Shelly's Recipe

GINGERBREAD CAKE TRUFFLES

Category: Cakes

CAKE:
1/2 cup sugar
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened, plus 1 tablespoon for greasing
1/3 cup molasses
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup whole milk
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting, recipe follows
12 ounces white chocolate candy melts (or other variety that would be appropriate for melting)
1 cup pistachios, shelled and finely chopped

LEMON CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, cut into 4 pieces and softened
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 by 8-inch baking dish. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.

Using either a hand mixer or a stand mixer, cream the sugar and butter until light and creamy. Beat in the molasses and egg and continue beating until fully incorporated. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, ground ginger, baking soda, nutmeg, cloves and salt and mix well.

Alternating the dry ingredients with the milk, slowly add to the wet ingredients, while mixing on low, until fully incorporated. Add 1/2 of the milk to the creamed butter, then 1/2 of the flour mixture. Repeat this process and mix until fully combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Allow the cake to cool.

Once the cake has cooled, crumble the cake using the tongs of a fork and transfer to a large mixing bowl, making sure to break the cake apart really well. Add the Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting to a bowl and mix thoroughly. Using a small cookie scoop or a tablespoon, portion out the cake truffles and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Once all the balls have been formed, chill the cake truffles for an hour in the refrigerator.

After an hour, melt the white chocolate over a double boiler by placing it in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of gently simmering water. Making sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl.

Once the chocolate is melted, dip the cake truffles into the chocolate and, using 2 forks, gently turn the cake in the chocolate. Place the chocolate covered cake truffles back on the wax paper and top with the chopped pistachios. Return them to the fridge to set, about 20 minutes.

Cook's Note: Try spraying your measuring cups with nonstick spray when measuring out sticky liquids such as molasses and honey.
Using a handheld mixer, or a stand mixer, cream the sugar and butter together until light and creamy. Add cream cheese slowly, one piece at a time, fully incorporating it after each addition. Add the grated ginger, juice, zest and vanilla and beat until fluffy and fully combined.