Raspberry White Chocolate Cake Balls

Memorial Day weekend. Mrs. Henderson had invited Mama and me and Dustin to her front porch Sunday afternoon for what she called a small social-distance gathering — six chairs spread along her front porch, six small plates of Sunday-afternoon snacks she had prepared, six small glasses of iced tea. Her son and his wife had been coming over from Sand Springs every other Sunday across the lockdown, but the Sand Springs son had a small business meeting Memorial Day weekend, so Mrs. Henderson had widened the circle.

I made raspberry white chocolate cake balls as my contribution to the porch gathering. Same architecture as last week’s candy cane cake balls but with freeze-dried raspberries crushed into the cake-and-frosting mixture and a white-chocolate dip with a pink-tinted drizzle. The freeze-dried-raspberry technique is what makes the dish work — fresh raspberries are too wet for cake balls and would make the mixture soggy; freeze-dried raspberries are concentrated, dry, and break down into a fine rubble that distributes through the dough without adding moisture.

Two dozen cake balls on a small plate I had wrapped in plastic for the walk over. Mrs. Henderson’s neighbor on her other side, a retired postal worker named Mr. Fred who Mrs. Henderson had been checking on across the lockdown, was at the porch too. Mr. Fred ate four cake balls in succession and asked Mama if I baked for hire. Mama said: she does, Fred. Talk to her, not me. I had not been baking for hire. I had been baking for the rotation. But Mr. Fred had a birthday coming up at the end of June and wanted a cake. I told him yes. I will charge twenty-five dollars.

Prep Time: 30 min | Chill Time: 1 hr | Total Time: 1 hr 30 min | Servings: 24 cake balls

Ingredients

1 box (15.25 oz) white cake mix, plus ingredients listed on box
1/2 cup raspberry preserves
4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 cups white chocolate chips or white candy melts
1 tablespoon coconut oil or vegetable shortening
Pink or red sprinkles, for garnish (optional)
Fresh raspberries, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Bake the cake. Prepare and bake the white cake mix according to package directions in a 9x13-inch pan. Let cool completely, at least 30 minutes.
Make the filling. Crumble the cooled cake into a large bowl. Add the softened cream cheese and raspberry preserves. Mix with a fork or your hands until the mixture comes together into a moist, dough-like consistency.
Roll the balls. Scoop and roll the mixture into 1-inch balls (about 1 heaping tablespoon each). Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer.
Chill. Refrigerate the cake balls for at least 1 hour, until firm enough to dip without falling apart.
Melt the chocolate. Combine the white chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until fully melted and smooth.
Dip. Using a fork or dipping tool, lower each chilled cake ball into the melted white chocolate, coat evenly, and let the excess drip off. Return to the parchment-lined baking sheet.
Garnish and set. While the coating is still wet, add sprinkles or a small piece of fresh raspberry on top. Let the cake balls set at room temperature for 15 minutes, or refrigerate for 10 minutes until the coating is firm.
Serve. Serve at room temperature. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Nutrition (per serving)

Raspberry White Chocolate Cake Balls — A Memorial Day Snack for Mrs. Henderson’s Front Porch