EASY Strawberry Cake Truffles

“All you need is love…but a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.”

-Charles Schulz

I couldn’t agree more…wise man right there.

What is better than making someone you love something sweet to remind them?

Nothing!

So, last Valentine’s Day I was sick, it was FREEZING -8 degrees (still is this year, boo) and we had a flood. Literally water everywhere for hours and hours despite that we shut it off. That proved to be less than awesome and certainly not romantic.

We made the best of it.

I am so lucky to have someone so wonderful to love in my life and the best part is…he loves me back.

Last year I still managed to make chocolates for Dan despite it all.

This year however I went with a cake pop feel minus the sticks…so cake truffles. Plus the word truffle just makes me feel fancy.

This recipe, (not gonna lie) is a tad time consuming, but they are EASY to make.

I am not a fan of box mixes, but I appreciate their easy factor.

Duncan Hines Strawberry cake mix to the rescue!

In fact I usually avoid mixes at all costs, but trust me you will be glad you used one plus it tastes fantastic.

So step 1 is bake the cake.

ANYONE can handle this! Yes I am talking to you (the person who says they can't bake).

Unless you pour too fast and spill some like me.

Hey, I never said I was graceful.

Then add them all the ingredients into the mixer or a bowl and you can mix by hand.

I added a little food coloring, but it was all natural…made with beets I believe.

A few drops and POOF it’s even more pink and pink is good people.

Plus doesn’t that swirliness (I just made that word up) look cool?

Then you end up with this pretty color.

Is it terrible that I love all things pink? I digress.

Pop this baby in the oven and bake per the box’s instructions.

Then comes a strange part.

Normally you would do everything in your power NOT to damage a cake, but in this recipe you are going to destroy it.

Cut little slits in it first to let it cool. You are going to scoop it out anyway.

You then let this cool for an hour or so in the fridge.

OR…if you’re like me I just shoved it outside in the hallway where it was FREEZING and let it cool down while I did other things.

You could watch a movie or have some wine…I cleaned the house which definitely was not nearly as

much fun.

Then scoop them out and throw them into the mixer again with a container of cream cheese frosting. I never said this was healthy! Then chill again.

After it’s nice and cold you form them into little balls with your fingers.

Just think of it as fancy play dough and you're all set!

I made mine a little bit bigger, but it’s your preference.Go big or go home people, haha.

Then freeze the balls. This helps them from melting when you cover them in chocolate. This is very important because otherwise you will literally have a hot mess on your hands.

So I didn’t photograph the step where you cover them in chocolate because you have to do it quickly.

I could have, but mostly I was in the zone and completely forgot, sorry!

Melt an entire bag of chocolate chips. You could use white, I chose to use semi sweet.

These are pretty sweet so less sugar for the coating is probably best, but your call!

Then make a double boiler and melt them OR microwave the chips in a glass bowl until melted and you’re set!

Dip them in one at a time with a fork and let the excess drip off.

Chocolate gets kind of funky the longer it sits melted so work as fast you can.

Feel free to lick the chocolate off your arm that you may splash on yourself….hey it happens.

My mom bought me this adorable cake stand at Target and the sprinkles too (thanks Momma).

They have pink ones now for Easter.

This gift honestly inspired me to make these. I love pretty things and my Mom knows this all too well : )

Once you’ve covered a cake ball in chocolate add some sprinkles if desired before they harden which will be pretty soon so sprinkle away!

The wrappers I found at Walmart one day when I went out with my mom because she needed to pick something up.

I thought they were so cute and perfect for Valentine’s Day!

This is what they look like underneath, adorable right? They were only 73 cents!

Dan was not home yet when I shot this so I ate half of the cake ball otherwise he would have gladly obliged in the name of “art” I am sure.

It only took me like 5 tries to stack these up.

Meanwhile my kitty Jaja sat and watched me as I struggled and stared as if to say…

”What ARE you doing?Those don’t even have tuna in them…what a waste.”

Thanks Ja.

I hope you enjoyed this post!

If you did please click the heart or share this post so I know you’re checking it out! : )

Now onto the recipe:

Strawberry Chocolate Cake Balls

makes about 40 1-inch balls (or less if yours are GIGANTIC like mine were!)

Ingredients:

1 box white cake mix (I used Duncan Hines again), prepared and baked

1 1/2 cups buttercream or cream cheese frosting (homemade or 1 can of prepared)

6 ounces white, dark or semi sweet chocolate chips or a bar

a few drops of pink food coloring

sprinkles, decorations, etc…

Directions:

Prepare cake batter and bake as directed. I often use a 9 x 13 cake pan as I find this is easiest. Make sure to spray it or grease it first. Once cake has cooled, scoop it out of the cake pan and into the bowl of an electric mixer. Add frosting and mix on low to medium speed until a pink dough forms. This can also be done by hand, but may not be mixed as well and will take longer. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

Roll in 1-inch balls and place on parchment paper laying on a sheet pan. Freeze the balls for at least 1 hour. Right before removing, melt chocolate in a double boiler or the microwave (if in the microwave, melt in 30 second increments until melted completely). Using a fork, dip balls in chocolate and gently flip it around, just until coated. Lift it out with the fork, allowing any excess chocolate to drip off. Decorate as desired, refrigerating immediately after for at least a few minutes.

We like these best chilled (out of the freezer actually is really tasty), but they can also be kept at room temperature.

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<3 Ash

#Foodphotography #Cakeballs #Caketruffles #Truffles #ValentinesDayrecipe #Dessert #EasyDIY