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    Home » Recipes » Confections

    Published on: December 4, 2020 by Janice Lawandi; Updated on: January 26, 2022 2 Comments

    Christmas cake balls

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    Fruitcake balls made from crumbled leftover fruitcake ready to be coated in white chocolate

    Don't let that fruitcake go to waste! Turn leftover fruitcake into these Christmas cake balls, cake truffles dipped in melted chocolate. Your family will love these, probably more than the cake itself.

    Fruitcake balls made from crumbled leftover fruitcake ready to be coated in white chocolate
    Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Personally, I love fruitcake and this white fruitcake is my all-time favourite. The recipe makes a lot of Christmas cake, and though I love to eat fruitcake daily for breakfast during the holidays, there's always a little leftover.

    A plate of Christmas cake balls dipped in white chocolate and ready to be eaten.

    The recipe for the cake makes several loaves, so usually we wrap one in marzipan and frost it generously with a brandy frosting. The rest, we leave plain so that we can transform it into Christmas cake balls (like cake pops, but minus the wooden stick).

    Ingredients to make Christmas cake balls from leftover fruitcake, rum, and white chococlate.

    What you need to make these

    Making cake balls like these fruitcake balls could not be simpler. You just need three things!

    1. leftover cake, in this cake some sort of fruitcake or Christmas cake, unfrosted
    2. a liquid, like rum since it's the holidays, but milk with a splash of vanilla also works great like for these birthday cake truffles
    3. chocolate for melting and coating the cake balls so that they hold their shape and to help preserve them longer
    Leftover fruitcake broken into pieces and placed in the bowl of a food processor to make fruitcake balls.Grinding up leftover fruitcake with rum to make Christmas cake balls.

    Special equipment

    I highly recommend using a food processor to make cake balls, though you could technically finely chop or even grate leftover cake on a box grater, I suppose. The goal is to turn the cake into fine crumbs, then add a liquid to bind them together to make balls.

    Shaping fruitcake balls dough made in the food processor before them dipping in melted chocolate.

    Using leftover cake to make cake balls

    Making cake truffles from leftover fruitcake is very easy. I like to use the food processor to combine the leftover fruitcake with a little alcohol (or you can use milk or cream, or even water for an alcohol-free version), then you pulse and process until the mixture resembles wet sand.

    Shaping fruitcake balls dough made in the food processor before them dipping in melted chocolate.

    You know the consistency is good if you can form a ball by working a heaped spoonful of the mixture with your hands. Too much liquid will ruin these because they won't hold the shape. You want just enough moisture to be able to gather the crumbs together and hold them, but not so much that they are wet, soggy, and falling apart. 

    Christmas cake balls scooped onto a sheet pan and ready to be dipped in melted white chocolate

    Once the fruitcake truffles are formed, you can then dip them in melted chocolate. Let them harden and then store them in the fridge or freezer for later. The principle behind these Christmas cake truffles is the same as for the birthday cake truffles. Both of these are great treats to store in the freezer for when the craving strikes.

    Dipping Christmas cake balls in melted white chocolate to coat them.

    We make these fruitcake balls every year, along with these amaretto booze balls. They also make great edible homemade gifts that you can send in the mail without worrying about them falling apart. They ship very well.

    📖 Recipe

    White chocolate-covered fruitcake balls on a plate, ready to be eaten.

    Christmas Cake Balls

    AuthorAuthor : Janice Lawandi
    Transform leftover fruitcake into Christmas cake balls with this easy recipe! Everybody loves these fruitcake truffles coated in chocolate, even the people that hate fruitcake!
    5 from 1 vote
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    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Total Time 15 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine British
    Servings 48 truffles
    Calories 51 kcal
    Need measurements in CUPSUse the button options below to switch from Metric to US measurements! It's that easy!

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 450 grams fruitcake or leftover Christmas cake
    • 20 mL spiced or dark rum
    • 225 grams white chocolate melted (or 70 % dark chocolate)
    • Cacao Barry extra brute cocoa powder for dusting, optional

    Instructions
     

    • Place the fruitcake and the rum in the bowl of a food processor and process until combined.
    • Roll the mixture into small, bite-sized truffles (~ 1 inch).
    • Dip the truffles in the melted chocolate, and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet to set.
    • Dust with cocoa powder before serving (optional).

    Nutrition

    Calories: 51kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 1gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 54mgPotassium: 21mgFiber: 1gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 16IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 15mgIron: 1mg
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    Fruitcake balls made from crumbled leftover fruitcake ready to be dipped in a bowl of melted white chocolate to coat them
    Fruitcake truffles being dipped in a bowl of melted white chocolate to coat them, and set on a plate lined with parchment paper so they don't stick

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    Comments

    1. Tammy says

      November 17, 2023 at 3:01 am

      Hi could you use left over Christmas pudding or would it be too moist?

      Reply
      • Janice Lawandi says

        November 25, 2023 at 4:07 pm

        Hi Tammy, I think you are referring to what my mom calls "plum pudding" which is a steamed pudding and is quite high in fat.
        I've honestly never tried it with the leftover pudding after Christmas! I'm concerned that Christmas pudding is too rich for something like this, but I could be wrong...
        I'm also concerned that the pudding won't hold together well. You may have to freeze the bite-sized scoops before coating in melted chocolate.
        If you do give it a try (maybe on a small sample of leftover Christmas pudding), let me know if it works (or not) because I'm sure many of us end up with quite a bit of leftover steamed pudding after the holidays!

        Reply
    5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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