One Easy . . . Easter Treat

I was fast-flipping through a food magazine when I spotted this recipe in a Jello pudding ad in Food Network. How could I miss it? They had a cookie version of angry birds glaring at them (it's an ad -- you figure it out).

Looking over the recipe, I immediately thought of a few changes. It's spring, so why not add strawberries to the bananas, to boost the flavor? And why not melt semisweet chocolate with a little shortening, to make a more solid chocolate coating?

Beyond that, it's almost as easy as opening a bag of jelly beans.

Fruity Easter Cake Balls

Adapted from www.jello.com.

1 (10.75-ounce) package frozen pound cake, thawed
1 very ripe banana
4 medium strawberries, hulled
1 (3.4-ounce) package vanilla instant pudding mix
1/2 cup milk
12 ounces semisweet chocolate (preferably bars, not morsels)
1 tablespoon shortening
Multicolored sprinkles

In a large mixing bowl, break cake into crumbs. (Break it into chunks, then rub the chunks between your palms.)

In a small bowl, mash up the banana and the strawberries.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the pudding mix and milk just until pudding is moistened. Immediately stir in the cake crumbs and the bananas and strawberries.

Line a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper. Shape the mixture into small balls, about 1 1/2 inches wide. Place in the freezer for 1 hour to harden.

Melt the chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat, or in a bowl in the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds. Stir in the shortening. Using a fork to lift them, drop each cake ball in the chocolate and roll it around to coat, then move it back to the wax paper. Sprinkle with multicolor sprinkles. Refrigerate until chocolate is set.

Yield: About 4 dozen.