I’m going to start out by saying these little guys are not the easiest to make, but they are worth every ounce of effort put in. If you haven’t heard of cake balls/cake truffles, you are missing out! First, you start with the cake, mix in the icing (yes, into the cake), then you dip the whole thing in chocolate. The result is an amazing little two-bite piece of heaven. The concept can be used for any type of cake, and could be made easier with boxed cake and pre-made icing, but I think the extra effort for homemade is worth it. These are great as a dessert for a group because they are bite sized and will be sure to impress.  Enjoy 🙂

Red Velvet Cake Truffles   (Print Me)

Ingredients:
Red Velvet Cake:
2 1/2 cups + 5 Tbsp cake flour (sift before measuring)
1 1/2 cups splenda/sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil/applesauce
1 cup buttermilk (room temperature)
2 large eggs (room temperature)
2 Tbsp red food coloring
1 tsp white distilled vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Icing:
2 1/4 cup confectioners sugar, sifted
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 c mascarpone cheese (can substitute additional cream cheese)
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate Coating:
2 heaping cups dark chocolate (or chocolate of your choice) chips/chopped bars, tempered to prevent the chocolate from discoloring

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350º. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, gently beat (speed 1 or 2 of mixer) the oil, buttermilk, eggs, vinegar, vanilla and red food coloring until blended. Add in the dry ingredients slowly and beat (speed of 1 or 2) until smooth. Pour into a lined and greased 9×13 pan. Bake the cake for approximately 30 minutes, turning once half way through. Cool in the pan for no more than 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Once the cake has cooled, cut off any hard edges using a serrated knife.

In a large bowl beat the cream cheese, mascarpone cheese, butter and vanilla until smooth. Slowly add the confectioners sugar and beat on a low speed until well incorporated. Increase the speed until thickened.

Once the cake is completely cooled crumble it into a large mixing bowl. Add up to two cups of icing (incorporating slowly) and mix with a spatula or your hands until fully incorporated  (it should be the consistency of a thick dough). Roll the mixture into balls and lay onto a cookie sheet. Place in the freezer for about 15 minutes to cool (not freeze), or refridgerate overnight to dip in chocolate the next day.
Temper your chocolate, then dip and cover one cake ball at a time using either a spoon or a dipping fork and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Allow to refrigerate until the chocolate has hardened before serving.

Source: The Velveteen Baker, tempering chocolate Ghirardelli