PUMPKIN SPICE BRANDY Cake BALLS
leftover cake scraps or a whole cake ~ crumbled as fine as possible into a large bowl
Brandy (I used about 2 TB for cake scraps ~ increase to about 1/4 cup for a full cake) ~or~ i tsp brandy extract
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (or 1 tsp. cinnamon + 1/2 tsp. EACH nutmeg & cloves)
1 TB canned pumpkin for Jiffy cake mix or cake scraps (increase to 2 TB for regular cake mix)
Canned frosting (about 1 TB for cake scraps ~ more for full cake ~ depends how moist it is) * vanilla, caramel, chocolate or whatever flavor you like best (mine was vanilla)
melting white chocolate squares (2 squares for cake scraps ~ maybe 5 or 6 for whole cake)
Crisco (about 1 tsp. per square of chocolate)
red & yellow food coloring (several drops of red & probably double yellow)
Decorations:
I used white/brown spotted jelly bellies, but green or brown are good too
green decorator icing and/or gel in tubes (note: the gel doesn't harden as well, if you want to store these)
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Bake the cake per package instructions, adding the pumpkin spices (or individual spices), plus the canned pumpkin. If you're using cake scraps, then add 1 TB canned pumpkin & the spices when you crumble up the scraps.
***
Crumble up the cake crumbs as fine as possible (with your hands). Add the brandy and canned frosting and mix it in completely (hands or wooden spoon), so that the dough sticks together. With a heaping cookie scoop (or heaping TB), pull out dough and squeeze and roll it into a ball in your hands. (You want it as condensed and squeezed as possible.) I put them all on a piece of foil while I melted the chocolate.
Melt the chocolate with the Crisco in your microwave ~ in 1 minute increments (stirring after each one). It actually only took 1 minute on High for 2 squares! Then whisk/stir in the food coloring until it's the color you want and the coating is nice and smooth (it might seem a little thin, but that's easier for dunking the cake balls).
With a small spoon (or spoons), dunk each cake ball into the melted chocolate, covering completely. Then put it back onto the foil. You can go back and drizzle a little more melted chocolate over any exposed cake areas. ** Stick the jelly belly into the top for the stem. Pipe leaves on top. ** Let the cake balls rest on the counter until the coating hardens (takes 1 hour to overnight ~ depending on your humidity). **
I like to store them in a Tupperware container in the refrigerator, because I like the firmer texture inside (but you can even freeze them). They'll last for a long time in the refrigerator, and the brandy just gets stronger! ** If you want to "dress them up", they should fit right into bon bon papers to put on a platter or in a gift box.