05 Jun Margarita Cake Balls

Hola mis amigos! May I offer you a margarita? Or even better, a margarita cake ball?

I’m coming back at you with another boozy recipe this week. Maybe it’s the summer heat (already in the 90s here), maybe it’s my mood as of late (slightly stressed but not complaining!), but I’ve been feeling the need to add lil’ somethin’ somethin’ (ahem, alcohol) to my treats lately.

And not the woosie (woosy? wussy?) kind that bakes out, either. We’re talking tequila-battered, tequila-brushed & tequila-spiked, folks. In fact, these cake balls may be doubly habit forming – don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Since we’re internet friends, this is where you ask — But Katie? Why so stressed?

So sweet of you to ask!

You see, I’ve been running around like a loca woman, trying to prepare for the non-wedding shower that I’m helping to throw for my best friend Taylor (a.k.a. Miss-soon-to-be-Mrs. Longbottom) this weekend.

I specify non-wedding because she had initially asked for no showers. But if you know my mother, you know there was about .0001% that was going to happen. The woman loves to throw a party — albeit a catered one.

But we also 100% understand Taylor’s aversion to traditional showers — you know, the kind where you’re forced to open gift-wrapped spatulas and questionably tasteful underwear purchased by your fiancé’s aunt (who you met once, 2 years ago at the family reunion), while oodles of people look on waiting for a thrilled reaction from the blushing bride. So instead, we’re having a couple’s ‘stock the bar’ shower-party-thingy complete with beer pong, corn hole and a put-on-your-dance-pants-cuz-it’s-party-time playlist.

Really, who can say no to college drinking games and bottles of booze forced on you and your betrothed? Light years better than the alternative, amiright?

The running around like a crazy person is all on me. I tend to procrastinate and it’s got me scrambling to get all of my little DIY projects started and finished in the week before the party. I’ve earned myself a scolding from my mother, complete with a lecture on the merits of paying somebody else to make decorations for you. Somebody else as in Party City.

What can I say? It’s a tough life being a slave to Pinterest. After spending hours upon hours of my life staring at and pinning perfectly planned parties, retail decorations are tres blasé. So wish me luck and keep your fingers crossed that I pull this off with some cute decorations to show for it. If not, I’ll see you all on Pinstrosity, failed bunting in one hand and a stiff Margarita Cake Ball in the other.

Now that we’re on the same page about the need for sugar + booze therapy, let’s talk about lime-flavored cake for a sec. Do a quick search and you’ll find long list of cake recipes that get all of their limey oomph from lime Jell-o mix. That’s perfectly right and fine and all that (no judgement), but it just didn’t feel right for these Margarita Cake Balls. I wanted to capture that sour, bitter margarita tang that only fresh limes produce.

So, I set to zesting…and zesting…and zesting some more. Yep, if you’re going to do this the natural way it’s going to take a little bit of elbow grease.

But trust me, the hard work pays off. These Margarita Cake Balls are sweet, tangy and have just a little bit of a kick. Top them off with just the tiniest peench of salt, plus a little decorating sugar (to look like more salt) and you’ve got yourself a perfectly festive treat for all those back yard fiestas you’re going to throw this summer! Or to ‘take the edge off’ on a random Thursday night. Whatever tickles your pickle.

A few notes about this recipe:

I recommend using a gold (or darker) tequila for this recipe. I used a tequila blanco (silver tequila) and, despite the generous amount added, the flavor didn’t come through as strongly as a would have liked.

I think it goes without saying, but these are NOT kid friendly. Make sure you eliminate the tequila if you’re going to be sharing with your kiddos. 

Prep is important when making cake balls. In addition to the ingredients you will need a parchment lined cookie sheet, more parchment to place your dipped cake balls on to dry, a microwave-safe bowl for heating the candy coating, and a spoon, fork and toothpick for the dipping process. 

If you’re going to dye your candy coating, you MUST use oil-based food coloring. Any type of moisture will cause the candy coating to seize up and be unusable. You can buy oil-based food coloring on the cake/candy supply aisle of your local craft store. 

Salud! XO, Katie

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