page XX)
For coating and decorating:
24 ounces milk chocolate, for coating
1. Mix together the ingredients for making a chocolate cake (page XX).After the ingredients are fully combined, stir in the pecans.
2. Follow the instructions for baking the cake (page XX).
3. While the cake is cooling, prepare the chocolate icing (page XX) or open your store-bought icing.
4. After the cake has cooled, follow the cake ball method instructions (page XX).
5. After the cake balls are dipped in milk chocolate, drizzle them with fine lines. Or, you can let your imagination run wild! This flavor makes a great blank canvas to try out some fun decorating ideas.