Father's Day Banana Peanut Butter Cake Balls

 

I debated even sharing this recipe on Milkshakes and Pattycakes for the simple reason that I didn't want to give away the recipe to making a fortune! These cake balls are so good that as I was dipping them in chocolate I was planning my cake ball business and deciding what flavour to make next. They are labour intensive but the result- flavoursome cake/cream cheese icing combo dipped in dark chocolate- is well worth it, especially for Dad. Happy Father's Day!

 

P.S. Cake pops are just fancy icing- cake balls taste darn good!

 

 

 

Peanut Butter Banana Cake Balls (adapted from Cake Balls)

 

1 cup sugar

170g butter, softened

2 eggs

1 tbsp vanilla, plus 1 tsp extra

1 1/2 cups plain flour

1 3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 cups mashed banana (about 3 bananas)

1/3 cup peanut butter

125g cream cheese, softened

1 1/4 cups icing sugar

600g dark chocolate

1/2 cup banana chips

 

1. To make the cake, preheat the oven to 175°C. Grease a large (25cm) cake pan.
2. Cream the sugar and 115g butter. Beat in the eggs and 1 tbsp vanilla. Fold in the flour and baking powder. Stir in the milk. Mix in the banana and peanut butter.
3. Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Let cool completely on a wire rack (breaking the cake into quarters can help).
4. To make the icing, cream 55g butter and the cream cheese until smooth. Add 1 tsp vanilla and then the icing sugar. Beat until smooth.
5. Using your hands, crumble the cake into a large bowl. Continue until you can see no large chunks. Add the icing and stir until the cake is a dough-like consistency.
6. Roll the cake into small, chocolate truffle sized balls and place on a flat surface lined with greaseproof paper. Freeze balls for at least 2 hours.
7. To prepare the dipping chocolate, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl sitting over a saucepan of simmering water. Start with melting 400g of the chocolate if you aren't sure you will use it all.
8. Remove 8 balls from freezer, spear with a toothpick or skewer and dip in chocolate. Be sure to coat most of the ball, however, leave a small area around your toothpick or else when you remove it the chocolate will crack. Shake off excess chocolate and place on a flat surface lined with greaseproof paper. Repeat with remaining cake balls from freezer.
9. When chocolate has set, remove the toothpicks and use a spoon to drop a small amount of chocolate on the hole left behind. Add a banana chip. Keep refrigerated and eat either chilled or at room temperature.