J. is a big lover of chocolate so I didn't want to skip dessert. But at the same time, I'm going through a particularly busy time at work (and an equally busy personal life) so I had to figure out something that wouldn't take too long. The solution came to me last week during my daily blog review when I was reminded of Bakerella's recipe for cake balls! Besides having a hilarious name, this recipe looked cute and simple so I decided to try my own spin on it- only I renamed them "cake truffles" so as to be taken slightly more seriously.
Bakerella's recipe calls for red velvet cake and cream cheese frosting which I ADORE- but J. loves chocolate. So I did a devil's food cake with German chocolate icing (see Bakerella's link above for instructions). I broke my cardinal rule and used cake mix and store-bought icing, because I was short on time (bad Sarah, bad!)... but I do think you could easily do this completely homemade. Then I melted a good-quality semi-sweet chocolate for the coating, and added some sprinkles in red, while and gold (a bridal shower gift). The result? See for yourself!
[caption id="attachment_2246" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="mmmmm, yummy chocolatey cake goodness"]
[/caption]Now, I'm a big believer that presentation is EVERYTHING so of course I also had to at least attempt some sort of V-day appropriate packaging. Since I didn't want to spend any money, I ended up taking an old, standard gift box and turning it into a heart-shape. To give you an idea of my approach, the below image shows (I hope) how I cut the box bottom. I left the sides of the box intact and then shaped them to match the bottom, taping them into place when the new shape looked good to me.
[caption id="attachment_2248" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Try to pretend this rectangle is a gift box."]
[/caption]Once my box was in the right shape I covered it with red and white papers. Not being able to spend money, I downloaded these and these freebie printable papers, originally intended for dollhouses but perfect for my project. I admit that it looks a little bit like a kindergartner did it, but I like to think it is kind of charming!
[caption id="attachment_2247" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The box, pre-truffles"]
[/caption]Once my box was ready, I decided to line it with waxed paper, to keep it nice for as long as possible. I simply cut the waxed paper into a heart shape approximately 1 inch larger on all sides than the box, so the paper would line the sides of the box. To get the paper to fit around the curves, I cut verticle slits into the paper's edge. Easy peasy.
[caption id="attachment_2249" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Lined with wax paper"]
[/caption]Next, I glued some red ribbon onto the bottom of the box, for tying later. And yes, the ribbon was recycled, I didn't buy that either.
[caption id="attachment_2250" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="With the ribbon..."]
[/caption]And finally I filled the box with my creations. Voila!
[caption id="attachment_2251" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Just add truffles!"]
[/caption]Before tying the bow, I added another layer of heart-shaped waxed paper, and then that was it! A cute, homemade Valentine using groceries and freebies, something that still felt special despite the absence of big spending. J. loved them!
[caption id="attachment_2252" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="A little more waxed paper, a bow, and we're in business!"]
[/caption]I think this would make such a cute thank you gift for someone throwing a shower- or maybe even a groom's gift. As for me, I'll be incorporating them into my traditional repertoire of holiday baking from now on!
How did you celebrate Valentine's day?
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