Read an Excerpt

Introduction

What is a cake ball?

Maybe cake balls have already come into your life, just as cookies and cupcakes have. If not, get ready for fun and deliciousness! It is a rare occurrence for a "new" baked good to appear, and that is just one reason cake balls are so exciting. They are also easy and fun to make and eat and yet unique unto themselves.

Cake balls are, simply put, a combination of cake, a binder (like frosting), and a coating (usually chocolate). Perhaps you have seen versions on the Internet and elsewhere calling for boxed cake mixes and canned frosting (see page 32 for my take on this method). My approach to cake balls is taste-based, and in this book I guide you with from-scratch cake and frosting recipes, stressing high-quality ingredients. My cake balls look like a cross between a gussied-up doughnut hole and a large candy truffle. Their preparation can be as simple as using yellow buttermilk cake, vanilla frosting, and a coating of pure white chocolate, or they can be something quite elegant with deep, dark chocolate cake, fresh raspberries, dark chocolate ganache binder, and a coating of bittersweet chocolate embellished with more berries. You will find both of those recipes in this book, as well as fun renditions like Confetti Cake Balls, Cappuccino Cake Balls, Zesty Lemon Cake Balls, and many others—more than 50 in all!

As with all of my books, my aim is to be your helper in the kitchen. I want you to have the most enjoyable and mouthwatering experience possible. I love hearing from readers; if you have any questions or want to share stories and pictures, please do not hesitate to contact me at dede@dedewilson.com.

How to use this book

This book is set up to be as user-friendly as possible. Whether you want to make cake balls from scratch, try a cake mix, or create a cake ball with flavors of your own choosing, I have provided guidelines to ensure great results.

Chapter 1: baking and creating fabulous cake balls provides you with the basics to begin making these tiny, tasty treats. Here you will find information on creating your own flavor combinations; a brief section on ingredients, equipment, and techniques; descriptions of purchased decorations that will greatly enhance your cake balls; and storage tips.

Chapter 2: the basic recipes is where the fun begins; it is divided into two sections. The first part provides you with basic cake recipes, while the second has frostings, ganache, pastry cream, and other moist "binders" to combine with the cake "bases." All of these basic recipes are used in Chapter 3 in complete cake ball presentations, but you can also mix and match them as you please when devising your own flavor combos. Chapter 2 also contains a section on making cake balls using cake mixes and prepared frostings. When time is short, this is an option to consider, and I make suggestions for how to customize this approach to make the finished cake balls uniquely yours.

Chapter 3: the cake balls is the heart of the book, where you will find more than 50 complete recipes for cake balls, including seasonal Red, White, and Blue Cake Balls; classics like Red Velvet; and soon-to-be favorites like Mocha Toffee Crunch, Boston Cream, and Confetti. Thinking outside the box, I also bring you Crème Brûlée Cake Balls and The Crunchie-Munchie, featuring potato chips, pretzels, and caramel popcorn.

Chapter 4: cake ball creations brings you 10 recipes that show you how to use cake balls to make show-stopping desserts on a grand scale. How about a cone-shaped tower made of cake balls or a cake ball sundae party? These ideas and more are found in this chapter.

Last but not least, there is a resources section, which details purveyors that offer the ingredients and equipment you need for these recipes.