Creating Cake Bites: A Unique Wedding Cake Idea

Cake bites are a fun and easy dessert to make for any occasion, including weddings. They are bite-sized treats that can be made with any flavour of cake and frosting. The basic method involves crumbling a cake and mixing it with frosting, rolling the mixture into balls, and then dipping them in a candy coating. Cake bites can be decorated with sprinkles or left plain, and they can be served on miniature doilies or cupcake liners. They are a great way to offer a variety of flavours and fillings to guests and are perfect for a wedding cake as they are easily pop-able.

Cake mix and flavourings

The first step in making wedding cake bites is to bake a cake. You can use a box mix or make a cake from scratch. If you're short on time, a box mix is a great option, and you can customise the flavour by adding extracts like almond, lemon, orange, or coconut. You can also bake a cake from scratch, using a simple vanilla cake recipe or trying something more adventurous like red velvet or carrot cake.

Once you've baked your cake, let it cool completely. This step is crucial, as you don't want to burn your hands when you start crumbling the cake! You can speed up the cooling process by placing the cake in the refrigerator, but be careful of the hot pan.

After the cake has cooled, it's time to crumble it. You can use your hands to break the cake into small pieces, or use a food processor or blender for a quicker and easier option. The goal is to get fine crumbs that will be easy to mix with the other ingredients.

The next ingredient you'll need is frosting. You can use a store-bought container of frosting or make your own. Common frosting flavours include vanilla, cream cheese, buttercream, and chocolate. Mix the frosting into the cake crumbs until you have a soft and slightly moist dough. You want the mixture to hold together, but not be wet or sticky. If it's too dry, add more frosting a spoonful at a time.

At this point, you can also add flavour extracts to enhance the taste of your cake bites. Almond extract is a popular choice, but you can experiment with other flavours like lemon, orange, or coconut.

Now it's time to shape your cake bites. Use a cookie scoop or melon baller to portion out the mixture into heaping 1-inch balls. Place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and chill them in the freezer or refrigerator until firm.

Flavour Combinations

• Spiced cake with cream cheese frosting
• Strawberry cake with strawberry frosting
• Funfetti cake with funfetti frosting
• Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting or coconut pecan frosting
• Gingerbread cake with vanilla frosting
• Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting

Rolling the cake balls

Step 1: Crumble the Cake

Before rolling, you need to crumble the cake into a large mixing bowl. You can use your hands or a potato masher to break the cake into fine crumbs. Alternatively, you can place small pieces of cake in a food processor or blender to blend them into crumbs. Ensure that the cake is completely cooled before crumbling to avoid any mess or burning yourself.

Step 2: Add Frosting

Add the frosting to the bowl of cake crumbs. Use a rubber spatula, large spoon, or electric mixer to combine the frosting and cake crumbs until you achieve a soft and slightly moist dough-like consistency. Add the frosting gradually, mixing until all the cake crumbs are coated. The mixture should not be wet, sticky, or dry. If it feels dry, add more frosting, a spoonful at a time, until you reach the desired consistency.

Step 3: Scoop and Roll the Cake Mixture

Line a baking sheet or tray with parchment or wax paper. Use a tablespoon or cookie scoop to scoop out portions of the cake mixture. With clean hands, roll each portion into smooth balls. You can wear food-safe gloves if preferred. Start with larger balls, about 15 of them, and then switch to smaller balls, making about 15 of those as well. Repeat this process until you've used up all your cake mixture. You can use a teaspoon for the smaller balls to ensure uniformity in size.

Step 4: Chill the Cake Balls

Once you've rolled all the cake mixture into balls, place them in the refrigerator to chill. Chilling the cake balls will help them firm up, making them easier to handle and dip into the coating later on. Aim for about 15 minutes of chilling time.

Step 5: Re-Roll the Cake Balls

After chilling, remove the cake balls from the refrigerator. Before proceeding to dip them, gently re-roll each cake ball between your hands to smooth out any imperfections and ensure a secure shape. This step will help you achieve a smooth and circular final product.

Tips for Rolling Cake Balls:

• Use a cookie scoop or ice cream scoop to portion out the cake mixture uniformly.
• Wear food-safe gloves or lightly spray your hands with non-stick cooking spray to prevent the mixture from sticking to your hands.
• If using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment for combining the cake crumbs and frosting.
• If desired, use a kitchen scale to ensure that each ball weighs approximately 30 grams for precise sizing.

Melting the chocolate

Preparation:

Firstly, gather your ingredients and equipment. You will need your chosen form of chocolate, such as candy melts, coating chocolate, or almond bark, a microwave-safe bowl, and a spoon for stirring. It is also recommended to have shortening or coconut oil on hand to thin the chocolate if needed.

Melting:

Place your chocolate in the microwave-safe bowl and heat it in the microwave in short intervals to avoid overheating. Start with 45 seconds, then stir the chocolate, and continue melting in 20-second intervals until it is fully melted. Stirring is essential to ensure even melting and prevent overheating. Alternatively, you can use a double boiler on the stove for a gentler melting process.

