Strawberry Cake Balls!

So, I must confess. These pregnancy hormones have me craving cake, cake, & more cake; morning, noon & night! I crave white cake, chocolate cake, yellow cake, coconut cream cake, german chocolate cake, strawberry cake, confetti cake, carrot cake, white icing, cream cheese icing, chocolate icing, strawberry icing (you get the picture) ....if it has cake in the title, I will probably want to devour it! Recently, I have heard of friends making "cake balls" and I, of course, had to google this tasty sounding phenomenon unbeknownst to me. As I was cake ball surfing the internet, I stumbled upon the most delectable, eye-appealing blog to satisfy the palate of cake lovers everywhere. After skimming through a blog entitled, Schweet -N- Savory, I found the recipe I was looking for! I decided to make a rookie attempt at assembling strawberry cake balls for our shark cookout (see previous posts for pictures of the shark..and btw, it tasted like chicken!). This event was hosted by our island friends, Kevin & Lindsey. The cake balls were a HUGE hit, and I will be baking these heaven-n-a-ball cakes again SOON. I mean, come on, I still have TWO whole trimesters left! :)

The cake balls were really fun to make and my sweet husband helped me every step of the way. Now that is what I call love people! I have included this fabulous recipe and pictures of the cake ball making process, because it would be rather inconsiderate of me to keep this delightful treat a secret from the people I love. Enjoy my friends and bon appetit!

Ingredients:

1 box Duncan Hines Strawberry Cake Mix

1 1/3 c. evaporated milk

1/3 c. strawberry jam

3 eggs

8 bittersweet, dark chocolate baking squares (I used 2 bags of semi-sweet chocolate chips, because I don't like the really dark chocolate)

Creamy Cream Cheese Icing (recipe follows)

Begin preheating your oven at 350*. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, evaporated milk, strawberry jam & 3 eggs. Mix well and pour into a greased 9X13 pan. Bake according to cake box instructions. Let cake cool.

Now, the fun part! Once the cake has cooled, take that pretty cake you just baked, and crumble it into a large bowl.

Insert creamy cream cheese icing here. To make, combine 2 8 oz packages of softened cream cheese, a stick of softened butter (1/2 cup), 2 cups confectioner/powder sugar, & 1 tsp. vanilla.

Once the icing is mixed, pour this creamy concoction into your

bowl of crumbled cake and mix together.

Then, take the hamburger-meat-looking hodgepodge (gotta love my verbiage this early in the morning) and roll cake into bite-size balls. I went a little overboard on mine and made them a smidgen too big for bite size. Place them on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper.

Place them in the freezer for ten minutes.

While the balls are hardening in the freezer, melt your chocolate in a bowl (I used the microwave). Now you are ready to dip each individual ball into the chocolate, copiously covering them. You can use a fork or toothpick to assist in dipping.

Next, place them into the refrigerator to allow the chocolate to harden. (Takes around 15-20 minutes).

This was the final product! They tasted just like a chocolate covered strawberrys! Deeelish!