Orange Scented Cake Balls

Make a batch of vanilla cake ball.  Basic cake ball instructions found here. 

Once the balls have been rolled out and chilled in the freezer, it's time to dip them. 

Melt down some white chocolate or white chocolate bark and add 2-3 drops of Wild Orange essential oil.  Mix well.  After dipping I added some orange zest to the top of each cake ball.

For a more pronounced orange flavor I would add a couple drops of the oil to the cake batter while preparing and some orange zest.  This can also be done with a chocolate cake, but I would make sure to add extra orange since the chocolate is a stronger flavor.

What to do with leftovers

For obvious reasons I often find myself with left over cupcakes, cake or cake tops/scraps and frosting.  Hazards of the hobby.  I have a really hard time wasting food, so I like to "repurpose it."  I'm not really sure if it counts taking food and tweaking it as repurposing it, but you catch my drift.

I really like to do this after I make a cake for someone.  You see I spend all this time making our house smell great and building this yummy looking creation, just to cart it out the door and give it to someone else.  This can be super disappointing to my kids, so here's my solution.  I take the cake scraps from carving/leveling the cakes, gring them up add some spoonfuls of leftover frosting and turn them into cake balls. These can be made in no time and really with no extra ingredients other than the chocolate I dip them in and the sprinkles I let the kids dump on top.

Leftovers are used up, kids get a goodie and we can spend time decorating them together.  This is a definite Win-Win in our house.

Cake balls are great in a cute baggie or container to give as a quick gift and they are easily dressed up in any color combination for any event or holiday.

Grandma's Pound Cake

3 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. soda
1 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. buttermilk
1 tsp. almond extract
4 eggs

With hand mixer, beat together sugar and oil, beat in eggs until light yellow. Mix in extracts and buttermilk. Finally add dry ingredients.  Pour into a greased tube pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Earthquake Cake

2/3 c. nuts
2/3 c. chocolate chips
2/3 c. coconut
layer in bottom of 9x13 pan
prepare german cake mix as directed on box
(1/3 c. oil
3 eggs
1 1/3 c. water)
Mix and pour on top of nuts, chips & coconut
8 oz. cream cheese
1 stick butter
Melt over low heat, whisk in 1 lb. powdered sugar, pour in ribbon design over cake.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

** Ingredients in Blue

Iron Man Cake

Cake Balls/Pops/Truffles

1 cake mix (flavor of your choice)

1 can frosting (or home-made)

melting chocolate

I will give you the abbreviated version, but for the lengthy process please check out Bakerella.

Here is the short version - Make the cake mix as directed.  Let the cake cool overnight, then the next day dump the cooled cake in a bowl and mash it all up.  Mix in almost an entire (I leave about a half inch in the bottom) canister of frosting.  Make sure the frosting is completely incorporated, then take a spoonful of the cake/frosting mixture and roll into a ball with your hands.  Place the balls on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Once you have rolled all the cake into balls, place the cookie sheet in the freezer until slightly firm.  While the balls are chilling, melt the chocolate.  Drop the chilled cake balls into the melted chocolate, coat using a spoon and place on a second parchment lined cookie sheet.  Decorate and embellish as desired.

Cakes, Cakes and Cakes

This is what I've made this week...

My feet hurt....

Confession: I made almost 20 chocolate cakes this week - I don't even really like chocolate cake.

This, this is only for the straight up HARD CORE chocolate lovers, Chocolate cake, frosting and ganache.

German Chocolate - Super yummy homemade frosting!

I'm trying a new cookie recipe tonight, so check back later in the week for a new recipe.

Lemon Blueberry Cake

I really liked this recipe, warm out of the oven with the tangy glaze - a perfect snack at 11 o'clock at night.  This is when I do most of my baking - please don't judge.  My only complaint is that between the glaze and the fresh blueberries it got soggy quick.  So, my suggestion would be, MAKE IT and then eat it the same day or as close thereto as possible.

Recipe from Butter Sugar Flour, who adapted it from Smitten Kitchen.

1 1/2 cup flour
1/8 tsp. salt
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
1 cup yogurt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp. lemon zest
1 1/2 cup blueberries, dried and tossed in 1 tbsp flour

Icing:
Juice from 1 lemon
1 cup powdered sugar

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt.  In another bowl mix eggs, sugar, oil, yogurt, extract and zest. Mix on high for 2 minutes.  Add the dry ingredients and mix.  Fold in the blueberries.  Pour batter into prepared 8x8 square pan (or loaf pan) and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  Once tester comes out clean allow to cool before adding the icing.

Lemon-Poppy Seed Mini Cakes

1/2 c. butter, softened
2 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
3/4 c. milk
3/4 tsp. poppy seeds
3/4 tsp. almond extract
2 tsp. lemon zest, divided
1 Tbl. fresh lemon juice
1 3/4 c. flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt

Glaze
1 3/4 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice

Beat butter and cream cheese until well blended, add sugar, beat until fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time. Beat in milk, poppy seeds, almond extract, lemon juice and 1 1/2 tsp. lemon zest.

Sift flour, baking powder and salt - add to liquid mixture. Beat until well blended. Spoon batter into prepared (greased and floured) 12-cup mini bundt pan or cupcake pan. (You can use any kind of pan, I get about 18 with this recipe if using a 12-cup pan.)

Bake at 350 degrees for 24-26 minutes (check with a toothpick if necessary). Turn out mini cakes and let cool 10 minutes.

While cakes are cooling whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice and remaining lemon zest. (I like to do this in a small sauce pan over low/medium heat.) Drizzle over cooled cakes. (I really like the added zip that the glaze gives the cake so I make extra.)

*Adapted from recipe found in Southern Living