Thinning (Optional):

If your chocolate is too thick for dipping, you can thin it by adding a teaspoon of shortening or coconut oil. Stir the chocolate well after adding the thinning agent to ensure a smooth and even consistency.

Temperature Control:

It is important to monitor the temperature of the melted chocolate. It should be slightly warm, but not too hot. Overheating the chocolate will cause it to seize and ruin its consistency. On the other hand, if the chocolate is too cold, it will not coat the cake balls properly.

Dipping:

Once your chocolate is melted and at the right temperature, you can begin dipping your chilled cake balls. Work with a few cake balls at a time, keeping the rest chilled, to ensure the chocolate doesn't start to set. Use a fork or a spoon to dip and coat each cake ball completely, tapping gently to remove any excess chocolate. Place the coated balls back on the wax paper and proceed to decorate them before the chocolate sets.

Decorating:

Immediately after coating each cake ball, top it with sprinkles, edible pearls, or any other desired decorations. The chocolate needs to be wet for the decorations to stick, so work quickly. You can also drizzle or pipe melted chocolate over the cake bites and add decorations afterward.

Setting:

Allow the chocolate coating to set completely before serving the cake bites. You can speed up the setting process by placing them in the refrigerator, especially if it is a warm day.

Storage:

Your wedding cake bites can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days or frozen for several weeks.

Dipping the cake balls

Now comes the fun part: dipping the cake balls!

Step 1: Melt the chocolate

As mentioned earlier, it's best to use a double boiler to melt your coating chocolate or candy melts. This method is easier to control than a microwave and makes it simpler to re-melt the chocolate if needed.

Step 2: Prepare your setup

Place a coating rack inside a lipped sheet pan lined with parchment paper. This setup will catch any drippings and make it easier to reuse the chocolate.

Step 3: Dip the cake balls

Take two or three cake balls out of the freezer at a time. Using a fork, gently lower a cake ball into the melted chocolate, fully submerging it. It will take two or three spoonfuls of chocolate to coat the ball entirely. Work quickly, as the cold cake balls will cause the chocolate to set fast.

Step 4: Remove excess chocolate

After coating a cake ball, gently tap your wrist or the fork against the side of the bowl to remove any excess chocolate. This step is important, as excess chocolate will pool at the bottom of the cake bite as it sets. However, be careful not to tap too vigorously, or the cake ball will fall off the fork.

Step 5: Place on the rack

Use a spoon to gently nudge the coated cake ball off the fork and onto the prepared coating rack. Repeat this process with the remaining cake balls, working in small batches.

Step 6: Decorate (optional)

If desired, decorate your mini cakes with simple patterns or royal icing flowers. A thin line at the base or a Swiss dot pattern on each layer will add a delicate touch. Alternatively, you can pipe tiny royal icing flowers and leave them to dry, then use a dot of royal icing to "glue" them to the top of the mini cakes.

Decorating the cake bites

Now for the fun part! Decorating the cake bites is where you can really get creative. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Keep it Simple

If you want to keep things simple, a thin line at the base where the two layers meet, or a simple Swiss dot pattern on each layer, is always a good option. You could also add some tiny royal icing flowers to the top of the mini cakes. Pipe some flowers and leave them to dry, then use a dot of royal icing to "glue" them in place.

Get Creative with Colours

If you want to get a little more creative, match the candy melts to a specific colour scheme, such as the colours of the wedding or a particular theme. For a baby shower, for example, you could use pastel-coloured candy melts, or try a combination of red, white and blue candy melts for a 4th of July celebration. You can also use different colours of candy melts to drizzle over the cake bites for a fun, colourful effect.

Add Some Sprinkles

Sprinkles are always a great way to add some extra colour and texture to your cake bites. You can use colourful sprinkles, jimmies, nonpareils, or even crushed nuts or coconut flakes for a more natural look. If you're making cake pops, you can also roll the pops in sprinkles or other toppings after dipping them in the candy coating.

Go for a Themed Design

If you're making the cake bites for a particular holiday or event, you can get creative with the decorations to match the theme. For example, for a Valentine's Day treat, you could make chocolate-covered strawberry pops using strawberry cake mix and chocolate candy melts, with pink heart-shaped sprinkles. Or, for a Halloween party, try making pumpkin-shaped cake pops with orange candy melts and green and white sprinkles.

Add Some Extra Flavour

In addition to the decorations, you can also add some extra flavour to your cake bites by brushing the cake balls with a simple syrup or liquor before dipping them in the candy coating. This will add a burst of flavour and keep the cake bites moist. You could also fill the cake bites with a surprise centre, such as a small piece of chocolate or a cherry.

Remember, the most important thing is to have fun and be creative! Don't be afraid to experiment with different flavours, colours, and decorations to come up with your own unique cake bite creations.

Frequently asked questions