Cake truffles

Do you remember when I posted about cake pops last year? Well, they were really tasty, but also quite difficult to put on a stick. Seems simple enough in theory, I know, but it's much harder when you're actually doing it! So this year, for Caleb's birthday, I made cake truffles.

Ahhh...extra chocolate. That's the best.

Pretty much, it's the same idea as cake pops, just without the stick. I used a gluten-free yellow cake mix (*gasp!*) from the States, because I needed to work quickly. The cake actually tasted really good when I baked it! I would highly recommend Betty Crocker gluten-free mixes.

 Anyway, as the binder for the cake, I used a delicious caramel frosting recipe for half of the cake truffles (included below), and raspberry jam for the other half. Both versions were tasty, but the caramel frosting was definitely fancier.

For the directions on how to make the cake pops, just follow steps 1-7 from this recipe, and then use a fork to dip the truffles into the chocolate, or candy coating. It'll be messy any way you do it, so just enjoy getting your fingers all chocolatey. You can call it an excuse to lick your fingers. (Just be sure to wash them before dipping more truffles!)

I just melt my chocolate in the microwave..it's the easiest way!

So shiny and chocolatey, but not perfectly round like Bakerella's cake pops- she's the best!!

I wish I had a picture of the insides of the truffles, but I was preparing them so fast that I didn't get a chance to have a photo-shoot with these little beauties.  I do have two more hidden in the freezer for a rainy day (maybe today??), so if you are really curious, maybe, just maybe, I could snap a picture of the cake inside. But I'm sure you can use your imagination a little and just picture the yummy goodness!

Enjoy!

Caramel frosting

1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar

6 tbsp unsalted butter or margarine

1/3 cup any type of milk (cow's, rice, soy...)

1 pinch salt

1 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted 

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a medium saucepan, combine brown sugar,  butter, milk, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium and boil 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; cool completely. 

Stir in confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth and thick enough to spread on cupcakes.

*Update: I got a picture of the truffles before we ate the last ones!