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Who hasn’t watched South Park and seen Chef singing about his delicious Chocolate Salty Balls and just wondered how they taste? I know I’ve always been curious.
I must not be the only one who wonders the same thing. Did you know that Chef’s song reached #1 on the UK and Irish singles charts chart while peaking in Australia at #14?!
Despite being a popular song, the treats also have healing properties. Chef modestly proclaims them to be a “quick pick-me-up,” and they saved Mr Hanky’s life on more than one occasion in the series.
However, his recipe has always struck me as a little vague; ‘two tablespoons of cinnamon, two or three egg whites, half a stick of butter, melted. Quarter cup of chocolate, half cup of brandy, a bag or two of flour’…
Instead of following it exactly and possibly making a really big mess (and wasting precious chocolate) I decided to make a Chef-inspired dessert that is easy to make and sure to please.
Introducing, our Chocolate Salty Cake-Balls!
Cake balls are a really trendy dessert right now; my friend just had them at her wedding in lieu of wedding cake. And what could be better than the combination of cinnamon, dark chocolate and sea-salt? And the best part is the balls themselves aren’t baked, so baby, you can’t burn ‘em!
Ingredients:
Your favorite chocolate cake mix
Oil and eggs in quantities according to directions on mix
Your favorite ready-made dark chocolate frosting
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 package Chocolate bark coating
Sea Salt, grinder or loose salt
¼ cup dark chocolate chips, I like 60 or 70%
Any basic cake ball recipe starts with a good cake. I like to save time, so I used a packaged Devil’s Food Cake mix.
Preheat the oven as directed. Make the cake batter according to package directions. To the batter add the cinnamon and vanilla, I decided to use only two teaspoons instead of the two tablespoons Chef sings in his recipe. Bake the cake as directed until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool. When it is completely room temperature, break it up in a bowl and mix in the container of frosting until it is completely integrated. Licking the wooden spoon at this point is optional.
Take the mixture and roll into balls. Chef says his are big, so I made them about 2” in diameter. As long as they are not more than a mouthful, they should be ok. If the balls are too sticky to handle, pop them in the freezer for a few minutes to harden. Melt the chocolate bark and ¼ cup of dark chocolate chips in the microwave in a microwave-safe dish.
Place the balls in the melted chocolate, and roll around to be fully coated. Once they are coated, remove them with a spoon and set on a plate with wax paper. Before they are fully cooled, sprinkle the tops of the balls with a small amount of sea salt.
Enjoy your salted balls by sticking them in your mouth, and sucking them!
