The Scouts Cake Bake Auction

This week my son learned how to bake a cake. It was so nice to share that time with him in the kitchen (& discover that he really did understand fractions)

His scout unit had their annual cake bake auction fundraiser. The boys make cakes with little to no help from their parents. The cakes then get judged by a panel of judges from the community so that the boys can get awards for different categories. Then they get auctioned off to the highest bidder.

for us it started with Fire & Ice (& a few fish)

My son wanted to do a camping cake so we came up with all kinds of ideas for water & fire & ended up melting jolly ranchers~ I think mostly because he just wanted to eat ALL the extra JolliesI think the fire came out pretty good~looks like a cozy campfire to me

he also wanted to be sure that we had trees. Sugar cones were the sure way to go but the decoration of them was a little different. I knew I didn't want to walk him though making icing specifically for the trees so we raided the cabinet & used melted butterscotch chips & iced the cones with that & sprinkled some green sugar on them. They came out wonderful & I highly recommend that technique

Doesn't he look so happy mixing the ingredients~ I just love it

Here he is testing the consistency of the batter

tyring to pour the batter in the pans evenly

Ready for the Oven

(excuse all the ash in the bottom of the oven~I used the self cleaner last week & lets just say it was like a war zone in there)

FOR ICING ~ the best part

of course it was a HUGE battle from within for me to not grab the spatula & help him ice it when I watched him rub so hard back & forth that I just knew the cake was going to get lobbed off lol ;)

But all my anxiety went away when I peeked through my fingers & saw that he did just fine, as you can see by the cute little tent he made out of pretzel sticks, melted butter scotch chips & fruit by the foots

Here are some of the other cakes laid out on the table getting the judges once over.

And here he is holding his Judges choice Award!! Getting him to take this picture took a little coaxing. I think he got a little embarrassed having to accept the award in front of all those people

but in the end he was very excited about it & I think he was very proud of his accomplishment

Isnt it such an awesome display!

I know I was proud of him because he was willing to learn something new & he was able to express the ideas that he wanted to have happen. He was open to suggestions & he learned that great successes come from dedication & hard work

So here is to my little guy (well really not too little anymore) Who was creative himself this week

Finally out of the oven & cooled enough to transfer

Addictive little things!

Let's talk about cake balls!! I know they are everywhere.....& with good reason! These little bite size goodies are so easy to make & they are to die for.

You start by making your favorite cake, this time I chose chocolate but they are equally as good in MANY other flavors Then you take this perfectly moist delicious cake & crumble it up.......yes I said crumble, ruin the cake people, its OK, I promise!

Then I used gobs of peanut butter, I didn't measure it, I just mixed in enough to make the cake come together into a dough. That part isn't exact science. Most people use a tub of store bought icing & that taste equally as scrumptious but this time around I was going for that chocolate - peanut butter flavor

see below how it is starting to come together like a cookie dough...that's what you want it to do

then you roll small amounts into balls & place on a sheet pan lines with parchment paper or in my case tin foil


then you will pop them into the freezer until they firm up. This makes them easier to handle when you give them a dip chocolate


I guess I could have tried to take a picture of the fork method of dipping but lets face it...this is a messy job! At least for me it is!

I used regular old chocolate chips, the kind you use in chocolate chip cookies. Some people use almond bark but I find it way too sweet. I used the semi sweet but also dipped some in milk chocolate chips to satisfy my 15 year old who doesn't like chocolate!!! I KNOW a complete sin. . But if he is willing to try the milk chocolate the least I can do is oblige him!

I dumped the chips in a glass bowl & followed the package directions for melting them in the microwave. worked like a charm & I was able to melt it without seizing up the chocolate. I always seems to do that with the double boiler method. . .I apparently get moisture in the chocolate.

You can totally tell the difference between the 2 I think the dark taste the best, Oh & its good for you too.....at least that's what "they" say!

Once I get them covered in chocolate I pop them back in the freezer to speed the cooling process & then I like to keep them in the fridge. I love when the outer chocolate snaps when you bite into it & then you get the moist luscious cake inside. Pure heaven.
I really owe my new found love of cake balls to My Uncle Jeff. He was apparently obsessed with making them last year & made all kinds of flavors, so he introduced them to us & they have been a hit ever since. So I say Thank you Uncle Jeff ( my thighs NOT so much)
On a final note I have extra cake balls made up in my freezer waiting to get dipped because I always seem to have more cake balls than melted chocolate. I find this is a convenient way to speed up the process for the next time. I guess this will help me determine how long they will keep in the freezer. I tried to figure that out last time I made them but my Dad who was visiting, discovered them hidden in the freezer & ate them before I got the chance. He was even more thrilled when I was able to coat some in the chocolate!!
So there you have it, my method of making cake balls. It really is so easy, I hope you give it a try with your favorite cake & icing flavors!

Until next time........ Happy Creating!