Chocolate Cake Truffles

When I first started decorating cakes, I was hesitant to level my cakes properly because I was so bummed about how much cake would be wasted. I used to let my husband and friends eat the scraps, but sometimes no one was around to snack.
Then I discovered cake truffles! Now I keep all my cake scraps in the freezer so that when the time comes to make truffles, I have a great variety of cake to use!

If you don't just have cake lying around your house, you can still make these easily! I'll show you how!

Step 1: Materials

You'll need cake. Like I said, I have a lot of cake in my freezer... if you don't bake a million cakes a week like I do, you can just bake one cake. Specifically for this. You can bake any flavor of cake! A box mix cake will work fine!

You'll also need frosting, about two table spoons. I use home made buttercream, but you can use canned. Vanilla, chocolate or cream cheese frosting seem to work best.

A package of candy melt. (Almond bark, chocolate coating etc) This stuff works best because it isn't as hard to temper as chocolate and once set doesn't melt like crazy just because you barely touched it.

You'll also want a large mixing bowl for the cake, a smaller microwave safe bowl to melt the chocolate in, a fork, a spoon and some candy and or sprinkles to top your truffles. Nuts work as well!

Wax paper and a couple of cookie sheets are nice to have as well.

Comments

[super-mom]

thank you so much, i had these at a baby shower and fell in love with them, want desperately to know how to make them, so will definitely be making them.
cheers:)

[blodden]

we've got a bake sale coming up at school soon so these will probably be appearing on sale :)

[Emerzyme]

These look Awesome! I was looking for a recipe like this to make and send in a package for my sister for her birthday, since I can't really send her a birthday cake. Unfortunately, I didn't check instructables and ended up making her some cake-y cookies instead. Next time, though, I will try these!
By the way, I couldn't help but notice the violin and awesome pink ukulele hanging in the background--the two instruments I play! Awesome!

[sayer p]

This has quickly become a favorite amongst my friends and family!! Super easy and quite impressive. I've made a batch four times in the past two weeks!

[somewhiteguy]

I've been given a set of these as a gift from someone who makes these for Easter and called them Cake Eggs. Now that I can make them myself I won't need to wait on her to give them out.

I bet this would work for cake that is just about to go stale to moisten it up a bit and make it last just a bit longer.

[plasticshakeupsnow]

Yes that would work, I'm sure! I'm thinking I should try this with like pumpkin bread too, that could be heavenly.

[npreston]

and you could use cream cheese frosting... ^_^ Oh man that'd be good.

[slent]

CAKE BALLS!!!!!! i looove these!! If you use red velvet cake, they taste absolutely amazing! Thank you so much for this recipe!

[sgoodman-1]

What does your apron say?

The truffles look delicious by the way :) Too bad I'm on a diet :(

[plasticshakeupsnow]

The apron was a gift from a co-worker and says "Will cook for shoes... Lots and lots of shoes." it's pretty hilarious.
Also- I'm on a diet too!! Can you believe I only ate one of these when I made them???

[sgoodman-1]

Thats pretty cool.

I don't think I would be able to resist the temptation. They look amazing! What diet are you using? I'm doing a combination of Weight Watchers and sparkpeople.com- I'm hoping to join the gym soon, but I have to convince my parents first (I have trouble sticking to things and have wasted their money before- lol)

[plasticshakeupsnow]

I don't think I could keep up with an actual "diet" like weight watchers. I've been using myfitnesspal on my phone. It gave my a calorie goal and I record all my exercise and food. I also switched to all organic fruit/veggies and drink only 100% juice. We also switched to all organic/free range meat and only eat 4-6oz at a time. Red meat only once a week. Basically we're trying to follow the pyramid. Lol. We do 30-60 minutes of light cardio a day, I've lost ten lbs in 5 weeks. My husband has lost 40lbs in 6 weeks! I'm trying to lose 20-30 and he's trying to lose 100-125 or so. We're feeling pretty good about it!

I made my own organic peanut butter cups the other day that are only about 25 calories!

[sgoodman-1]

We? do you mean you and your husband, or do you have kids too? (you look really young!)

I'm not actually following a diet right now but I plan on eating what I want but track calories using the ww point system. Sparkpeople is good because you can use any other diet/eating plan with it, but it has lots of tools for you to use.

