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Cake balls, best described as ooey-gooey cupcakes with two tops, have become a certifiable trend in Texas and South Louisiana.
"We've definitely created kind of a craze," admits Robin Ankeny, the baker behind the Cake Ball Company in Dallas, where the local paper recently ran a story on how to make Valentine's versions of the wildly popular treats.
Ankeny started selling cake balls in 2006, inspiring a horde of professional and amateur imitators – and a few detractors: "Put down the cake balls," an Austin blogger pleaded in a recent post bidding good riddance to the past year's fads. The treats were so ubiquitous by Christmastime that the Times-Picayune food editor Judy Walker reported in early 2009 that they "turned up at just about every party or gathering I attended."
Walker admitted she'd never before heard of cake balls, a sentiment shared by food experts across the region. While Ankeny insists cake balls are an old Southern tradition, the treats are still rarely found in states that don't share a border with Texas.
"I grew up eating them," Ankeny says. "My mom learned to make them from a friend of hers."
Cake balls, also sometimes referred to as cake pops or cake truffles, are "a blend of cake and icing," Ankeny explains. "They're hard on the outside, but moist, decadent and rich on the inside."
Cake balls are so simple to make that the Dallas Morning News suggests using them for kid's cooking projects. The basic recipe calls for a whole cake, which is then crumbled up, mixed with frosting, rolled into balls and dipped in confectionery coating.
Ankeny, who sells her cake balls through her own website and the Neiman Marcus catalog, says the birthday cake and brownie varieties are her best-sellers, although almost any flavor combination is possible. Even better, fans claim decent cake balls can be made at home using cake mix, canned frosting and food coloring, so even if the trend does get tired, the ball bakers won't.
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2-18-2010 @11:55AM Shari Lynn said... These are cool. There is an amazing new company out of Orlando called Cake O Licious that is taking cake balls to a new level. COL is yummy cake on a Stick - custom-created designs that are sleek and gorgeous. Oh, and taste even better. Lots of flavors and they're dipped in white or milk chocolate. They even ship all over the country.
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2-18-2010 @12:56PM Athena said... I had cake balls made for my sweet 16 & handed them out in cute little boxes as party favors, everyone loved them & I don't live in either of those states.
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2-18-2010 @1:20PM Sue said... Sounds yucky!
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2-18-2010 @2:48PM dana said... I made these for Superbowl and they were delicious!!! I made 1 chocolate cake and mixed it with 3/4 can cream cheese frosting and ended up with 45 cake balls. (about the size of a big gumball) They were the first thing gone!!! Very easy to make, it just takes awhile because I froze my cake balls for 6 hours before coating them with chocolate.
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2-18-2010 @3:36PM Amy T said... The cake ball company is amazing! I love them. I order from them for every excuse possible (teacher bdays, birthday parties, hostess gifts, anything!) they are the nicest girls who run it...just makes you feel good to support their business. I heard they do beautiful cake balls for weddings too. Highly recommend them!
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2-18-2010 @3:58PM Greg said... I guess there is a difference between boy cakes and girls cakes.......
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2-18-2010 @5:14PM Glynna said... I'm not a fan of frosting but I like the hard confectioner's outside icing and cake. Any way to make something like this with just cake and the outside coating?
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5-26-2010 @6:14PM Amanda said... I too love cake balls and have been making them for years!! YUM!! (and I live in Ohio) But for those saying they are just like Petit Fours, they are not. Petit Fours are squares of thinly sliced cake layered with a filling (jam/frosting etc). Cake balls are cake and frosting mixed together. Oh and I too love Bakerella :o)
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2-22-2010 @6:01PM Ellie said... Thank you Dee, I was trying to remember the name of what these reminded me of. My thoughts exactly!
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2-18-2010 @10:09PM cynthia421 said... I made red velvet balls for christmas. After cake cools (I used red velvet cake mix),,,,,,,crumble up,,,,,,,,then put in a can of condensed milk,mix well,,,,,,put in refrigerator for a few hours, take out mixture and make into balls,,,,,,,,,melt either chocolate or vanilla bark dip balls in,,,,,,,,everyone loved this for christmas,,,,,,,,,and Yes I am in Southern Louisiana
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2-19-2010 @1:59AM Sherry said... Ladies!!! These are NOT Petite Fours! They are made differently, yes its cake and icing but the icing is on the inside and the outside is hardened chocolate (think dipped strawberries coating) or melted candy bits. Petite fours are never this rich or moist! I also dont know why everyone is saying "labor intensive". They're easy as making a cake and the same amount of time. Ive never used fondant but that sounds like a good thing to try. And Bakerella only knew to do them because theyre a really old southern recipe that went by the wayside when fancy cakes came in to style in the 50's. My greatgrandmother had a recipe for them (from the 1900's) but they didnt call them cake balls then (no they werent called Petite Fours either). Her recipe just said "rolled cake" and coating the outside was optional only if you could afford and get chocolate bars.
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2-19-2010 @2:08AM BoyintheMachine said... "Cake Balls" LOL Are you guys serious?
Did it ever occur to anybody that that "cake balls" are just ghetto petit fours?
Does anybody even know what a petit four is? LOL
Hint: It's tiny cakes, often fondant-covered. I don't know for sure but I think that petit fours are the inspiration behind Lil' Debbies zebra cakes and similar cakes. Petit fours are far smaller though.
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2-20-2010 @2:10AM augusta said... I've been making cake balls for a number of years now, but never heard of mixing them with icing. I've always made them with sweetened condensed milk, refrigerate them overnight, then dip them in chocolate. Red velvet goes really good with white chocolate! I make them every year for valentine's day, and I give them away at christmas instead of cookies like everyone else.
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2-21-2010 @3:19PM Madison said... Creme de la Cookie in Snider Plaza makes the best cake balls in Dallas by far. Although they won't give you the recipe (I tried), they noted that they don't use mixes or frosting and coat them with a very high end European chocolate. They are super moist, taste like heaven, and are horribly addicting. The others we've tried range from gummy in consistency to simply tasting "off." I've convinced friends who don't like cake balls to try these and their typical response is a moan of pleasure and a demand of where I got them.
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3-23-2010 @6:28PM Bridget said... To anyone thinking that a boxed cake mix won't work, it is the best way! I actually tried with a homemade red velvet cake and the result didn't crumble well. I also made the mistake of making it in a Bundt pan so there were lots of crazy edges, but boxed is the way to go.
I posted about my cake ball fail and later success on my blog here: http://www.cookiesandpt.com/2010/03/15/my-cake-ball-experience-with-tips/
Regarding other comments, I've had petit fours and Little Debbie things and I don't think they are similar at all since the ball is cake mixed with icing, not just a tiny chocolate covered cake. The result is a lot richer than either of those. Mine didn't taste like I was biting into a ball of finished cake, but slightly more gooey and rich like a truffle or cookie dough.
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4-01-2010 @8:00PM lauren said... Another local baker that does cake pops is www.myla-concepts.com. She also does all kinds of bite-sized desserts and her dessert tables are absolutley beauitiful. I can't wait for my wedding!
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