Easy Cake Pop Recipe Without Frosting

I am not an expert on cake balls. Some people are really really good at making them.  I’m not even talking about the cutesy, snazzy people who can make their cake balls/pops look like freakin Hello Kitty or a unicorn head.  No, those people are sculptors. I’ve come to grips with the reality that I simply do not have the skill, time or patience for that. But they

Mine always come out looking more like mini deformed potatoes.  I basically quit trying to make cake balls because not only was I making pathetic looking ones, but they were so sweet that I would make the sour pucker face when I ate one.  What’s the point of all this work if I wasn’t willing to blow the summer slim down diet for a few?! Yes, they’re adorable, they are usually too sweet and don’t taste very good.  I am all for presentation, but taste is first and foremost.

Don’t get me wrong, I looooove me some sweets (I mean look at my recipe page, it’s a wonder I don’t give myself diabetes).  Most cake balls use a crumbled cake and frosting as the binding agent (the thing that holds the crumbs together), then dunked in white chocolate which I hate because it’s too thick and too sweet even on its own.  I make no-bake oreo “cake pops” that I love (get recipe here) because they don’t taste like a pound of sugar cubes… but they aren’t actually made with cake, so they don’t technically count as “cake” balls.

No Bake Oreo Cake Pops

Then I took a cake class at Momofuku’s Milk Bar in NYC (read about that adventure here and here).  The head pastry chef Christina Tosi doesn’t refer to their cake balls as cake balls.  Nope, the tiny confections appear under the alias of “cake truffles” on the Milk Bar menu.  Let’s face it, truffles sound better than balls 😛 Keep it classy, let’s  say truffles instead.

Truffles.  The bakery uses a soak made with milk and vanilla instead.  Also, instead of a thick white chocolate shell, they used a very thin coat of white chocolate, then rolled it in another ingredient.  Double win.  After the class, we took home a cake and about 5 cake

Truffles and sure enough I tweeted that I ate them for breakfast the next day.  They were the best bar none.  They weren’t the most adorable things I’ve ever seen, but as far as taste goes, Milk Bar was King.

Easy Eggless Homemade Cake Pops

At the class Tosi said that they ONLY use cake scraps and never make the truffles just to make the truffles.  It seemed kind of frowned upon to bake a cake just to crumble it up.  Well, being the wild woman I am, I did just that.  And brought them to a family picnic.  Not one was leftover.  I also used a *gasp* boxed cake mix because I procrastinate like it’s my job plus I’m lazy.

Start with a 1/4 sheet cake baked and cooled. (1/4 sheet cake is fancy bakery talk for 9″x 13″).  So obviously I chose funfetti because sprinkles make everything better.

Add in your soak a little at a time.  You don’t want it drippy!  Add just enough moisture so that it holds its shape when you try to make a ball.  Then roll them up!

Simple Cake Pop Recipe

If you are OCD and need them to be all the same size, then use a small cookie scoop or melon baller.

Truffles   2. chocolate  3. dry cake mix  4. serving dish).  Working somewhat quickly is a good idea when working with melted chocolate. I use disposable bowls because it makes clean up a breeze.

Truffle into chocolate.  You want a thin coat.  This way is messy, but whatever, it was the way they taught me in the cake class.  And it’s fun.  You can dunk them however you want, but I despise too sweet white chocolate, so I did this:

Cake Balls Recipe

Roll into the dry cake mix and then place on a dish to set.  Refrigerate for about an hour and then faceplant.

Whisk together milk & vanilla then add it slowly to the cake crumbs until you can roll into a bite size ball without it falling apart.

If you are OCD and need them to be all the same size, then use a small cookie scoop or melon baller.

Truffles   2. chocolate  3. dry cake mix  4. serving dish).  Working somewhat quickly is a good idea when working with melted chocolate. I use disposable bowls because it makes clean up a breeze.

Truffle into chocolate.  You want a thin coat.  This way is messy, but whatever, it was the way they taught me in the cake class.  And it’s fun.  You can dunk them however you want, but I despise too sweet white chocolate, so I did this:

Cake Balls Recipe

Roll into the dry cake mix and then place on a dish to set.  Refrigerate for about an hour and then faceplant.

Whisk together milk & vanilla then add it slowly to the cake crumbs until you can roll into a bite size ball without it falling apart.