I was having a little get together to show off my new grandson and wanted to serve snacks but I didn't want to have to use silverware. My daughter's favorite cake is Texas Sheet Cake and that was her request, but that meant that forks would be necessary. Or were they? Cake balls are all the rage these days so I decided it was time for me to give them a try. The first thing was to make a Texas Sheet Cake. This is a cake that has been around forever. It's super easy to make, very moist, and chocoholics love it. Here's what you'll need:
- 2 C flour
- 2 C sugar
- 1 C water
- 1 stick butter
- 1/2 C oil
- 5 TBL cocoa powder
- 1/2 C buttermilk
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp vanilla
Icing
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/2 stick butter
- 3 1/2 tablespoons cocoa
- about 11 tablespoons sifted powdered sugar
- 3/4 cup chopped nuts
- 3/4 cup coconut
Frosting for balls
First thing is to make the cake. In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and a pinch of salt. In a microwave safe bowl, heat the cocoa, butter, oil, and water until the butter is melted and whisk until well combined.
Add this to the dry ingredients--stir well. Now add 2 eggs, beating after each addition. Dissolve 1 teaspoon baking soda in 1/2 cup buttermilk and add to batter. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat all of this well and pour in greased and floured sheet pan.
Bake at 350 for about 30 min.
While the cake is baking, you can make the icing. In a sauce pan, combine 1/3 cup water. 1/2 stick butter, 3 1/2 tablespoons cocoa and heat for about 1 minute. Add about 11 tablespoons sifted powdered sugar, stirring to combine. Add 3/4 cup chopped nuts and 3/4 cup coconut and stir. The icing should be loose enough to pour onto the cake. As soon as the cake is done, pour the icing on, spreading it to cover.
Once the cake has cooled, it's time to make the cake balls. In a big bowl, crumble the sheet cake. Just use your hands and break it apart until it's pretty evenly broken down into crumbs. Now you have to have something to bind the crumbs back together. How about more icing?
Sift sugar and cocoa together into a large bowl. In another bowl combine 1 cup of sugar mixture with butter and 1 tablespoon cream, beating until smooth. Add another cup of sugar and another tablespoon of cream, beating well. Continue until all ingredients are combined and frosting is fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Now start adding the frosting to the crumbs, one big spoonful at a time.
This is a feel thing. You want just enough frosting mixed in to hold the crumbs together to make the balls. The easiest way to figure it out is to just test it. Using my small cookie scoop, I scooped up some of the mixture and rolled it into a ball. You don't want to have to pack it for the crumbs to stick together, because you can do that without adding any frosting at all. The problem is, they will fall apart without the frosting. The frosting is the binder.
Now you just roll them all. I would like to be able to tell you how many this made, but the problem is that so many people were "tasting" along the way that I don't think my count would be accurate. I decide to pretty them up a bit by drizzling them with melted white chocolate chips. Then I refrigerated them to set. They were pretty and delicious. We had plenty left over so I froze them and they freeze beautifully! Great to pop in your mouth frozen or thaw and eat.
I used pretty skewers to serve them. I was so excited to show off my grandson that I forgot to take a picture of the final product. Sorry!
Enjoy!
Lynn
