12 Days of Christmas Baking - Day 8 Cake Truffles

Cake Balls, or as I call them Cake Truffles are all the rage these days. I'm not sure if she made them famous, but Bakerella sure is well known for them. Her website is loaded down with her Cake Ball and Cake Pop creations. Everywhere I turn I see Cake Truffle related goodies, whether it's a Cake Pop maker, Cake Ball/Pop molds, kits, you name it it's out there.

I just love the things, I make them if I am going to a holiday party. I make them for any kind of party really. I have even been know to give them as party favors. Cake Truffles take only a few ingredients and are rather simple to make. I will admit they can be a bit messy, but my philosophy has always been, "If you aren't making a mess in the kitchen you aren't doing something right." Or at the very least you're not having nearly as much fun as you could be. The only thing that seems a little crazy to me my first time making these was that you bake a cake (using cake mix) then you basically destroy it by turning it into crumbs. After I tasted one I totally forgot all about that and never gave it a second thought.

The real beauty of these, other than the deliciousness is that the flavor combinations are pretty much only limited to your imagination. And, if you are an artistic person you can turn these into little works of art. I've seen them shaped into different objects, including animals. Just google it and you'll see what I mean.

Cake Truffles

A tasty treat perfect for gift giving, handing out as party favors, or just because.

Yield: 3 dozen

Ingredients

• 1 (18.25 oz) box cake mix, flavor of your choice
• 1 (16 oz) container prepared frosting, flavor of your choice
• 1-2 lbs candy coating (start with 1 lb and melt more if needed)

Cooking Directions

1. Prepare the cake mix according to package directions using any of the recommended pan sizes. When cake is done, crumble while warm into a large bowl, and stir in the frosting until well blended. (I use a 9x13 baking dish and mix the crumbled cake with the frosting in the pan.)
2. Melt candy coating in a glass bowl in the microwave, or in a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth.
3. Use a melon baller or small scoop to form balls of the cake mixture. Dip the balls in melted candy coating using a toothpick or fork to hold them. Place on waxed paper to set.
4. Note: I recommend chilling the cake truffles prior to dipping to ensure easier handling.

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Baked Chocolate Donuts For National Donut Day

From Roots And Renovations

Monday morning I discovered that November 5th is National Donut Day, so I was inspired to break out my adorable little Sunbeam Donut Maker and get to baking. As a food lover I think all these National such and such days are pretty cool. They're just a fun and guilt-free excuse to eat some of your favorite foods. After all, if it's a national holiday the fat and calories don't count right?

From Roots And Renovations

My Big Bad Dad gave me my donut maker for my birthday this year and I love it. I was born and raised in the land of the best donuts EVER aka Krispy Kreme and although Krispy Kreme donuts these are not, they're still pretty darn good, and don't induce nearly the amount of guilt. And, thankfully they don't have that melt in your mouth quality that Krispy Kremes do because let me tell you, I could eat about six of their glazed donuts and not bat an eye. Actually, I think I have done that. Fortuntely it was a one time thing or I'd be wider than the Hot and Now sign we Krispy Kreme fans love to see all lit up in the window as we're driving by.

So, back to these donuts I made. They are made with cake mix, which makes them super easy, and they take about 5-7 minutes to make. I when I was first discovering the joys of my donut maker I figured there had to be a recipe out there that used a shortcut such as cake mix so I googled it and sure enough, I found a recipe at Cookie & Cups. The original recipe is for double glazed funfetti donuts and uses a donut pan, so I changed it up slightly. Also, I haven't tried the double glazed method yet, I dip mine in melted candy coating, also known as candy bark. Both chocolate and vanilla candy bark are equally tasty with the chocolate donuts. This go round I used vanilla because I had some leftover from another creation.

From Roots And Renovations

If you aren't familiar with candy bark, you can either find it in the baking aisle near the chocolate chips or in a craft store, such as Michael's. It should be with the cake decorating goodies. When I buy it in the craft store in comes in a bag, but in the grocery store I always find it in a cellophane wrapped trays. If you're using the kind in the bag, start out with about half the bag. Pour it into a microwave safe bowl and heat at 30 second intervals until melted completely, stirring in between. The bark that is packaged in the trays comes in cubes that are about the size of two ice cubes. If you're using the cubes, I recommend starting out with three to four cubes and follow the same heating directions. If the bark starts to harden before you are finished dipping all your donuts don't worry, just pop it back in the microwave. Remember to heat in 30 second intervals and stir frequently.

I like to use the candy bark as opposed to chocolate or white chocolate chips because it's pretty much fool-proof and not nearly as likely to seize up the way that chocolate or white chocolate will if you aren't careful. Plus, the stuff always hardens like it's supposed to.

Easy Baked Devil's Food Donuts

Delicious, super easy and healthy baked donuts using a donut maker.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 5-7 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

Yield: 18 donuts

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups Devil's Food cake mix
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• cooking spray

Cooking Directions

1. Whisk together buttermilk and eggs.
2. Pour into a medium bowl with cake mix and melted butter.
3. Stir vigorously until all ingredients are completely incorporated.
4. Spray preheated donut maker with non-stick cooking spray.
5. Spoon batter into each donut mold, careful not to overfill. Batter should just fill each mold, even to the top of the mold. (Make sure that you do not overflow into the center of each mold.)
6. Bake for 5-7 minutes.
7. Remove to cooling rack and repeat with remaining batter.

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