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These are cute as a bug’s ear!

Wait, do bugs even have ears? Hardly. When you think of a bug’s ear, do you think “cute”? Again, hardly. Not sure what was going on when someone dreamed up that expression – but I totally dig it. It’s “cute”…

Anywho,

I made these bugs, let me re-phrase – LADY Bugs (much classier) -  a couple weeks ago and I’ve been super pumped to show you. I hope you like. I do.

Ladybug Cake Balls

adapted from Austin Cake Ball

Yield: approximately 36 ladbugs

2 packages (16oz) Vanilla CANDIQUIK Coating

Red food coloring (oil or powder based only)

Black food coloring (oil or powder based only)

1 box chocolate cake mix (plus ingredients for cake mix)

1 container (16 oz.) chocolate frosting

Black cake icing writer

Alright – so bake yourself up a nice cake. I made chocolate. With chocolatey fudge frosting. Or you could totally do white cake, yellow, strawberry, pumpkin, german chocolate, brownies(!?)…you get the drift.

Once your cake is done baking, let it cool a bit.

Crumble the cake into a large bowl and mix with frosting.

Put this mixture in the fridge for a couple hours. You’ve made cake balls before, right? If not, check out my tutorial for cake pops/cake balls.

Ok, now on a wax lined baking sheet, roll this mixture into 1″ balls. (I’ve been using a coffee scoop to spoon out my cake ball mix and it works like a dream; nicely sized, uniform cake balls)

Melt 1 package of Vanilla CANDIQUIK Candy Coating according to the directions on the package. Add a few drops of red (oil or powder based) food coloring until desired color is established.

With a spoon, dip cake balls in melted Red colored CANDIQUIK, coating completely. Let excess CANDIQUIK drip off and place on wax lined baking sheet to dry.

Melt the remaining package of Vanilla CANDIQUIK according to the directions on the package. Add a few drops of black (oil or powder based) food coloring until you get a nice black.

Make sure your red cake balls are dry and with your hands, carefully dip about half of a red cake ball in the black CANDIQUIK, letting the excess coating drip off, return to wax paper. Before the black coating is dry, place two confetti sprinkles on as the eyes  (if you want to add a pupil: using a toothpick, dip the tip in the black Candiquik and dot in the center of the white sprinkle).

Once coating is dry, starting at the red coating, draw a line down the middle of the cake ball with black cake writing icing.

Then draw on the dots for the ladybug (you can use the cake writing icing/gel or the toothpick/candiquik method)

Pretty straight forward. And those googly eyes will melt your heart!

Happy Baking!

Friday, May 20th, 2011, 1:29 pm   |   Cake Balls, Pops, & Bites, Chocolatey, Uncategorized, Valentine's Day  |  RSS feed |  Respond  |  Trackback