Bloody Truffles

(c) 2015 Elizabeth LaBau

Bloody Truffles are bloody delicious, but also bloody gross! These cake truffles are skewered with edible royal icing weapons and painted with food coloring to create scary--yet sweet--Halloween truffles. I like to use cake truffles to make this recipe, since the cake mixture stays a bit softer than chocolate truffles and it's easier to stab the weapons into it that way. But if you prefer traditional truffles, you're free to use this same decorating technique on any recipe you'd like.

The royal icing knives and axes are both made by Wilton, and were purchased at craft stores (like Michael's or JoAnn's) around Halloween time. They may be available online at other times of the year, as well. 

Ingredients

• 1 box cake mix, and ingredients to make the cake
• 1 can (16 oz) prepared frosting
• 1 lb white candy coating
• 48 royal icing knives, axes, or similar edible weapons
• Red gel food coloring

• Prep Time: 60 minutes
• Cook Time: 0 minutes

• Total Time: 60 minutes
• Yield: 48 Bloody Truffles

Preparation

1. Prepare and bake the cake mix according to the directions of the package for a 9x13 cake. Once baked, allow the cake to cool completely.

2. Crumble the cake into a large bowl and work it with your hands until it is in small pieces.

3. Spoon three-quarters of the frosting into the bowl and stir with a rubber spatula until the mixture is well-combined. It should be very moist and hold together if you squeeze a ball of cake between your fingers, but not too wet or greasy.

If the cake mixture is still a bit dry, add more frosting to get it to the desired consistency—the exact amount you need will depend on the texture of the cake you started with.

4. Using a small cookie or candy scoop, scoop out 1-inch balls of cake and roll between your palms until they are round. You should get about 48 balls from this recipe. Place the cakes balls on a baking sheet covered with parchment or waxed paper, and refrigerate them until firm, at least 1 hour.

5. Place the candy coating in a medium microwave-safe bowl and microwave it until melted, stirring after every 45 seconds to prevent overheating. Cover a baking sheet with waxed paper.

6. Using dipping tools or a fork, submerge a cake ball in the melted candy coating. Remove it from the coating and drag the bottom across the lip of the bowl to remove excess coating. Replace the dipped truffle on the baking sheet. While the chocolate is still wet, firmly press a royal icing knife or axe into the truffle. Repeat until all of the truffles are dipped and decorated.

7. Once all of the cake balls are dipped, refrigerate the truffles to set the coating completely, about 20 minutes. Take a clean paintbrush and brush some red gel food coloring around the tops of the truffles where the royal icing decorations are.

8. These Bloody Truffles are best served at room temperature, and can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.