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CHOCOLATE RUM BALLS



    Chocolate cake rum balls are an absolute delight and so so easy to make and a best use of your leftover cake shavings. A very versatile recipe which will come together in just minutes with the ingredients you have at hand in your pantry.


    I make lot of boutique and sculpted cakes for weddings, birthdays and special occasions but often you are left with lots of cake shaving leftovers from designing or leveling your wedding cakes. Found the best solution by converting these shavings into much more decadent and interesting dessert to serve. I save these shaving tightly wrapped up in the freezer and make use of them for many different recipes later as and when needed.


    These chocolate rum balls are the result of those preserved cake shavings and are so so delicious that you can fix up a decadent and enticing dessert to impress your friends and family within no time. This time I wanted to experiment with different flavours so I made pistachio as well as cocoa dusted Truffle Rum Balls. Don't they look amazing?? Couldn't keep my hands off of them and stop myself at just one. Do give it a try and leave the comments below after trying out this recipe at home. I would be really delighted to hear your comments below. Happing Baking!

    PREP TIME: 15 minutes

    ASSEMBLY TIME: 20-25 minutes

    MAKES: 25-30



    INGREDIENTS

    • 1kg chocolate cake crumbs

    • 1/4 cup maple syrup

    • 50g dried cherries, finely chopped

    • 150g chopped nuts,(I used pistachios, pecans, walnuts and hazelnuts)

    • 90 ml rum

    • 1 orange, zested

    For coating:

    • 1/2 cup cocoa powder

    • 1/2 cup pistachio nuts


    METHOD

    1. In a food processor, pulse the cake and make the crumbs. Transfer to a mixing bowl.

    2. Add maple syrup, cranberries, nuts, rum and orange zest. Mix them all together and stick it in the fridge for 2 hours.

    3. Now using the small ice-cream scoop, make the balls slightly smaller than the golf balls.

    4. Blitz the pistachios into a grinder to a crumb.

    5. Roll the balls into pistachio crumbs or cocoa powder and serve.


    COOK'S NOTES

    • I made this recipe with leftover cake shavings. But to make these you can use a store bought chocolate cake or make your own to make these rum balls.

    • Run can also be replaced with another liqueur of your choice to make it boozy.

    • Skip the alcohol to make it for children or adults who do not consume alcohol. Infuse with orange juice instead.

    • Any nuts you have in your pantry like almonds, cashews, walnuts etc.or dried fruits like raisins, sultanas, prunes or candied peels can be added instead of the nuts and fruits mentioned in the recipe.

    • You can also roll the balls in desiccated coconut or toasted sesame seeds or walnut crumb as a variation.

    • These can stay fresh until a week in refrigerator.

    CHOCOLATE RUM BALL TRUFFLES



      These chocolate rum ball truffles are an absolute delight and so so easy to make and are a best use of your leftover cake shavings. A very versatile recipe which will come together in just minutes with the ingredients you have at hand in your pantry.


      I make lot of boutique and sculpted cakes for weddings, birthdays and special occasions but often you are left with lots of cake shaving leftovers from designing or leveling your wedding cakes. The question was what to do with these leftovers?? Found the best solution by converting these shavings into much more decadent and interesting dessert to serve. I preserve these shaving in freezer; tightly wrapped up in the freezer bags and make use of them for many different recipes later as and when needed.


      These chocolate rum ball truffles are so so delicious that you can fix up a decadent and enticing dessert to impress your friends and family within no time. These were dipped in melted chocolate and topped with sea salt flakes. The subtle hint of sea salt flakes on top just adds that extra oomph to these beauties and enhances the chocolate flavour even more. The sweet chocolate alongside the warmth from the rum makes it perfect for autumn!


      Do give it a try and leave the comments below after trying out this recipe at home. I would be really delighted to hear your comments below. Happing Baking!

      PREP TIME: 15 minutes

      ASSEMBLY TIME: 25-30 minutes

      MAKES: 25-30



      INGREDIENTS

      • 1kg chocolate cake crumbs

      • 1/4 cup maple syrup

      • 50g dried cherries, finely chopped

      • 150g chopped nuts,(I used pistachios, pecans, walnuts and hazelnuts)

      • 90 ml rum

      • 1 orange, zest

      For coating:

      • 500g dark chocolate

      • 50g butter

      • 1/2 tbsp sea salt flakes


      METHOD

      1. In a food processor, pulse the cake and make the crumbs. Transfer to a mixing bowl.

      2. Add maple syrup, cranberries, nuts, rum and orange zest. Mix them all together and stick it in the fridge for 2 hours for flavours to enhance.

      3. Now using the small ice-cream scoop, make the balls slightly smaller than the golf balls. Place them on parchment paper and refrigerate for 15 minutes to cool.

      4. Melt dark chocolate and butter over a double boiler, or microwave on high in 20 second increments until the chocolate is melted and smooth.

      5. Using the chocolate dipping tools or fork, dip and cover the rum ball truffles with the melted chocolate and place on parchment paper. Sprinkle with sea salt flakes immediately. Leave in the fridge to set for 20 minutes.

