Chocolate Cake 'Christmas Pudding' Balls

I absolutely love cake but the only problem is if I make a cake there is usually a lot left over and it can get a bit boring just eating the same cake for days. I saw people make cake pops and I got the inspiration to make these little chocolate covered cake balls in the shape of little Christmas puddings just in time for holidays. I use chocolate mud cake for this recipe and it can be either store bought or home made.

This is a quick and simple recipe for making an absolutely adorable Christmas treat (It is so easy that kids can help out too :D fair warning their faces and yours may become covered in chocolate for mysterious reasons.......)

These are ready in less than half an hour and are so delicious!!!!!

For the Cake balls

- 2 Cups left over Mud cake (preferably chocolate mud cake but can be used for vanilla cake too!)

- *2 Tablespoons chocolate ganache or frosting* (If using a less moist cake like a sponge cake)

*NOTE* If you are using a dense and frosted mud cake you do not need to add the frosting it should hold together well.

For the chocolate coating

- 125g Dark chocolate

- 125g Milk chocolate

(depends on your preference but dark chocolate looks more like a Christmas pudding but children tend to prefer milk chocolate so choose accordingly. I usually do a mix of both)

- 1 1/2 Teaspoon canola or vegetable oil

For the decoration

-150g White chocolate

- 1/2 Teaspoon canola orvegetable oil

- mini red m&ms

- Green food colouring (gel is preferred)

Equipment

- 3 small bowls for each chocolate + 1 mini bowl for green chocolate

- Spoons for mixing chocolate

- 2 forks

- Large plate

- Baking paper

- plastic zip lock bags for piping (+ scissors to cut it)

- Fridge (or freezer if you want it to go faster)

- Microwave

First you need to tear apart the cake into small crumbs. Do this over your large mixing bowl and measure out about 2 cups of the cake crumbs. if you have more or less it really does not matter this is just for a rough idea.

Now add the frosting to the cake crumbs. If you are using a dry sponge cake you may need 2-4 tablespoons. If you are using a cake that already has frosting, like how I am using a mud cake then you do not need to add the frosting.

The last few photos show you the consistency you need, The mixture needs to be 'moist' enough to hold shape if moulded into a ball. Then taking heaped tablespoon measurements of the mixture roll them into balls and squeeze them in your hands, making sure that the mixture is compacted into shape.

Place the balls into the freezer for 10 minutes to harden while we make the melted chocolate coating.

Place the dark and milk chocolate separately into your microwave safe bowl and add 1 teaspoons of canola/ vegetable oil to each then with short 10 second bursts heat the chocolate, stirring after each heating until the chocolate melts. Line a plate with baking paper

Then take the balls out of the freezer and with your forks gently lower one ball at a time into the melted chocolate and coat the ball completely. Then lift the ball out of the chocolate and allow the excess chocolate to drip off the ball, then place it onto the plate with baking paper. Repeat with the remaining cake balls then place them all into the freezer again for 5 minutes while you melt the white chocolate

Place the white chocolate into your other microwave safe bowl and add 1/2 teaspoon of canola oil to it. Then repeat the heating process for the dark chocolate but you will need less time as there is less chocolate. Pour the chocolate into a piping bag and then remove the balls from the freezer.

Take a few spoonfuls of the melted white chocolate into the small bowl and add some green food colouring to it. stir it and place it into a zip lock bag.

On the tops of the balls place a small amount of the white chocolate to resemble a kind of icing pattern (look at the photo) it is suppose to resemble the icing on a Christmas pudding. Then add 2-3 red mini m&ms (Holly berries) on the white chocolate before it sets.

When the white chocolate has set place the green chocolate into a piping bag and draw 2-3 leaves around the berries on top of the balls. Then place these into the fridge until you serve them.

These make great little gifts, just wrap them in colourless cellophane and wrap with a pretty bow. They are so cute and chocolatey and are great for kids and adults (you could even add a bit of rum in them for an extra kick).

I hope that you like this recipe as much as I do!!!