I've lost some weight since the start of the year by walking the dog. I could have lost alot more but my eating habits haven't changed that much yet. I'm waiting on getting a computer of my own because then I'll have access to sparkpeople 24/7 (thats not the main reason I'm getting one though, I'm an aspiring photographer/movie maker and blogger)

[plasticshakeupsnow]

Hah, yes, my husband and I... I'm actually pushing 30, thank you! Haha!

Last summer I rode my bicycle 1,000 miles and I maintained the exact same weight through out summer/fall... but I would come home every day and just eat like total crap. I practically lived on KFC and mountain dew. So this year, as soon as this darn Ohio weather breaks, I'll be out on my bike in full force and eating right... I could waste away to nothing hahaha. I'm only 5 feet tall, so according to weight standards I'm like 60lbs overweight, which I think is total crap, but I'd love to lose 30 in the end of all this. My husband was at 350lbs and we were just like holy crap we're fat American slobs!!! lol. We decided we had to turn our health around.
Myfitnesspal has been invaluable to me. When I got my iphone and downloaded the app it was like flipping a switch in my brain. Seeing everything I eat and all the nutrition facts and being able to record my exercise etc... it's awesome.
I am allowed 1,200 calories a day, but if I work off calories those go back on my net for the day and I could eat that amount of calories again.
It's so easy to eat badly because it's so cheap and so fast, but the big picture cost to me is way more expensive. At 27, I shouldn't have high blood pressure and a laundry list of nutrient deficiencies like this!

[tcoleman-1]

What is the recipe for the buttercream you used?

[plasticshakeupsnow]

I usually stick with the standard Wilton buttercream recipe on the Wilton website. Except I add a teaspoon of lemon juice. It tones it down a tiny bit.

[devony4ever]

I always give my cake scraps to my dog lol . ive had her for 4 months and shes gaind 96 ponds sence i got her

[jrhubin]

I've made these for year - we call them cake balls -- here are a couple suggestions:

try throwing in some crushed candy cane at christmas for peppermint flavor, and then sprinkle some crushed candy cane pieces on top.. the moisture from the frosting melts the candy cane and it's gooey and wonderful..

try throwing in some heath bar pieces as well - also really good!

Truly, the possibilities are endless...

[plasticshakeupsnow]

I did candy cane truffles for christmas! So good!

[tchitwood]

Yummy!!! I've been saving my cake scraps to make cake balls but haven't had the time to. I need to make time! And it would also make room in the freezer!

[surrealdreams]

2 suggestions about chocolate melting. I start one piece of chocolate in the microwave first, for 30 seconds. Then I add in the rest of the chocolate. The first one will be melty very quickly and when stirred around will help the other chocolate melt faster. Less time melting in the microwave means less chance of burnt chocolate, which is never a good thing. This came from a package of baker's chocolate.

A melting alternative is an electric fondue pot. Chocolate melts on low and will stay liquid on the lowest setting on my pot. The chocolate will start to set on its own in a container, but in the pot on super-low will remain melty and dippable with no ill effects as long as you're stirring it up by coating truffles. This method lets you keep dipping without having to stop - My wife and did about 100 truffles this way last Christmas and we coated them all in one shot. You can even add additional chocolate off one one side and keep dipping while it's melting, which is not a good idea in the microwave. :)

Your recipe looks very enticing, by the way. Maybe I will surprise the Mrs. with some truffles.

[plasticshakeupsnow]

Yes, I've been actually meaning to invest in one of those tiny crock pots. I'm told they work well too. When I make tutorials, I try to use the most basic items I can, to show people they can do these things with out special tools. I am working with chocolate a lot more than ever before lately and I could use something more advanced for sure lol.

[build52]

why is it blue if its chocolate. its pettry cool

[plasticshakeupsnow]

Ah, haha, I just sort of grabbed a bag out my freezer, that was from a cake I'd done. One bag had chocolate and blue cake and another had chocolate and strawberry. Striped cakes: http://www.instructables.com/id/Zebra-Striped-Cake/

[kathrynl]

This is brilliant! I hate leveling my cakes because of the waste, and I always make too much frosting. Now I have something to do with it all. Thanks!

[plasticshakeupsnow]

Yaay! It's a win win!

[etymological]

Do you think plain, soft cream cheese or a little mashed fruit could work to hold the cake-mush together?

[plasticshakeupsnow]

I'll bet you could. Just add a little at a time. Unsweetened cream cheese might not taste so great though (I could be wrong!)...
I've used a mixture of coffee and powdered sugar before instead of frosting, to try to get a coffee flavor. (Didn't really work haha)

[d8nkid]

These are so great, best thing ever!