Sugar and spice and everything nice, that’s what our cake truffles are made of. We give spice cake balls extra zing with fresh ginger, coat them with cinnamon sugar, then top each one with a tangy maple cream cheese frosting. Candied pecan clusters on top add a delightful crunch. These adorable one-bite desserts prove that good things come in small packages.
The quantities provided above are averages only.
Produced in a facility that processes eggs, milk, fish, peanuts, sesame, shellfish, soy, tree nuts, and wheat.
1 thumb
Ginger
15.25 ounce
Spice Cake Mix
(Contains Wheat)
4 tablespoon
Sour Cream
(Contains Milk)
2 teaspoon
Cinnamon
½ ounce
Pecans
(Contains Tree Nuts)
¾ cup
PHILADELPHIA® Cream Cheese
(Contains Milk)
4 tablespoon
Maple Syrup
Salt
½ cup
Cooking Oil
¼ cup
Sugar
Adjust rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with oil. Peel and grate ginger until you have ¾ tsp.
In a large bowl, whisk together cake mix, sour cream, grated ginger, half the cinnamon, 1 cup water, ½ cup oil, and ½ tsp salt until smooth. Pour batter into prepared dish. Bake until cooked through and edges are lightly browned, 25-30 minutes. Wash out bowl.
Meanwhile, heat a small, preferably nonstick, pan over medium-high heat. Add pecans, 1½ TBSP sugar, ½ tsp salt, and 2 TBSP water. Cook, stirring, until pecans are sticky and coated, 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool.
Place Philadelphia cream cheese in a medium, microwave-safe bowl; microwave until soft, 20-30 seconds. Stir in maple syrup, then whisk until fluffy, 30-60 seconds. Open a large zip-close bag; place inside a tall glass and add frosting. Remove bag from glass; squeeze to remove excess air and push frosting to one corner, then seal.
Separate cooled pecans into small clusters (2-3 pieces each). In a small bowl, combine ¼ cup sugar and remaining cinnamon.
Let cake cool 5 minutes after baking. Leaving browned edges in dish, scoop cake into clean bowl used for batter. Once cool enough to handle, scoop out 1 packed TBSP cake; squeeze until a smooth dough forms. Roll into a 1-inch ball, then toss in cinnamon sugar to coat. Repeat with remaining cake. TIP: If truffle mixture is falling apart, add water 1 TBSP at a time.
Snip a corner of the frosting bag. (TIP: Start with a tiny hole, then snip again if needed. A small hole will make frosting easier.) Squeeze about 1 tsp frosting over each truffle. Top with 1-2 pecan clusters (save any extras for snacking) and serve.