# Cake Ball Display



## MEBCWD (Jan 14, 2012)

Our oldest daughter makes cake balls and she had a woman contact her about making cake balls for her wedding. She also wanted them displayed on a three-tier stand so guess who was ask to make the display.

I used birch plywood for the tops and sides of the tiers and select pine for the trim to help keep the cost of materials down. All the hardware is stainless steel so no rust and easy to clean. I did miss taking a few pictures near the end of the project. I guess I was worried about getting it finished and did not think about taking pictures.

I used pocket holes to assemble the tops and sides of the tiers. I used the CNC to drill all the holes in the tops to hold the cake ball sticks. I cut the trim profile on both sides of the trim blanks then cut the trim from the blanks. I made the risers from select pine boards glued up and trimmed square. The pictures do show all of this but there were other parts made and I did not get pictures of them.

I made a support box that goes under the bottom tier that the all thread rod that holds everything together goes through and washer and wingnut clamps against. There is also a block bonded in the top tier that is glued up with a wingnut and washers inside to receive the top of the all thread rod. That block was machined on the CNC so the wingnut and washers could be inserted.

To drill the holes in the 10 1/2" risers I had to use my Shopsmith knockoff and it was buried in the corner of the shop and had not been used for about 8 years.


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## MEBCWD (Jan 14, 2012)

Of course when it was delivered she was making cake balls and she forced me to eat some of the mistakes.:grin::laugh2::sold:


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## HoweA (Jul 31, 2013)

In all probability, I'm sure, she r_e_a_l_l_y had to twist your arm.......lol


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## sreilly (May 22, 2018)

Never heard of cake balls but hey, some mistakes are good! Looks like the project turned out great.


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## spike1 (Sep 24, 2015)

I've never heard of cake balls but can imagine they are just as yummy as a standard-shaped cake. My question concerns the purpose of all the drilled holes on the base of each platform. What's up with those?


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## honesttjohn (Feb 17, 2015)

spike1 said:


> I've never heard of cake balls but can imagine they are just as yummy as a standard-shaped cake. My question concerns the purpose of all the drilled holes on the base of each platform. What's up with those?


I believe the decorated cake balls are put on sticks and then stood up in the holes.

Mike -- yur 1 of dem injuneres now 2. 

Above us common folk!! lol not


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## TenGees (Sep 12, 2012)

Looks good Mike, you deserve at least the bloopers for that!


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## MEBCWD (Jan 14, 2012)

I guess these would be called cake pops because they will be on small round sticks like lollipops. The holes are for the sticks to hold them. She normally just makes the cake balls, dips them in melted chocolate and sets them aside for the coating to set up. 

The ones she FORCED me to eat had been dipped in the wrong flavor of chocolate, a good mistake. :grin:


These are for another order she had this weekend.


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## Shop guy (Nov 22, 2012)

Nice project, Mike. I’m all for eating culinary mistakes.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

MEBCWD said:


> Of course when it was delivered she was making cake balls and she forced me to eat some of the mistakes.:grin::laugh2::sold:


Of course, we have to do what the ladies in our lives command. :wink:


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

WOW what a project Mike, and great pictures too. It took some figuring out to make that all come out like it did. That finish really sets it off too. I hope she got the display stand back to use again, or you are going to have to build some more. Great post.
Herb


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

"...dipped in the wrong flavor of chocolate,"
a) there's more than one?
b) I know people who claim there is no "wrong" (flavor of chocolate that is...not getting into the _other_ possible interpretation)


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## MEBCWD (Jan 14, 2012)

DaninVan said:


> "...dipped in the wrong flavor of chocolate,"
> a) there's more than one?
> b) I know people who claim there is no "wrong" (flavor of chocolate that is...not getting into the _other_ possible interpretation)


Dan she uses melting chocolate and you can buy flavors like chocolate raspberry, chocolate pineapple and others but you can also add your own flavors to the melted chocolate. She also uses white chocolate and flavors and colors it to match the customer's wishes. She also has her seasonal special flavors like the Key Lime and Pina Colada for summer, Pumpkin Spice and new this year, Apple Cider, for Fall. Of course for Christmas there will be Egg Nog, Peppermint and probably a one time flavor or two like Rum Toddy or Caluha and Cream.

Of course I am an official taste tester!:laugh2:


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## MEBCWD (Jan 14, 2012)

Just got this picture from my daughter of it all set up at the wedding.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

I want the one on the bottom tray, three rows back, please. 
That looks fantastic, Mike! 
(I might be interested in the Rum flavoured ones...)


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## MEBCWD (Jan 14, 2012)

Here is the link to her facebook page and I noticed that she did some Key Lime Rum ones that for some reason I did not get to test. You never know what flavor she will be making next and she does take suggestions for new flavors.

https://www.facebook.com/Great-Ball...dy02s4wj1lPZQOZICJacv3Xf9EejdByHXWspcrqMCK1cQ


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

Well that turned out pretty darn nice. I never heard of cake balls either. But given my choice, I'll take pie, especially apple, any day. Call me if you make a pie ball display.


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## MEBCWD (Jan 14, 2012)

Theo, I don't ever remember passing up a good piece of apple pie, for that matter I don't remember ever turning down a bad piece of apple pie either.


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

MEBCWD said:


> Theo, I don't ever remember passing up a good piece of apple pie, for that matter I don't remember ever turning down a bad piece of apple pie either.


