Uh-Oh Hummingbird Cake Balls

I was making cupcakes. And I was in a hurry. All cupcake tins were filled and there was still batter left. So I threw the extra in a cake pan. My house smelled glorious! I had never made hummingbird cake before and I loved that it gave me some freedom. When the cake was done, it wasn't cooling fast enough for me so I tried to shake it out onto a plate to cool. Then, I ended up with a cake spilt into pieces beyond repair. This sad tragedy turned in to a delicious treat.

I put the cake chunks in a bowl and started squeezing over the leftover cream cheese frosting.

I stirred it all together and was left with a yummy concoction ready to be dipped in some white chocolate almond bark! I used my ice cream scooper to get the right size for dipping and laid them out on a cookie sheet. Then they were put in the freezer for 30 minutes to be perfectly firm  to hold up in the melted almond bark.

I wish I was a dipping expert. I wish. Because then I could relay some awesome dipping tips. I'm sure having the right tools is key, but I'm too cheap to go out and buy those little things for dipping. My method of dipping half, letting it harden, then dipping the other half work just fine for me, though!

Extra melted almond bark gets drizzled over the tops for more shell goodness. These little uh-oh treats were dense, delicious desserts that friends went coo-coo over. Here is the recipe I used.

Heads up: When I bake, I follow basic baking chemistry that I know just from baking so many things. Then I just compare and hunt down recipes and what not to see what others suggest to keep any new cakes I venture out to make moist. If I follow someone else's recipe, I will cite it. If no citation, it is a recipe I developed.

Hummingbird Cake

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon allspice

3 large eggs, beaten

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained

1 cup chopped pecans

2 cups mashed bananas (comes out to about 2 large bananas)

1/2 cup shredded coconut

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 package (pound) of powered sugar

1. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, sugar, and spices; add eggs and oil, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened. (Do not beat.) Stir in vanilla, pineapple, pecans, bananas, and coconut.
2. Pour batter into whatever it is you want to bake it in (make sure they are greased). Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.
3. If you want to make these into cake balls, break up cake into crumbs and put in a bowl.
4. To make the cream cheese frosting, first whip together the butter and cream cheese with the vanilla extract. Slowly add the powdered sugar in about 4 installments.
5. Frost your cakes, cupcakes, or whatever delicious treat you have just baked. If you are making cake balls, mix the frosting in with the cake crumbs.
6. For cake balls, scoop out the cake balls on to a pan and put in the freezer to firm up before dipping in to chocolate.

This post is linked up to:

Embracing Change