I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited to share a recipe with you.
Or to lick a bowl.
The secret ingredient here? You may think I’m crazy… but it’s a spoonful of actual cake mix.
All you must do is whisk it well into the melted white chocolate. Best decision ever.
And don’t worry about “what to do with the rest of the cake mix.” Store it for later. Make more bark. Make cake-mix cookies. Eat it off a spoon. Bake a cake. Mail it to me.
Just don’t not make this because you’re worried about the extra cake mix. It’s simply a detail.
The truth is, I’ve never been much of a “bark” person. I think barks tend to be beautiful, colorful, and make fabulous gifts, but I’m not really interested in eating my chocolate with nuts and fruit. I decided yesterday that I was going to make some form of chocolate bark, but I knew it had to be different. Not plain, old, boring bark.
After laying on the couch slurping butter-soaked shrimp scampi, plowing through a bag of m&m’s and watching 7 hours of Lifetime television, I had my answer: cake batter. I don’t know where it came from. I swear it was an epiphany. Or perhaps I had just swallowed way too much sugar.
Yes, it may be quite a trendy flavor, but can you really ever go wrong? I think not.
And I didn’t want to just make white chocolate bark. This baby needed a little more personality. More spunk. More flavor. More richness. More calories. More reason to buy new bigger pants.
So I added a dark chocolate layer too.
Did you know I have an obsession with sprinkles? Now you do.
I’d put them on everything if I could. Color me 5 years old.
Cake Batter Chocolate Bark
6 ounces high quality dark chocolate (I used Lindt 70%)
12 ounces high quality white chocolate (I used Lindt)
3 teaspoons yellow cake mix
sprinkles of your choice (at least 3 tablespoons worth or more)
Melt dark chocolate either in the microwave or a double boiler. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pour chocolate on. You can smooth it with a spatula to the thickness you desire. Stick in the freeze for 20 minutes.
Melt while chocolate. Whisk in cake mix slowly, stirring well until no lumps remain. Let it set for 3 full minutes (or at least until it slightly thickens). Remove baking sheet with chocolate from the freezer and immediately pour white chocolate on top. Sprinkle on sprinkles. Freeze for 20 minutes.
Once set, break into chunks. Keep refrigerated.
All I really want to know is how I can possibly top this treat. Riddle me that!
I’m Jessica and this is where I share my stuff. You will find a balance of healthy recipes, comfort food and indulgent desserts.
OMG! These are sooooo cute! I LOVE rainbow colored sprinkles!! I am so making these! Mahalo!!
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You had me at sprinkles.
!!!!!!!!!
I am absolutely making this to give out as gifts for the holidays!
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OH MY GOODNESSSSSSS! What a great idea!
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SO pretty! I don’t think I could eat them…SO pretty!
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LOVE sprinkles!!!! makes any dish more fun :)
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Jessica — December 4th, 2010 @ 12:55 am
So true.
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So pretty and creative!
…I do have to say though that I love your baking recipes, but your dinner recipes impress me even more. So simple, easy, and beautifully photographed!
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Jessica — December 4th, 2010 @ 12:55 am
Thanks so much Sabrina!
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I too, have an addiction to sprinkles!
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Oh my goodness, you definitely outdid yourself with that one!! I am saving this one FOR SURE. It will be a great gift!! LOVE this :D
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Echoing all the other million comments, this bark is genius! The possibilities for different colored (and different shaped!) sprinkles are endless too, making it perfect for literally any occasion. I’m almost too scared to try it for fear of becoming hopelessly addicted. Almost.
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om gosh!!! This looks sooo yummy!!!! I’m SO making this!!!
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I’m dumbfounded. How do you come up with all these incredibly creative, delicious-looking recipes! You’re a genius in the kitchen lady! A true genius!
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Jessica — December 4th, 2010 @ 12:52 am
Thank you!
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Ummm…. what?!?!? This is such a great idea, only wish you thought of it sooner haha! I cannot wait to try it.
PS I love sprinkles too – particularly the little round ones. They have little to no taste, but somehow they make things like 10 times more delicious!
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Jessica — December 4th, 2010 @ 12:52 am
Seriously. They do.
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Genius!
I don’t really know what it would taste like, but I am
sure that it is fabulous!
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Jessica — December 4th, 2010 @ 12:52 am
It is!
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Yum…I’ve had an open box of cake mix in a tupperware container just waiting for a recipe like this. :) It’s funfetti cake mix, but hey…what’s a few extra sprinkles, right?!
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Jessica — December 4th, 2010 @ 12:52 am
Oh my gosh… you MUST use it! Funfetti is actually one of my favorite cakes (cupcakes) of ALL time!
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Absolutely brilliant! I may run to the store right now to buy some chocolate – I have the cake mix and sprinkles (one of my favorite obsessions, also) all set to go :) Thanks so much for sharing!
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Omg this looks soooooooo good! I make peppermint bark for my family every Christmas but this year…they are getting cake batter bark too! You are amazing. Thank you.
