02 Nov Butterbeer Cake Balls
I was a unicorn for Halloween. Yes, I’m a 25 yr old unicorn who lives with her parents. So what?
I loved having an excuse to wear body glitter and hot pink lipstick. I’ve been waiting for an good opportunity to bedazzle myself since it went out of style in the 8th grade. Unfortunately, body glitter isn’t all the rage that it used to be, so I had to use my disco dust cupcake glitter instead. Here’s photo proof.
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As I am writing this I am wiggling with excitement. This weekend will be the first time that my best friends from college have all been together since…maybe graduation?
There are going to be 9 girls sleeping in a 2 bedroom 1 bathroom apartment. Take a moment to imagine the squealy, giggly, girly slumber party that is going to ensue – ADPi sorority house 2.0. Hopefully, we don’t blow a fuse with all of our hair tools…or get Natty & Lisa evicted.
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You know how I made those Red Velvet Cupakes? Well, since Halloween is all about sweet decadence I also made Butterbeer Cake Balls!
For those of you non-HP-loving muggles, Butterbeer is a fictional beverage, drunk by Harry Potter and friends. I was lucky enough to sample this delicacy while visiting Universal Studios in 2011 – and have been craving it ever since. Imagine a creamy cross between butterscotch and cream soda. Mouth watering yet?
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Butterbeer Cake
Adapted from Amybites
2 c flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c granulated sugar
1/2 c dark brown sugar, packed
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp butter flavoring
1/2 c buttermilk
1/2 c cream soda
butterscotch ganache:
1/2 of 11oz. package of butterscotch chips
3 tbsp heavy cream
For the cakeball assembly:
2 packages vanilla candy coating
Sprinkles for decorating
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1. Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl cream butter until light and fluffy.
2. Beat in sugars until well combined. Add eggs in one at a time, beating until well combined after each.
3. Beat in butter flavoring and vanilla extract.
4. In medium bowl, sift together dry ingredients.
5. Alternate adding in buttermilk, cream soda and dry ingredients until well incorporated.
6. Pour batter into a greased 13×9 sheet pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cake cool for at least an hour.
While your cake is baking, make the butterscotch ganache. We will substitute ganache for icing to make the cakeballs.
7. In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave butterscotch chips until melted, stirring every 30 seconds.
8. Add cream and stir until smooth.
Butterbeer Cake ball assembly
1. Line a baking sheet with wax paper and set aside.
2. Use fork to shred cake into crumbs. You can do this either in the pan it was baked in or in a large bowl.
3. Add the 1/2 the butterscotch ganache and mix thoroughly with crumbled cake. Test your “dough” to see if it is sticky enough to form a ball without crumbling. Add more ganache if needed. Place in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (you could also do this the night before) – it will make it easier to roll into balls.
4. Using your hands, roll cake mixture into 1 inch balls. Place on lined baking sheet. When done, place baking sheet in freezer and let cakeballs chill for 30 minutes. This step is optional, but it helps the cake balls keep their shape and prevents crumbs from getting in the candy bark and thus, causing lumpy coating.
5. While cakeballs are chilling, microwave 1/2 a package of candy bark in a small bowl, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted. Note: if you want to add color to your bark, do so now. You must use oil-based food coloring or else bark will seize up (I learned this the hard way).
6. It’s time to dip! Coating cake balls is kind of an art. It takes practice so if your cake balls don’t come out looking perfect don’t worry about it! It took me several tried to develop a successful method. Regardless of what they look like, they’ll still taste magical. Promise.
7. Place the cake ball into the bowl of melted candy coating and use a spoon the cover with coating. Lift the cake ball out of the coating with a fork and tap against the rim of the bowl to remove excess.
8. Use a toothpick to gently push the cakeball back on to your cookie sheet. Make sure you push the cake ball from the bottom so you don’t smudge your coating Let the coating harden and that’s it!
Suggestions for bedazzling:
Sprinkle on your decoration of choice while the coating is still wet
Use chocolate candy bark or dye vanilla candy bark using oil based food coloring Pour into a ziploc bag. Cut a tiny piece off the corner and drizzle away! Then of course, add sprinkles or disco dust.
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