      COOK'S NOTES

      • I made this recipe with leftover cake shavings. But to make these you can use a store bought chocolate cake or make your own to make these rum balls.

      • Run can also be replaced with another liqueur of your choice to make it boozy.

      • Skip the alcohol to make it for children or adults who do not consume alcohol. Infuse with orange juice instead.

      • Any nuts you have in your pantry like almonds, cashews, walnuts etc. or dried fruits like raisins, sultanas, prunes or candied peels can be added instead of the nuts and fruits mentioned in the recipe.

      • You can also roll the balls in cocoa powder, pistachio crumb, desiccated coconut or toasted sesame seeds or walnut crumb as a variation. See my other recipe for the variation

      • These can stay fresh until a week in refrigerator.

      VANILLA BEAN AND YOGURT PANNA COTTA WITH CHERRY JELLY



        The other day I saw these beautiful cherries and I just couldn’t resist buying them, and when I brought them home, I pondered on what to make with these luscious beauties.


        I decided to go with a classic Panna Cotta that my family absolutely adores! This time I switched the flavours up a bit. I used the Greek yoghurt I had in the fridge, and used the cherries to make a cherry jelly to top up the Panna Cotta, bit away from the usual pairing of raspberries. The rich creaminess of Panna Cotta is well balanced with the fruitiness of the cherry jelly, giving the dish a well-rounded and delicious flavour.


        Panna Cotta literally translates to “cooked cream”, and it’s made by thickening sweetened cream with gelatin, then moulded. In this case, the yoghurt I used added some fresh tanginess to the dessert, while still keeping it indulgent and creamy.


        I could gush about Panna Cotta all day, and for good reason - it’s so simple to make and it is one of those desserts that I can prepare in advance for dinner parties, leaving me with less things to make on the day. If you don’t have small moulds on hand, you can easily set it in glasses too, which cuts the hassle of unmoulding.


        This is a recipe you certainly need to try as it proves to be a delight for all the family members. I loveeed the delicate cherry jelly on top but honestly, you can swap it for any small fruit or berry you want! Let me know what you come up with. Please do write the feedback and post comments in the comments section below the recipe. It means the whole world to me to know someone out there is trying out my recipes. You can tag me on my Instagram page: instagram.com/simranskitchenoman/



        PREP TIME: 20 minutes COOKING TIME: 15 minutes

        PASSIVE TIME: 8-12 hours or overnight SERVES: 8




        INGREDIENTS


        For Cherry Jelly:

        • 150g fresh cherries

        • 2 gelatin sheets

        • 120ml water

        • 2 tbsp caster sugar


        For Panna Cotta:

        • 500 ml cooking cream

        • 5 tbsp caster sugar

        • 200g full fat yogurt/ Greek yogurt

        • 4 gelatin sheets

        • 1 vanilla bean

        Equipment Needed:

        • 8 Panna Cotta moulds, 125 ml capacity each



        METHOD


        Making Cherry Jelly:

        1. Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water for 5 minutes.

        2. Wash and cut the cherries in half, remove the seeds and stalks.

        3. Pour water in a small saucepan, add sugar and halved cherries, simmer for 1-2 minutes until sugar is dissolved.

        4. Strain water from the cherries in a heat proof bowl. Reserve the cherries for later use. Place the bowl of cherry water over double boiler.

        5. Squeeze out the water from gelatin sheets, drop them in the bowl of cherry water, stir for few seconds until its completely dissolved. Remove bowl from double boiler and transfer in a small jug.

        6. Take moulds and drop 3-4 cherries at the bottom of each mould. Pour the prepared cherry infused jelly water in each mould just to cover the cherries. Refrigerate for an hour to set.


        Making Panna Cotta:

        1. To make Panna Cotta, soak gelatin sheets in cold water for 5 minutes.

        2. In a saucepan, pour the cream. Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise, scrape the beans with a knife and add it to the cream. Add sugar to the cream as well. Heat the cream, vanilla beans and sugar, and stir to dissolve, (do not boil the cream).

        3. Squeeze excess water from gelatin sheets and add to the cream. Mix for a minute, until dissolved. Remove from heat and strain.

        4. Whisk yogurt and mix it with cream. Leave to cool completely. Transfer to a pouring jug and pour over the set jelly. Place them in the refrigerator to set overnight.

        5. Dip the set Panna Cotta moulds in hot water for 3 seconds, run a knife around the side to release Panna Cotta from the moulds. Carefully tip it on the serving plates. Serve as is or with a fruit coulis.

        COOK'S NOTES:


        • I used cherries for making the cherry jelly but you can use any other fruit of your choice.

        • If you do not have gelatin sheets you can use gelatin powder as well. Or if you are a pure vegetarian, use agar-agar powder instead to set the jelly and Panna Cotta.

        • Do not boil the cream as the fats from the cream will separate from milk and your Panna Cotta will not have a smooth creamy texture.


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