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My absolute fave flavour is CAKE BATTER with SPRINKLES! ….I’ve only had it in ice cream….what have I been missing!? I have been struggling with how to make it myself, and you have made it so simple! Thank you so much for this tip….adding a spoon (or three..four) would be amazing. Ohhh, the possibilities.
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Omg! Cake batter?! You are a genius! This looks ridiculously good! Love the sprinkles! Makes me want it even more. ;)
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Don’t you be ashamed of sprinkles–they make everything better, and prettier, and funner. Yes, I said funner. I don’t like bark usually either (why chose a measly piece of bark when you can have a giant size cookie instead) but this one pushed my buttons I tell ya! You are a genius my friend
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Wow, it just LOOKS beautiful! :)
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Oh. my goodness. I can’t wait to get home from vacation to make these! WEE!
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I already commented, but I just had to tell you that I made this last night because I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I didn’t. My mom asked me how old I was (I’m 23) when she saw the sprinkles, but the judgement was so worth it! And I’m totally sending it to my brother and his family for Christmas…my niece and nephew are going to ADORE it. Thanks again Jessica!
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Jessica — December 4th, 2010 @ 5:51 pm
Woohoo! I think you are the firs tot make it. So glad you like it. :)
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Getting ready to make this right now, it will be the perfect treat to munch on while decorating the Christmas tree this evening! I think I will use Christmas sprinkles to make it festive for the season. Thanks for the idea!
Aimee
PS…I love that you are one of the few bloggers that still respond to people’s comments! You have one amazing blog!
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Jessica — December 5th, 2010 @ 6:00 pm
How did the bark turn out? I hope you enjoyed it! And thank you so much!
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This is genius.
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How cute are those sprinkles? To be honest I was never a huge fan of bark either but once I tried my friend’s white and dark chocolate bark with crushed candy cane on top I was sold. The combination of the white chocolate with the minty candy cane is just insane. And I am not even the biggest fan of chocolate and mint. But that. Oh my word. And, the white and red candy cane looks so cute on the white chocolate! About to hit the stores to buy the ingredients for that actually … gotta love the holidays.
Sophia
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This bark looks amazing. What a greta idea to mix in cake battter!!! I love bark, I have to try this!
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I know this sounds silly but how much is
6 ounces good dark chocolate (I used Lindt 70%)
12 ounces good white chocolate (I used Lindt)
How many squares I guess im trying to ask. I’ve never really use chocolate in baking.
Thank you
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Jessica — December 6th, 2010 @ 8:27 pm
It really depends on the brand of chocolate you use, so you can’t go by squares so much. If you have a food scale, you can weigh it that way. Otherwise, I would get 2 dark chocolate bars for the bottom, and 4 white chocolate bars for the top. :)
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This recipe turned out to be a slight problem for me. I don’t like chocolate. I made a batch of this for little gift bags. I tasted it to make sure it was ok. Then I tasted it again, you know, just to make sure. And….now I have to make another batch because I don’t have enough for the gift bags. Really, I don’t like chocolate. Must have been the cake batter. Or the sprinkles. Dang.
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i just thought i’d let you know that i could NOT get this off of my mind after reading this post.
it consumed my mind for about 3 hours before i finally gave in and made it
oooooooooh wow, absolutely delicious
i’ll be making this for christmas presents :)
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You know what else is good in a bark like this? Candy Cane Joe Joe’s from Trader Joe’s. Yup. Dangerously good.
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Jessica — December 7th, 2010 @ 10:12 pm
They would be so good!
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My eldest daughter is a freshman in college, just heading into finals. She loves cake batter icecream and adores colored sprinkles. Thanks so much for this recipe. I will be making it for her tonight and mailing to school as her exam survival package.
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Jessica — December 7th, 2010 @ 10:09 pm
I hope she loves it!
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Gorgeous recipe! I do something similar for peppermint bark. Love those sprinkles!
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I just made this, but as soon as the cake batter hit the white chocolate, the chocolate turned powdery and crumbly – and there’s not turning it back to melty goodness! Maybe it’s my cake batter?
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Jessica — December 10th, 2010 @ 11:44 am
What brand of chocolate did you use? Was it completely liquified? Did you whisk it right away? It could be the cake batter, but I haven’t heard of anyone having this problem!
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Ellie — December 12th, 2010 @ 2:06 am
Amanda, it could be two things that made your chocolate white & crumbly:
1. Quality of the chocolate – some manufacturers use vegetable oil or other cheap oils instead of the more expensive cocoa. Try Lindt or another quality brand, as “How Sweet” suggested.
2. Tempering the chocolate is very, very important. Here’s a link that explains the details: http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/155/Tempering-Chocolate
I think if you temper the chocolate, and use a quality chocolate, this recipe will turn out great!
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Lauren — January 12th, 2011 @ 10:52 pm
This just happened to me too! :( And I used Ghiradelli white chocolate chips…Time to run to the store and try it again!
