Cute Pumpkin "Cake" Balls

So Cake Balls......*sigh*....I'm going to be straight with you

I hate 'em.

Don't get me wrong...I like the concept OK, and I think they're cute and all....But if I want to eat cake, I would rather eat a slice of cake...instead of whatever on a stick.  That and....I can't really make 'em.  That might be my true reasoning behind my loathing of cake pops....and cake balls.  It's messy and time consuming and just not for me.

So why am I doing a post with cake balls and cake pops???

Because they're NOT CAKE POPS!  It's faux cake balls.  It's CHEATING in the cake on a stick territory. 

Allow me to explain....and show you how to do them 3 ways for Halloween :)

Ready for my cheat secret??

*drumroll*

It's doughnut holes.

CAKE doughnut holes.  You know cake doughnuts......it's like that but doughnut holes.  *mind blown*

So technically it is cake....already baked....into a ball...and all I have to do is drive 120 miles to Arkansas go to the store and pick them up.  I got these in Arkansas at the Fresh Market (love that place) and lo and behold....the cake doughnut holes that day were pumpkin flavored.  How much more kismet can you get??

Seriously it's so easy and people think your a genius and they're adorable.  I know this because after I made them I took them to a dinner party and everyone was super impressed.  *polishing nails on lapel....*

All you need is:

• cake doughnut holes
• chocolate melts
• wooden skewers

And really the rest is just extras, depending on what you want to do with them.

Let's start with these cute little black ones with the eyeballs.

I like em.  Mostly because they remind me a bit of soot sprites....ya know those little guys from Spirited Away and Totoro.....

no nerds reading today huh??  Hayao Miyazaki.  

Anyway......

I used:

• cake doughnut holes
• Ghiradelli dark chocolate melts
• Black Sanding Sugar
• Pre made googly eyes

Melt your chocolate according to package directions.  Use your skewers and dip into the chocolate, making sure to cover the whole doughnut hole.  Then place on a sheet of parchment paper to set.  Put your googly eyes on ( you can make them yourself of just buy them pre made) and sprinkle them with the sanding sugar.  

DONE!  

Easy right??

Lets move on to some white chocolate....

Excuse the messy piping....I was teaching my 4 year old how to pie with chocolate.  She loves to help...Sweet little helper.

Here I used:

• cake doughnut holes
• Ghiradelli White Chocolate Melts
• White sanding Sugar
• A piping bag filled with melted dark chocolate

Again, dip your doughnut holes in the chocolate and place on the parchment paper.  Then sprinkle with sanding sugar.  Now this is where it gets messy.  You might want to pipe with whipped ganache or black RI but I'm trying to make these quick and easy.....no more steps.  So I used the leftover chocolate from the previous cake balls and put it ina piping bag....a ziplock would work too.  Let it cool slightly so it isn't so runny, then snip the tip and pipe your webs.  I let my daughter help me with these....ya know....family quality time....memories...holidays.... you get the gist.

And now for the finally.....

The cute candy apple pops!

So cute right??

For this I used:

• cake donought holes
• butterscotch chips
• 1 TBSP butter
• 1-2 TBSP heavy cream
• Ghiradelli White Chocolate melts 
• Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate melts
• Chopped walnuts
• Wooden Skewers

To melt your butterscotch......you will find if you just try and microwave it or melt it on it's own....it just kinda turns to peanut butter.  So melt it with your butter and cream.  THEN after a good stirring, it should be dippable.  I did it in the microwave 30 seconds at a time.  

Dip your doughnut holes and place on your parchment paper.  Then use a fork and drizzle white and dark chocolate (that's been melted) over the tops.  Sprinkle with your finely chopped walnuts.  Then stick your clean skewers into the top of the pops.....if needed cut your skewers to a shorter length.  

I made the candy apples one by default...I was going to make them all cake balls (no pops) and make the butterscotch ones pumpkins.....but when I dipped them they just looked to much like caramel apples I couldn't help myself.  I guess I was inspired by the candy apples in last weeks giveaway.....

Oh yeah, did I forget to tell you who won??

Let's see....according to my 4 year old daughter magic ball........the winning comment was:

kim said...

To the dearest Queen Bee of all, I have left a comment on Bake it Pretty.
Thank you for the awesome give away.. Good Luck everyone!

OCTOBER 1, 2013 AT 7:18 PM 

Huzzah!!  The kingdom rejoices!!!  Our hero has been named!  

*Ahem* now email me so I can have the squires deliver your bounty....ya know....your free stuff.

alibeesbakeshop@gmail.com

What a lovely Halloween season...

The weather is starting to turn and it feel like sweater weather is starting....I'm all about knits....because I like to knit....

Oh, didn't know that about me did you??  Well well....I'm full of surprises you know.  You can friend me on Ravelry if you too are a knitting addict enthusiast.  

Well I'm out for the rest of the day.  Have tons of laundry to do and my daughter claims her "sugar blood is really low" and the only cure is chocolate.  *eyes rolling*