Dulce De Leche Cake Balls and A Cookbook Giveaway!

There’s no denying that I love desserts and sweets. I love making them, eating them and sharing them with friends and family. All of this love for making sweet and treats was recently noticed by Meghan from The Harvard Common Press. She contacted me a few weeks ago asking if I would like to feature Dede Wilson’s newest book Cake Balls on my blog. As soon as I saw that the cookbook was completely dedicated to Cake Balls, I was hooked! I was so excited for the cookbook to arrive that I would rush home everyday hoping that it would be at my door. When it arrived I sat down and drooled over all of the amazing recipes. This book is packed with over 60 incredibly easy, delicious and drool worthy recipes. From nine cake recipes, ten frostings, ganaches, and glazes to amazing photos, this book has everything you need to create incredibly easy, delicious, show-stopping cakeballs. The made-from-scratch cake ball recipes include kid-friendly ideas, such as Jam-Filled Cake Balls, S’mores, and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cake Balls; seasonal ideas, such as Red, White, and Blue Cake Balls; classics like Red Velvet; and sophisticated treats like Crème Brûlée Cake Balls and Cocoa-Dusted Truffle Cake Balls.

It was so hard to choose exactly which recipe I wanted to share with you today. I finally decided on the Dulce De Leche Cake Ball, a delicious combination of caramel and buttermilk cake dipped in rich chocolate and swirled with ribbons of golden caramel. If you like caramel and burnt sugar flavors, this recipe’s for you! These cake balls call for dulce de leche. You can easily make your own or purchase a can from the Spanish foods section of your local supermarket. Everything you love about cake is right in this little bite, plus it is covered in chocolate and drizzled with caramel-you can’t go wrong! Making these cake balls couldn’t be easier either. Just crumble the made-from-scratch cake into a large bowl, mix with dulce de leche and dip in chocolate. That’s it! I promise they will become a favorite among kids and adults alike.

So here’s your chance to win a copy of this amazing cook book before it’s even available in stores! Just follow the directions below for a chance to win! Sorry this giveaway is limited to US residents only.

How to Enter: Leave a comment on this post answering the question: “What’s the last cake ball flavor you ate?”

Extra Entries: The following six opportunities below will earn one extra entry into the giveaway for each. You must leave separate comments for each one to ensure that they are counted as separate entries:

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4. Tweet the following about the giveaway: “Cookbook ‪#Giveaway! Enter to win a copy of ‪@dedewilsonbakes‘s upcoming book ‪#CakeBalls from ‪@SPKitchen ‪http://su.pr/7fTmQf” Come back and let me know you’ve Tweeted in an additional comment.
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Deadline: Monday, September 3, 2012 at 11:59pm CST

Winner: The winner will be selected at random by Sweet Pea’s Kitchen using Random.org. All entries received after the deadline will not be considered. Entries that do not follow the entry requirements will not be considered. Winner will be notified via email and will have 24 hours to confirm receipt of the email. If the winner does not reply within 24 hours, another winner will be selected.

Dulce De Leche Cake Balls

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For the Cake:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 5 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups low-fat buttermilk

To Assemble the Cake Balls:

• 1 (13.4-ounce) can dulce de leche
• 1 3/4 pounds milk chocolate, such Callebaut or Valrhona Jivara, finely chopped
• 5 ounces caramel, such as Nestlé
• 56 miniature fluted paper cups (optional)

Directions:

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat the inside of a 9 x 13-inch rectangular pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl to aerate and combine; set aside.
3. In a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar gradually and beat until very light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl once or twice. Beat in the vanilla.
4. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down after each addition and allowing each egg to be absorbed before continuing. Add the flour mixture in four additions, alternating with the buttermilk. Begin and end with the flour mixture and beat briefly until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
5. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center shows a few moist crumbs when removed. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. The cake is ready to use. Alternatively, double-wrap the pan in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 1 day before proceeding.
6. Crumble the cake into a large bowl and mix in 3/4 cup of the dulce de leche. Test by compressing and tasting and add more dulce de leche only if needed for flavor and moisture. Roll into golf ball–size cake balls. Refrigerate until firm. This can be done 1 day ahead; store in an airtight container once they are firm.
7. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Melt the chocolate in the microwave or a double boiler. Dip the balls one at a time in the chocolate, encouraging any excess chocolate to drip back into the container. Place, evenly spaced, on the prepared pans. Refrigerate briefly until the chocolate is set.
8. Melt the caramel in the microwave until fluid, watching carefully so that it doesn’t boil. Use a fork to drizzle caramel zigzags on top of each ball. Refrigerate again until the caramel is set. Trim the bottoms, if needed. Place each cake ball in a paper cup, if desired. Place in a single layer in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Yields: 56 golf ball–size balls

Source: Cake Balls

 

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