Clever idea, adding the cake batter flavoring. I would add that melting chocolate is not as simple as melting butter. For barks or confections, you should always temper chocolate. Here’s a link with instructions: http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/155/Tempering-Chocolate
If you don’t temper the chocolate, it will “bloom” within 24-48 hours (that is, it will get a white residue). You’ll need a candy thermometer and some patience, but it’s worth it – the chocolate lasts longer, is shinier, and overall tastes better.
Also, Caramel syrups and other flavorings work well in white chocolate to add a “birthday cake” taste.
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Who doesn’t love cake batter? That’s one trend that’s here to stay.
When I’m at school in Colorado Springs, I frequent a drive in that has a cake batter milkshake, complete with sprinkles that you can suck through the straw. Sooo good!
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I’m making some tonight! I cannot wait :)
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If I can’t find Lindt, can you suggest another brand? Thanks!
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Jessica — December 16th, 2010 @ 3:27 am
Can you find ghiradelli?
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MrsV — December 16th, 2010 @ 4:06 pm
The only white chocolate I found was a vanilla bean. I don’t know if that will work the same…? I’ll search a few more stores for Ghirardelli and Lindt. Thanks so much!
Jessica — December 16th, 2010 @ 4:09 pm
That will definitely work!
MrsV — December 16th, 2010 @ 4:55 pm
Awesome! :)
This is the *prettiest* chocolate bark ever! And CAKE MIX?!? Girl, I like how you think!
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Um yeah, so I’m here to see if we can be friends or whatever.
And I swear, I’m totally not using you just to get to your cake batter bark.
Really.
Ahem.
Okay, I sort of am. But you seem awesome too, so win/win!! Seriously, I will trade you some cupcakes for that bark. Or, you can just give me some bark.
Whatever. Think about it, okay?
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Jessica — December 17th, 2010 @ 8:13 pm
Done! :)
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wow!!!! they look sooo good!
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Sooooo, I made this last night. I have to be honest, I am inept in the kitchen, I am in the process of teaching myself how to cook, and it’s going pretty well, with only minor catastrophes. These came out really delicious, and it was super easy (even easier for normal people). I used milk chocolate instead of dark, because of preference. I bought Godiva chocolate, especially for this masterpiece, and of course ended up burning it in the microwave. Not surprising. I ended up using chocolate chips, and I have no complaints. I borrowed my mothers chocolate fondue melter contraption, because at 25, I am clearly not capable of handling something as complicated as the microwave. My sprinkles did not stick very well, even though I tried to get them on the white chocolate right away, and I used a little extra cake batter. Thanks so much for this recipe. I just started reading your blog. I am a huge fan and my big mouth is spreading it around. Happy holidays.
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Jessica — December 18th, 2010 @ 9:46 pm
Hi Jenilee! Thanks for reading. I am so glad you like the bark, though that is odd about the sprinkles! I adore Godiva and would probably cry is I burnt it.
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Ah, so I just made this a few hours ago, and I’m sad to say that Betty Crocker’s Gluten-Free Yellow Cake mix DOES NOT work in this recipe :[ That cake mix has zero flavor, but being GF I had to use it….darn. No cake batter flavor whatsoever. The bark is still beautiful though! I’m sure it will do nicely when the chocolate cravings hit!
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Jenn — January 27th, 2011 @ 8:05 pm
danielle – thanks for trying it for all us GF people. I am bummed out. maybe another mix would work? I am going to pass it on. Will keep you posted!
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I just made this and it came out SO good. For anyone that’s as crazy about cake batter as I am, you may want to double or triple the amount of cake batter powder used. I probably quadrupled it. I also kind of burned the white chocolate, so maybe it needed more to mask that? Anyway, thank you so much for the recipe! I will be making it again and again.
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Jessica — December 20th, 2010 @ 11:46 am
So glad you liked it!
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Loooooove it! I’m adding this to my list of things to make this week! Thanks!
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Ah! This is so pretty! I need to make this soon based on the rainbow sprinkles alone. <3
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I want to include these in gift boxes for christmas, how long can you leave them out of the refrigerator?
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Jessica — December 20th, 2010 @ 8:37 pm
They should be fine for a few hours- probably 2. I would actually keep them in the freezer until you need them.
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I just recently found your site- and I love it! I had to try this recipe out because it was SO simple! I took some pictures and blogged about it. Not nearly captured as beautifully as yours- but I enjoyed making it the same!
My post is here in case you want to check it out:
http://milkandcuddles.com/2010/12/chocolate-bark-recipe-cake-batter-flavor/
Thanks for sharing the recipe! So yummy!
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Jessica — December 20th, 2010 @ 8:35 pm
Your bark looks FABULOUS! Thanks. :)
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Hey Jessica- this looks amazing. What size pan to you put it in? And is it a cookie sheet? Thanks!
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Jessica — December 20th, 2010 @ 8:34 pm
I have made this multiple times and just use a different cookie sheet each time. You really can control the thickness/spreadable-ness of the chocolate so it is up to you!
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I love your humor! Lol
These do looks really good!
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I’m pretty sure I’m in love. I am a total sucker for cake batter.
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