Coconut Chick Cake Balls

By MJH

Website for photos and step by step instructions:
www.hungryhappenings.com/2012/03/coconut-chick-cake-balls-and-giveaway.html

Ingredients

• Supplies Needed:
• 24 ounces melted white confectionery coating/candy melts
• orange candy coloring (not liquid)
• Coconut Covered Cake Balls
• 1 baked cake, any flavor
• 1/4 cup - 1/2 cup white frosting
• 4 cups shredded coconut
• yellow liquid food coloring
• 80 candy eyes
• parchment paper
• baking sheets
• mixing bowl and spoon or a stand mixer or food processor
• disposable pastry bag, zip top bag, or a squeeze bottle fitted with a small round pastry tip
• zip top bags used to color your coconut
• optional: #18 mini ice cream scoop (a heaping tablespoon)
• fork or chocolate dipping fork

Preparation

Step 1

Color about 1/3 cup of the melted white confectionery coating using orange candy coloring. Fill a squeeze bottle fitted with a small round pastry tip (#3,4, or 5) or fill a disposable pastry bag either fitted with a tip or just snip off the end leaving a small opening or fill a zip top bag and snip off one tip. Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper. Pipe out 80 chick feet and 40 beaks as pictured above. Freeze or refrigerate for 3-5 minutes just until the pieces harden.

Break up cake into a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer (my preferred method**) or a food processor. Add 1/4 cup white frosting. Mix to combine. If the mixture holds together well and you can easily form balls, then stop, if it crumbles, add up to another 1/4 cup frosting. Set aside for 30-45 minutes while you make your warm fuzzy decorations.

**By using a stand mixer your cake balls will have a smooth truffle like consistency. If you do this by hand, you will probably want to mix it with your actual hands to get it smooth.
Dip cake balls in white confectionery coating, and roll them in coconut that has been colored yellow.

Once you have made the coconut covered cake balls, you are ready to add the orange candy feet and beak and candy eyes. Use some melted confectionery coating to "glue" all the pieces onto your fuzzy cake ball chicks. Candy coating in a disposable pastry bag or just use a toothpick or the tip of a knife.