Cake Balls: Oh Why Did I Fall For You

So I see these cake bites, or balls as my deranged husband and I call them, and I I just hang my head in defeat.  The first part is pretty easy, bake the cake - check, make frosting - check, mix together and form into shapes - check.  Then the hard part, coating them with chocolate or candy melt.  This is where it goes down hill, fast.  So fast that I crash at the bottom of a very steep hill.  

My first dipping attempts.  Not bad, but I hate the candy 

puddle around the bottom. Notice the sugar sprinkles.  This 

is like concealer for cake bites.

A bunny.  Not a 1/4 as good as Bakerella's, but I wasn't buying

more sprinkles and edible pens.  I can accept that they 

are marginal.

Ring around the cake bite.

So  I dipped the rest of the bites the next day.  Amanda from Funny Days with Mommy and Maddie told me to add a tablespoon of shortening to each 14 oz bag of candy melts.  So, I bought shortening.  I was trying to avoid the shortening, it just grosses me out. Anyway, I added the shortening and the candy melts, melted it over a double boiler and pulled it off the heat when there were still chunks of melt.  I stirred until smooth.  It was perfect.   I dipped my bites, a nice thin layer.  I planned to melt more candy melts and dip again.  Kind of like crumb coating a cake, then icing it. Do I dipped and placed on wax paper.  Problem is, I still got candy ring around the base. 

So, I melted another batch of candy melts for my second dip.  It was looking good, no crumbs for the final dip.  I did everything the same way as before.  I am thinking I have the process down pat and I can share it with the whole world.  Then I put ball in for it second dip and the melt was all globby.  Did I over heat it?  Who knows.  I let it cool a bit and it was better.  I figured I would use a cooling rack to get rid of the ring around the bottom.  I sprayed the cooling rack with some spray oil so they wouldn't stick.  I dipped my balls and let them cool.  

Not perfect, but OK for my first batch.

I went to try one after dinner.  They were STUCK to the cooling rack.  ALL OF THEM.  I tried to pry them off and all the bottoms broke.  Crumbs everywhere.  I was defeated.  The cake bites just aren't worth it.  

OK, maybe next time I will try the balls on a stick, at least there won't be ring around the bites and they won't stick to anything.  I don't know.  I am making a maple cake with maple frosting for my father-in-laws birthday tonight and also carrot cupcakes with maple-brown sugar - cream cheese frosting.  I am crossing m my fingers that these turn out.  Fairly straight forward.  I hope!