Well, learned two things today. There are cake balls, and there are bad apple pies. Never had either.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Apple pie guys?!! Damn! Where you guys been?
Not Bad bad but pretty feeble is that gelatinous crap they try and pass of as *Apple Pie* in some restaurants with no sense of shame.


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## MT Stringer (Aug 15, 2012)

MEBCWD said:


> Theo, I don't ever remember passing up a good piece of apple pie, for that matter I don't remember ever turning down a bad piece of apple pie either.


...and I never met a pecan pie I didn't like!:grin:


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

For some reason you don't see it a lot up here; it's a mystery.


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## MEBCWD (Jan 14, 2012)

DaninVan said:


> For some reason you don't see it a lot up here; it's a mystery.


I would think that it would be Maple Flavored Pecan Pie if it was that far north.:laugh2:


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Rum pecan? Just sayin'...


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## marecat3 (Nov 30, 2010)

looks good and I mean the cake and your stand


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## MEBCWD (Jan 14, 2012)

I got to try out the new Apple Cider Salted Carmel cake balls last night, goooood!


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

MEBCWD said:


> I got to try out the new Apple Cider Salted Carmel cake balls last night, goooood!


If you can't bring enough to share with the whole class, don't bring any at all.


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## marecat3 (Nov 30, 2010)

does she use a form for the cake balls? It is a great Idea instead of having a big cake around to go stale


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## MEBCWD (Jan 14, 2012)

She has some special equipment that rolls them several at a time, she use to do it one at a time by hand when she first started.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

MEBCWD said:


> She has some special equipment that rolls them several at a time, she use to do it one at a time by hand when she first started.


Great having the right tool for the job.


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

marecat3 said:


> does she use a form for the cake balls? It is a great Idea instead of having a big cake around to go stale


Cake can go stale? You sure? Never saw that happen.


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## marecat3 (Nov 30, 2010)

Only one person in the house that eats cake so yes it can go bad. That is why I started getting cup cakes for him.


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

marecat3 said:


> Only one person in the house that eats cake so yes it can go bad. That is why I started getting cup cakes for him.


Hmmph, man not doing his job then.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

I've got apple anything covered at my end!


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

We're talking cake, but I think some folks down South call it pie. In which case, I'll take peach. 

Does anyone remember the way peaches used to be? Fat, fuzzy and full of sweet juices that would run down your arm when you bit into them. My dad had a few peach and plum trees where I grew up and the end of summer was marked by several days of putting up preserves as my mom produced 200 plus large bottles of jams and preserves. Lids on some, parafin on the rest. Stored in a shed out back made of redwood planks. Always cool in that tool shed. We called it tool house jam, and four boys went through the whole batch every year. Mostly with peanut butter.

Cake back then was never around long enough to go bad. Always made from scratch. I do enjoy cake "popsicles" when they're served. Kind of fun and controls any tendency to overdo it.


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

Yes, almost any kind of pie over cake, any day. 

During basic training I was on KP duty on Armed Forces day, when the dependents were invited to eat in the mess hall. Normally the guys on KP ate before the meal, that day we ate after. Which meant we could eat as much as we wanted. We all sat down to a Full tray of food, and for once could go back for as much as we wanted. Then it was time for dessert, which was several types of pie. After eating more food than I was used to getting on a regular day, I wound up eating an entire pineapple pie, by myself. That was the only time in basic training that I felt comfortably full. A great pie.


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## marecat3 (Nov 30, 2010)

I am not a cake or pie person but I won't pass up choc. Ice cream


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

marecat3 said:


> I am not a cake or pie person but I won't pass up choc. Ice cream


No sane person would. But with vanilla ice cream, you can make it any flavor you want. And, what ice cream do you put on cake or apple pie? Vanilla.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

JOAT said:


> And, what ice cream do you put on cake or apple pie? Vanilla.


Pralines...


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Vanilla is just right for root beer floats too. Goes with pie, but not all cake. For cake, give me carrot cake with a not too thick layer of cream cheese frosting. When I make it, I add lots of extra carrot, but peeled, where all the sweet parts are. And I also add finely chopped (peeled) pre cooked apples and plumped up raisins to add moisture and texture. Don't need too much frosting with all that moisture so you can taste the cake, not just frosting. Vanilla ice cream works with this very nicely, but do put a few Maraschino cherries on top. Wow, now I'm hungry. Let us eat cake!


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

Stick486 said:


> Pralines...


Obviously you meant to write, vanilla ice cream with pralines.


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

DesertRatTom said:


> Vanilla is just right for root beer floats too.


Yeah, used to have them at my grandparents. Our local grocery store carries water flavors, sort of like making your own soda, but loads less expensive. My personal favorite is pink lemonade; I don't buy soda anymore. But recently they started selling AW Root Beer flavoring. Even smells like real root beer, and tastes like it too, but without all the calories, sugar, and what all. One packet makes 16 ounces, but I use two in a 33 ounce bottle. Bet it would make a nice root beer float too. 

To always have a cold flavored water, I leave 2-3 inches in the bottle I am drinking from, and put it in the freezer; usually 2-3 bottles in there. Then when I mix up a fresh/warm bottle, I pour it into one of the frozen bottles, which quickly gives me a cold drink, that won't thin, like ice cubes. Then put the fresh bottle in the freezer.


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