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crumble cake
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add rum & frosting
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make balls
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chill balls
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I make a version of Christmas Rum Balls every year for the Holidays. They freeze very well (and keep for about 3 months) ~ or you can refrigerate them for weeks (they just get a little stronger). Perfect for gift baskets or to set out on a Holiday dessert table. ** If you want to change up the color of the cake and/or frostings, you could do a green cake with red decorations too.
Christmas Cake or Rum Balls
1 boxed white, strawberry, cherry or Red Velvet cake mix (yellow cake will turn orange w/red food coloring), eggs, oil, water ~ Prepare cake per package directions ~adding red food coloring {not necessary with Red Velvet} and let cool
(TIP: If you want a flavored cake, you can add 1 small package of red jello mix to the cake mix)
1 tub store-bought cake frosting……………….about 1/8 tsp. rum extract (optional)
2 TB rum or brandy (optional)………………...........red food coloring (paste is best)
tubes of red, white and/or green decorator icing (with tips)
1 brick of Vanilla Almond Bark Coating (found near chocolate chips in grocery store baking aisle) ~OR~ white, red or green candy melts (I used white)
vegetable oil or shortening
holiday sprinkles or colored sugar crystals
***
Mix in 5-6 drops of liquid food coloring (or a dab of paste) to cake batter (if you want, you can add the rum extract to the cake mix, or substitute 1/4 cup of the water called for with real rum). Bake cake per package directions and let cool completely. Cut off any browned edges, then crumble cake with your hands into a large bowl. Add the rum or brandy and 1/2 of the tub of store-bought frosting (adding a little more if you need it) and blend well with wooden spoon or spatula. (You can use red or vanilla icing)
*Tip: Store-bought frosting is best for cake balls ~ it will harden up quickly and just has a better consistency for them.
Roll dough into 1” balls in your hand. If it is too sticky, you can chill the dough for a little bit. (I used a small cookie scoop, about 3/4-ful.) Put the balls on a wax paper-lined cookie sheet; then refrigerate for about 10-15 minutes to firm up while you melt the candy coating. (I left the in the refrigerator overnight, since I didn't have time to finish them that day.)
Put bark in microwave-safe bowl with 1 TB vegetable oil/shortening; heat for 1 minute in microwave and then stir well to melt all the bark ~ it should all melt, but if not you can put it back into microwave for another 30 sec. (While waiting for candy coating to melt, take cake balls out of fridge and let sit at least 5 -10 minutes before you begin coating.)
Use a fork to dip each cake ball into the melted candy to coat. You can use a spoon to help roll it around. Gently shake the fork holding the cake ball to remove any excess. I slid them off the fork with a butter knife. Set the covered cake ball back on the wax paper. Do this for all the cake balls then let set to harden. (They should harden fairly quickly. If you have excess melted bark at the base of the ball, you can trim it with a small sharp knife or kitchen scissors.)
After the cake balls have hardened, I used green decorator icing to squiggle Christmas trees on top, and added a candy ball on the top. You can also pipe green leaves on top, and little red candy balls for holly. I put each rum cake ball into a little Holiday paper cup. ** These freeze very well for about 3 months ** Makes 50-75 cake/rum balls (60 balls fit perfectly into my 9x13" pan to chill them)
Christmas Cake or Rum Balls
1 boxed white, strawberry, cherry or Red Velvet cake mix (yellow cake will turn orange w/red food coloring), eggs, oil, water ~ Prepare cake per package directions ~adding red food coloring {not necessary with Red Velvet} and let cool
(TIP: If you want a flavored cake, you can add 1 small package of red jello mix to the cake mix)
1 tub store-bought cake frosting……………….about 1/8 tsp. rum extract (optional)
2 TB rum or brandy (optional)………………...........red food coloring (paste is best)
tubes of red, white and/or green decorator icing (with tips)
1 brick of Vanilla Almond Bark Coating (found near chocolate chips in grocery store baking aisle) ~OR~ white, red or green candy melts (I used white)
vegetable oil or shortening
holiday sprinkles or colored sugar crystals
***
Mix in 5-6 drops of liquid food coloring (or a dab of paste) to cake batter (if you want, you can add the rum extract to the cake mix, or substitute 1/4 cup of the water called for with real rum). Bake cake per package directions and let cool completely. Cut off any browned edges, then crumble cake with your hands into a large bowl. Add the rum or brandy and 1/2 of the tub of store-bought frosting (adding a little more if you need it) and blend well with wooden spoon or spatula. (You can use red or vanilla icing)
*Tip: Store-bought frosting is best for cake balls ~ it will harden up quickly and just has a better consistency for them.
Roll dough into 1” balls in your hand. If it is too sticky, you can chill the dough for a little bit. (I used a small cookie scoop, about 3/4-ful.) Put the balls on a wax paper-lined cookie sheet; then refrigerate for about 10-15 minutes to firm up while you melt the candy coating. (I left the in the refrigerator overnight, since I didn't have time to finish them that day.)
Put bark in microwave-safe bowl with 1 TB vegetable oil/shortening; heat for 1 minute in microwave and then stir well to melt all the bark ~ it should all melt, but if not you can put it back into microwave for another 30 sec. (While waiting for candy coating to melt, take cake balls out of fridge and let sit at least 5 -10 minutes before you begin coating.)
Use a fork to dip each cake ball into the melted candy to coat. You can use a spoon to help roll it around. Gently shake the fork holding the cake ball to remove any excess. I slid them off the fork with a butter knife. Set the covered cake ball back on the wax paper. Do this for all the cake balls then let set to harden. (They should harden fairly quickly. If you have excess melted bark at the base of the ball, you can trim it with a small sharp knife or kitchen scissors.)
After the cake balls have hardened, I used green decorator icing to squiggle Christmas trees on top, and added a candy ball on the top. You can also pipe green leaves on top, and little red candy balls for holly. I put each rum cake ball into a little Holiday paper cup. ** These freeze very well for about 3 months ** Makes 50-75 cake/rum balls (60 balls fit perfectly into my 9x13" pan to chill them)
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