Cake balls are a food

Food

Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals...

 item that are small (typically 1/2 to 2 inches in width) and ball-shaped. Cake balls do not have the consistency of the traditional sweetened, baked and leavened cakes, but have a consistency similar to dough

Dough

Dough is a paste made out of any cereals or leguminous crops by mixing flour with a small amount of water and/or other liquid. This process is a precursor to making a wide variety of foodstuffs, particularly breads and bread-based items , flatbreads, noodles, pastry, and similar items)...

 which can be attributed to the cake and icing being blended together.

Cake balls can be fully baked cake crumbles that are blended with icing

Icing

Icing may refer to:* Atmospheric icing, occurs when water droplets freeze on objects they contact, very dangerous for aircraft* Aufeis, also called icing, a sheet-like mass of layered ice that forms from the freezing of successive flows of groundwater...

 and shaped to form a ball and then dipped in a coating, such as melted chocolate

Chocolate

Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...

.

Although the exact origins of cake balls are difficult to determine, cake balls are sold in various bakeries as well as mall kiosks; they are also available to be purchased as gifts from places like Neiman Marcus

Neiman Marcus

Neiman Marcus, formerly Neiman-Marcus, is a luxury specialty retail department store operated by the Neiman Marcus Group in the United States. The company is headquartered in the One Marcus Square building in Downtown Dallas, Texas, and competes with other department stores such as Saks Fifth...

 or LMS Sweets. The bite-sized snacks may be displayed on a stick and decorated with ribbon and are especially popular during the holiday months.

Cake ball ingredients

Cake balls were originally created from the use of left-over or stale cake to prevent the waste. Cake balls can be decorated with toppings in a variety of ways, using such items as sprinkles

Sprinkles

Sprinkles are very small pieces of confectionery used as a decoration or to add texture to desserts—typically cupcakes, cookies, doughnuts, ice cream, frozen yogurt, and some puddings...

, nuts

Nut (fruit)

A nut is a hard-shelled fruit of some plants having an indehiscent seed. While a wide variety of dried seeds and fruits are called nuts in English, only a certain number of them are considered by biologists to be true nuts...

, chocolate shavings, candy

Candy

Candy, specifically sugar candy, is a confection made from a concentrated solution of sugar in water, to which flavorings and colorants are added...

, other confectionery

Confectionery

Confectionery is the set of food items that are rich in sugar, any one or type of which is called a confection. Modern usage may include substances rich in artificial sweeteners as well...

 toppings, to name a few. Almond bark

Almond bark

Almond bark is an artificial chocolate made with vegetable fats instead of cocoa butter and with coloring and flavors added. It can be found in 1.5 pound packages, in blocks, or in round discs where candy supplies or holiday nuts and crackers are sold...

or confectionery coating are often used as alternatives to chocolate, and can be easily melted in a microwave oven before dipping. Vegan and gluten-free cake balls also exist.

The recipe is known for its no-hassle style, and pre-made cake mixes and canned icing are often used instead of taking the time to create each part from scratch.

One of the recent upcoming type of cake balls are Red Velvet cake balls. These are getting special attention because of their attractive look and taste.

External links

• http://baking-management.com/rd_applications/red-velvet-cake-balls-1110/
• http://www.fox4now.com/Global/story.asp?S=13324568
• http://www.chocolatecakeballs.ca/
• http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/catalog/prod.jhtml?itemId=prod50710081&parentId=
• http://www.dallasnews.com/lifestyles/food/latest-recipes/20100614-bite-size-cake-balls-are-popular-new-treat-with-home-cooks-bakeries.ece
• http://www.slashfood.com/2010/02/17/cake-balls-on-a-roll-in-texas
• http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/fea/taste/stories/DN-nf_cakeballsjump_0203gd.State.Edition1.2b8fa70.html
• http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/fea/lifetravel/stories/DN-nf_cakeballs_0910liv.ART.State.Edition1.3e35b8a.html
• http://www.salon.com/food/faddy_foods/index.html?story=/food/feature/2010/04/16/cake_balls
• http://howtomakecakeballs.org