A couple of weeks ago I tried making one of those peekaboo pound cakes. You know, a pound cake that reveals a fun, holiday-themed shape in the center when you slice into it? The directions in the recipe I followed were clear, but the execution was flawed. Horribly, wretchedly flawed.
Instead of slicing into a moist and luscious cream cheese pound cake to reveal a red velvet cake-flavored, Christmas tree-shape inside, I sawed into a burnt brick to find a maroon-colored blob in the center. FAIL.
The upside to my baking disaster? I had almost an entire red velvet cake leftover to make Red Velvet Cake Balls with!
Start with 1 box red velvet cake mix. Bake the cake according to package directions then, when it’s completely cool, crumble the cake into a very large bowl. This will feel so wrong — but that’s showbiz, baby!
Next, make a cream cheese frosting which will act like glue to hold the cake crumbles together. You could also buy this pre-made, but frosting is one thing I always make from scratch. It’s easy! Just cream together 1/4 cup softened butter with 4oz 1/3-less fat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, then 1 cup powdered sugar.
Add half of the icing to the cake crumbles then incorporate it with a spatula or your hands.
Add more icing until the cake crumbles just come together to form a smooth NOT TOO STICKY paste.
Scoop the cake mixture by the Tablespoon then roll into balls and place on a wax paper-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate until firm, 1-2 hours.
Once the cake balls are firm, pull them out and melt their yummy chocolate coating. I love Baker’s chocolate because it melts perfectly in the microwave and stays silky smooth for a long time after warming.
For the cake balls, microwave 16oz Baker’s semi-sweet baking chocolate in 30 second increments, stirring between increments, until smooth.
Use two forks to dip each cake ball in the melted chocolate. Pass the cake ball from fork to fork once or twice, then place back on the wax paper.
After all the balls have been dipped, melt 6oz Baker’s white chocolate to drizzle on top. This is totally optional, but I think it adds a little somethin’ somthin’. Follow the same melting instructions as the semi-sweet chocolate, then use a small spoon to drizzle the melted chocolate over the cake balls.
Finally, for a little extra holiday cheer, dust with colored sprinkles on top!
Refrigerate the cake balls until the chocolate has hardened, then you are ready to ROCK!
Perfectly pretty and festive — I hope you love each and every Red Velvet Cake Ball!
Psst! These make great homemade holiday gifts, too!
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