I love having reasons to bake treats. I look for them constantly. The only problem is that even though I make half-recipes, (one time I quartered one) I still have way too much cake, cookies, etc, for me and my dad to eat. Well, we'd have absolutely no problem whatsoever finishing off everything, but we enjoy not gaining a ton of weight. So, I've taken to making half-recipes and taking half of the recipe I make into school. No one complains...much. I have one friend who barely ever misses school, until I bake something and bring it in. On those days, she always ends up being absent. Today, that happened again. I might just have to bake something everyday so she'll eventually get to try some of my creations. Oh, darn.
I baked these cake balls for St. Patrick's Day. I know, I know, St. Patrick's Day isn't until Saturday, but I don't have school on Friday. So, today was the last day to bring in my festive little treats. They went fast. That's the way food and school work. If someone has food, people flock to them. It doesn't matter if you know them well or not, they want your food. And they will get said food if they bug you enough. Some people take the sneaky approach to getting it. One girl waited until the inital hoard of people went away, then casually walked up to me and asked about a homework assignment. She then engaged in nice small talk. I don't think much more than a minute went by before she was asking for food. How do you say no to that? Even if I don't want to give someone something, I usually do it anyway because I feel too bad about saying no. The only way I'm able to refuse someone is if I'm saving whatever I have for a friend I haven't seen yet. Today, I actually did try saying no to a few boys in one of my classes because they told me I was going to give them a cake ball. Then, they begged. I gave in. It doesn't matter though - it helps me more than anything. I don't have to worry about eating the cake balls myself now!
Green Velvet Cake
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1 cup oil
1 cup buttermilk
1 Tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 oz green food coloring
green sprinkles (optional)
white candy coating (I used the Kroger brand)
Directions
Heat the oven to 350F. Mix all of the dry ingredients together and set aside. Mix all of the wet ingredients together (except the food coloring) and set aside. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients gradually, while beating on low speed. When incorporated, add in the green food coloring. It will be very green. Pour into a baking dish (I used 9x9) and bake for 25-35min. Check the cake with a tester before removing from the oven.
Bailey's Irish Cream Buttercream
Ingredients:
2 sticks butter, at room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
4 tablespoons Bailey's Irish Cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions
Combine all ingredients and mix until creamy. If the frosting is a little runny, don't worry about it - it's going to go into the cake anyway.
To Assemble:
Let the cake cool. Then crumble it in a big bowl. Add the buttercream until you get the right consistency. (The cake balls should be able to hold their shape.) Roll the cake into balls about the size of a golf ball. Set on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Place the cake balls in the freezer for 20-30 minutes, or until firm. At this point, you can continue on to dipping them or you can take them out and rid the balls of imperfections (bumps, creases, etc.) If you do the latter, refreeze the cake balls afterwards. Melt the candy coating. Place a cake ball in the candy and coat it. Don't roll the ball! You don't want to get green crumbs in the white candy coating. Pick up the cake ball using a fork and tap the fork on the side of the bowl. This will smooth the candy coating and get rid of excess coating. Place the cake ball back on the baking sheet lined with wax paper. Sprinkle with green sprinkles. Repeat with the rest of the cake balls, then place in the freezer or fridge to harden.
Sources
Recipe Girl
Love From the Oven
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