So last week I was in love with
Naked Pita Chips. You know, the kind of love where you buy two bags at a time and send your child through an adjacent check-out lane with another two just so the cashier doesn’t think you’re crazy. The over-indulgent, eat-them-until-you-start-to-smell-like-them, kind of love. I fell hard and fast for those thick slabs of gluten laden pitas, baked to a crunchy perfection and sprinkled with just enough sea salt to satisfy but not cause a dry mouth.
One bite and I was hooked.
Until I met Bakerella’s Cake Balls.
I’m over the pitas now. Bye bye.
Helloooo cake.
Sweet rounds of creamy red velvet cake encased in a crunchy shell of chocolate.
Bakerella had me at red velvet.
One bite and I was hooked.
This new love is the
kind of love that wakes you in the middle of the night and compels you to the fridge for a 3 AM fix. It causes you to day dream in the line at the post office and makes your heart flutter at the very thought of your next encounter.
It’s that kind of love and
I’ve got it bad.
I’m
not sure there is a cure for this cake ball kind of love … but really, do I want to find one? My thighs say yes. My taste buds say heck no!
I found these infectious truffle-like delicacies while surfing the web for dessert ideas and recipes for an upcoming event I am in charge of.
Fifty ladies + a dessert buffet = “Holy heart failure, Batman”. (Yeah, that’s a real Robin quote from the 1966 movie … its part of the “Holy Quote” series. And could someone please hand me a brown paper bag … I have less than a week to pull this off. Procrastinators, unite!)
Many of these ladies have just finished up an
eight week healthy lifestyle challenge. They divided up into teams and competed for the bragging rights, and less importantly, a personal cash prize, of the most improved in physical, spiritual and mental well-being.
One of their goals was to not eat after 8 PM.
This time limit, among a few other
self-inflicted torturous restraints, was why I politely and quietly declined to join them.
You see,
I can’t stop eating after 8 PM. It’s as if a bell rings … ding, ding … and I’m off to the races trying to stuff as many sweets into my mouth as physically possible. If I had taken the challenge, I would have assuredly succumbed at the first iota of stress and eaten my way to midnight without a second or guilt-filled glance.
And
who wants to be the weakest link on the team; the sole person voted off the challenge island; the “one day you’re in and the next day you’re out” gal. Certainly not me. I have enough issues.
So as a way to help these ladies stay on track with their healthier habits, and more importantly because I
wanted a reason to make cake balls in large quantities, I have decided to serve bite-size desserts at the upcoming event. Mini-treats will allow the ladies to follow through on their “just a bite” pledge while at the same time filling their inner cravings for sugary confections. And I promise ladies, no one will be standing at the table with a click-counter marking each bite you put on your plate – so you can “just one bite” your way to a full menu of goodies if you so desire. Your secret is safe.
My web surfing yielded me
a myriad of great mini-treat recipes. Over at
Elizabeth Ann Designs, there is a
fabulous posting of pictures and ideas to consider. And who knew there were so many mini-cheesecake recipes out there that start off with a vanilla wafer as the base. Try
this one at
Mom’s Who Think for a starter.
Diana at Diana’s Desserts posted a
large list of things mini and desserty and the editors at
Woman’s Day magazine put together a
well-rounded sampling of recipes to try. Last, but not ever least, find your way to
Martha Stewart Weddings, for a delicious looking
brownie bite confection.
Now, back to the cake balls. The best part of this particular dessert is that there are only three key ingredients. Yep, three. One. Two. Three. (The Count would be so proud!) And better yet, if there could be any more good news, they are items you can keep stocked in your pantry. Halleluiah! Impulse cravings easily satisfied with no trips to the store required!
Here is
a synopsis in words and pictures of how to start your own love affair with cake balls. (Please do go to
Bakerella’s site for the actual recipe and to see how these should look when done by an expert. You won’t be disappointed. She does a wonderful job with her blog. I’ve fallen in love with it.)
Gather ingredients. Mix the mix.
Bake the cake. Crumble the cake.
Mix the cake with the frosting. Roll the frosted cake crumbles into balls. Use gloves if concerned about red dye transfer to hands. (Notice I used a wide bowl for mixing. Better photo op. Better for licking when finished. You laugh, but I know you’ll do it.)
Chill balls. Fridge if you have time. Freezer if you can’t wait.
Dip balls in melted chocolate candy coating and allow to harden. Note to self: do as Bakerella says. Place coated balls on waxed paper and NOT wire racks. Racks cause coating to stick and leaves precious cake and chocolate behind.)
Yumalicious! But obviously I need to hone my chocolate dipping skills. These first attempts look very
Lucy and Ethel-esque.
Well, I couldn’t stop at just the cake balls. I decided I should
take a couple of other recipes out for a test drive and here are my results, again, in words and pictures.
I found this
Mini-Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe at myrecipes.com. Head there to get the exact ingredients and instructions.
Here is my
very first Wilton mini-cupcake pan. Just had to share : ).
Chop the nuts in your handy-dandy chopper that was given to you by a dear friend. Thanks Nicole!
Mix nuts with butter and spread in Wilton mini-cupcake liners (I know, enough with the shameless plugs).
Gather ingredients. Mix ingredients. And just as an FYI, canned pumpkin is hard to find right now. There was a bad pumpkin crop and now the stores are pumpkinless. So if you happen upon a chance can, grab it and hide it. They are hot commodities right now. (Thanks Polley for sharing one of your stashed cans with me!)
Scoop batter into zip-loc bag and cut corner off. Pipe batter into cupcake liners. This zip-loc method of filling is pure genius! Can’t remember where I read about it, but it is brilliant!
Bake and top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Take
picture of happy child who loves pumpkin pie and cheesecake … two thumbs up for the best of both worlds.
Easy Lemon Tarts come direct from my fabulous friend Polley.
Gather the ingredients. Again, another three-and-you’re-done item recipe.
Spoon lemon curd into thawed fillo shells and top with fresh raspberries. Easy peasy!
And here’s a
pretty presentation of them all. The flowers are courtesy of two-thumbs-up boy for Mothers Day.
Well there you have it,
three delicious and easy bite-size desserts to create and fall in love with. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Especially with the
cake balls. You’ll try these one night when you’re desperate for a quick and chocolaty treat and you too
will be hooked with the first bite. Then just like me, every time you open the refrigerator door to relish the creamy cake goodness you just discovered, you’ll hear this song playing in the back of your head … “Love, exciting and new. Come Aboard. We're expecting you. Love, life's sweetest reward. Let it flow, it floats back to you ...”
Enjoy your dessert dear reader …
one bite at a time!
~ Elizabeth
(ekb)