Teeny Tiny Cupcake Bites!

Adapted from Bakerella

Okay, so this came about in a round-about way. I'm in a class with 5 people, and we were discussing cooking and treats one day (coincidentally, one of the girls in my class bought my lemon meringue cupcakes at the Chicago Law Foundation auction), and my professor started bringing in cookies. Turns out, that extra hit of sugar really perked up those two hours, so I started scheming about what I could bring in. Since I've always wanted to try these suckers, and because they'd be so easy to get to school, a project was born!

Note: Its best to take care of the cake the night before you want to make this, or if you have an entire day, the morning of. Make sure you read through the entire recipe before beginning, so you know when you'll have to chill things, etc.

Ingredients:

1 box of cake mix (I used red velvet)
1 container of icing (I used cream cheese frosting)
Chocolate wafers or bark for melting and dipping (I bought these at Michael's).
Sprinkles and M&Ms (or other fun toppings. Again, variety is awesome!)

Note: When you buy your chocolate, get as many color combinations as you want. You can mix and match the dipping, and its fun to have lots of options!

Tools:

Trays of candy molds (I found these at Michael's as well. You can probably find them at any craft store, or order them here)
I highly recommend getting yourself some squeeze bags or bottles, which you can also buy at Michale's or here (I didn't, and it made my life a lot messier)

1. Make your cake according to the cake mix instructions. Bake it in a 9x13 pan. When it is baked, let it chill for a few hours or overnight- you don't want to work with this when it is heated at all. I covered mine in plastic wrap and let it sit out overnight.

2. Crumble your cake into a large bowl. Mix in almost the entire container of icing, stirring until completely combined. You want an even consistency, and no pockets of icing hiding out in your cake.


3. Once the cake and icing are completely incorporated, form them into small balls. You can measure them according to your candy molds (they should be small enough to set into each mold). If you accidentally make them too large, don't worry- you can always reform them later after they've chilled.

4. Once your balls are formed (heehee balls), place them on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Chill them in the fridge for an hour or two, OR place them in the freezer. You want them cold and firm enough to stay together, but not solid. I left mine in the freezer for about 15 minutes.


5. When your cake balls are just about ready to come out of the freezer, prepare your chocolate. Place the wafers into small bowls, and microwave in 30 second intervals until they are melted. Stir them after each interval, making sure you get everything on the bottom, so nothing scorches.


6. When the chocolate is melted, spoon (messy approach) or squeeze it into your candy molds. You want to make sure that the mold is full enough that it will come up around the cake ball when you place it in. I suggest filling it at least halfway, maybe a little more.


7. Place a cake ball inside of each mold. Let it sit until the candy has set. I can't remember exactly how long it took, but to err on the side of caution, I'd say wait at least 20 minutes to make sure it is nice and hard before popping it out. Once it is set, pop it out and place on a plate to await the rest of the sugar treatment. The picture below is a good example of what happens when you get too impatient.


8. While your cake balls are hanging out on the plate, waiting for some attention, keep on filling up the molds and setting the rest of your cake balls in the chocolate. This is your opportunity to try different colors for the bases.


9. Once your cake balls are all set and hanging out on the plate, you are going to heat up your other chocolate colors. Follow the same heat, stir, heat, stir cycle. This is a little more tricky- hold your cupcake by the base, and dip it upside down in the melted chocolate. Try to get it as close to the rim as you can, and use a toothpick to pull the rest down if needed. Immediately sprinkle with the toppings, and top with an M&M before it dries and sets (its surprisingly fast!)






10. Serve and try not to eat too many!