A Matter of Taste...Truffles

I made another journey into the unknown. I wanted to make something for some friends but didn't want to make a standard cake or brownies. So I did what every other kitchen-loving, but idea-deficient mom does...I googled. I found several ideas and here is what I put together from a multitude of web recipes....

Truffles by LeAnn

Ingredients:

1cake mix

eggs and oil as required for cake mix

1 cup icing (use homemade or in a can from the grocery)

1 pkg. Almond bark

1 tsp vegetable or canola oil

Patience is not one of my strong points but this recipe required me to work on this virtue....

Make the cake as directed on the box. I made it in a 9x13 pan just because it is easier to prepare and clean. Normally, I prefer a bundt pan but that is too much work for this recipe. When cake is finished baking, remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Remove cake from pan and break into pieces into large mixing bowl. Using mixer, beat cake until crumbly. Add icing and mix until it forms an almost paste-like consistency. You may not use the whole cup or you may need a little more. Put in refrigerator for 2-3 hours (until cool). Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Remove cake mixture from refrigerator. Using a cookie scoop, scoop cake mixture into balls. Place balls on baking sheet. Place cookie sheet in freezer, loosely covered with aluminum foil over night. Yes, over night...I told you this required patience.

Melt all of the almond bark in either a double boiler or the microwave. I used the microwave and it worked fine. When melted, stir well and add 1 tsp oil. Stir until smooth. Take 4-5 balls out of the freezer at a time. You do not want them to thaw until they are dipped. (patience is a virtue) I put toothpicks in them to help dip. Once dipped set aside to let the chocolate harden and the cake to come to room temperature. This process takes a while but well worth it.

I made 3 batches of these. One gave me 42 truffles, one 41 and the other...0. This all depends on the density of the cake and how much icing you use. It is also important to check the "use by" date if you are using canned icing...coconut icing does indeed go bad and when it does it is nasty.

The fun part comes when you decide what flavors you are going to work with. I used lemon cake, cream cheese icing and chocolate almond bark. The other batch was red velvet cake, cream cheese icing and white chocolate almond bark. Next time I want to again try white cake, coconut icing and chocolate coating. I also want to try a pistachio truffle, strange maybe but I think pistachio and chocolate is a most heavenly combination.