Fruit Cake Chocolate Pops

When you’ve had enough of your Christmas Cake (Rich Rum Cake) and there’s some still sitting somewhere in your refrigerator (or you bake a fresh one [ this one ] or use any other fruit cake) you can use this to make a lovely chocolate dessert, the Fruit Cake Chocolate Pops. Very simple to make and super delicious. You will love these as a snack or dessert.

Serves: 15 to 18 (Table Tennis Ball Sized)

Prep. Time: 45 Mins. + 3 to 4 Hours (refrigeration/other)

Cooking Time: 5 Mins.

Ingredients:

• Christmas Fruit Cake / Other – 250 gms
• Cashew Nuts – 70 gms
• Milk Chocolate Compound (broken/chopped) – 120 gms + 150 gms
• White Chocolate Compound – 25 gms (optional – to decorate)
• Rum – 2 tbsp.
• Milk Cream – 2 tbsp.

Forming the Balls:

Step 1:     Heat a pan and roast the cashew nuts lightly. Once cooled, break/crumble into bits and keep aside.

Step 2:     Take a bowl and crumble the cake with your fingers. Add the cashew nut bits. Mix well and keep aside.

Step 3:     Put the 120 gms milk chocolate and milk cream into a saucepan. Place the pan on low heat. Stir continuously till the chocolate melts and forms a smooth mixture with the cream.

Step 4:     Pour this molten mixture into the bowl with the crumbled fruit cake. Also add the rum and mix well. Cover the bowl with cling film and place in the refrigerator for an hour.

Step 5:     Later, remove from the refrigerator and roll into small balls. Place them in a container lined with parchment paper. Now place the container in the refrigerator for 3 hours.

Coating the balls with chocolate:

Step 6:     Chop the remaining 150 gms of chocolate and place in a bowl. Take another vessel such that the bowl with the chocolate sits on its edges. Heat some water in this vessel and let it come to a boil. Then lower the heat so that the water simmers. Place your bowl with the chocolate on the pot (to make a double boiler – see note below). Your chocolate will start to melt almost immediately. Stir continuously with a silicon spatula for about 2 minutes till all the chocolate melts. Take it off the heat.

Step 7:     Wait for 5 to 10 minutes for the chocolate to thicken (it must not set though and be runny, depends on room temperature). Meanwhile take the cake balls out of the refrigerator. Insert bamboo skewers into 4 to 5 balls. Dips these in the melted chocolate. Shake off any excess chocolate and use another skewer to dislodge and smoothen or fill in any gaps in the coating. Place these coated balls on a tray with parchment paper.

Step 8:     Finally melt the white chocolate using another clean bowl and the double burner method. Drizzle this molten white chocolate on the balls. Store the balls in the refrigerator.

Note:

• Before you start bring all the ingredients to room temperature.
• When using the double boiler method, pay attention that the water does not boil at any point of time when you are mixing the ingredients. The water must always be at a simmer. Also, the mixing bowl must not be immersed in the water (there should be a gap between the water and the mixing bowl).