Bourbon Cake Balls
This recipe, developed by my husband, is based upon the basic Cake Ball recipe and therefore, different than the traditional Bourbon Ball recipe. If I may be so bold as to say, they are tastier and even easier to prepare than the traditional recipe.
This recipe, developed by my husband, is based upon the basic Cake Ball recipe and therefore, different than the traditional Bourbon Ball recipe. If I may be so bold as to say, they are tastier and even easier to prepare than the traditional recipe.
- Carbohydrate 0.49895160656 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 2.5908764158819 g
- Fiber 0.345594200094584 g
- Protein 0.330114446764444 g
- Saturated Fat 0.222476257470476 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (5g)
- Sodium 0.0176507936507937 mg
- Sugar 0.153357406465416 g
- Trans Fat 0.121497956142857 g
- Calories 29 calories
Step-by-step
- Soak nuts in Bourbon while you bake and cool the cake.
- Bake the yellow cake mix in a 9x13 cake pan as directed on the box. Allow to cool.
- Break it up into the bowl of your KitchenAid mixer.
- With the paddle on a slow speed, add the nuts and Bourbon, as well as the entire tub of icing. Slow, so you don?t whip it out all over your kitchen - trust me on this one!
- Allow to mix completely. This will have a moist, pasty consistency and will look somewhat unattractive.
- Spread this mixture back into the cake pan from whence it came. Chill well in the fridge, two to three hours. It will be somewhat firm to touch when chilled properly.
- With a sharp knife, cut into seven rows by nine rows, to ultimately make 63 Bourbon Balls.
- Using a fork, pull each cube out of the pan and roll it into a sphere with your hands.
- Place each sphere on a wax paper (or parchment) lined cookie sheet. It will actually take several sheets, probably three or four. Don't let the spheres touch.
- Chill again in the fridge for a couple more hours.
- After the spheres are chilled, prepare your favorite chocolate bark as directed.
- NOTE: Prepare to work quickly and uninterruptedly at this point. You will want room for the cookie sheets to be placed next to the dip. You will return the dipped spheres to the wax papered cookie sheets, so keep the wax paper intact on the cookie sheet. Have your toothpicks and pecan halves at the ready.
- Using a toothpick, dip each sphere (one at a time) into the coating, allow excess to drip off and place carefully back onto the waxed paper cookie sheet. Again, don?t allow the spheres to touch each other.
- QUICKLY place a pecan half on top of the freshly dipped sphere and press down a bit to help it adhere to the Bourbon Ball. This will also serve to cover the unsightly toothpick hole.
- Allow to chill in the fridge. You want the coating to be firm.
- If you are so inclined, place the Bourbon Balls on little cupcake papers and package in boxes. Alternatively, you can just eat them right off the cookie sheet and pass out under the kitchen table. It is completely up to you.
The Maceration Phase
Soaking the chopped pecans in bourbon before adding them to the mixer is essential for flavor distribution. The alcohol softens the nut cellular walls slightly while extracting harsh compounds. Keep the mixer speed low during this stage. High speeds will break down the cake crumbs into a gummy paste that ruins the structural integrity.
The Chilling Protocol
Pressing the moist dough back into a 9x13 pan establishes uniform thickness for cutting. Chill the mass in the refrigerator for two to three hours until it reaches a firm consistency. If the interior remains too warm, the spheres will deform during the rolling phase and fail to hold a clean spherical shape on the parchment paper.
Enrobing Mechanics
Melt the chocolate bark just before the second chilling cycle finishes. Maintain a workstation layout where the dipped sphere moves directly from the coating vessel to the lined cookie sheet within three seconds. Place the pecan half over the toothpick puncture immediately while the chocolate layer is still molten. Allow the finished batch to set in the refrigerator until the coating is completely hardened.
