Christmas Pudding Cake Pops or Truffles

Made with fruit cake and dipped in Green & Black’s Maya Gold chocolate, they’re a bite size treat you can share with your friends throughout December. 

How to make Christmas pudding cake pops

First take one bargain pre-made supermarket fruit cake. (Recipe for fruitcake at end of post.)

I really don’t go in for making cakes that you’re soon going to mush up and mix with buttercream. This time of year is busy enough as it is! 

Boozy brandy in the buttercream is positively encouraged if you are making these for grown ups. (Recipe for icing at end of post.)

Roll the cake and buttercream mix into balls and pop into the freezer for 20 minutes. No longer – unless you snigger want rock hard balls. 

Meanwhile melt a bar of dark chocolate in the microwave in a mug. Today I used Green & Black’s Maya Gold which has a perfect spiciness to go with Christmas pudding flavours. 

That white stuff is a tablespoon of Trex or Cookeen (vegetable fat) that makes your dipping chocolate dip nice and smoothly. 

Grab some sticks. I like fat wooden ones like you used to get ice lollies on rather than airy fairy coffee stirrers pilfered from coffee shops. 

And go dip! 

Push the pops into a block of florist’s oasis wrapped in film (or polystyrene) whilst the chocolate dries. 

Meanwhile you can get going on the decoration. 

Take some white sugar paste. Today I’m using this new Silver Spoon Designed by Mich Turner white icing which is flavoured with Madagascan vanilla adding to the Christmassy feel. 

And for the for the holly leaves and berries I am using Renshaw green and red icings which are super for modelling without the faff of having to add your own food colour to plain sugarpaste. 

Take a curvy flowery blossom cutter around 2 inches across; roll out a golf ball sized ball at once. These dinky non stick rollers and a non stick mat help stop your sugarpaste sticking to the table without needing to add extra icing sugar. 

Flatten the shapes with your fingers and position on top of the cake pops. 

I dabbed some royal icing on the other side. You could use squeezy tube writing icing if you didn’t want to make this although I find home made icing much easier to pipe out. 

Then we make holly leaves. This holly leaf cutter was a bit big for what I needed so I turned the cutter round the other way to make smaller holly leaves. 

Use a spear modelling tool to engrave a spine down the centre; or you could gently score a line with a small knife so long as you take care not to tear the leaf. 

Dab more royal icing (preferably same colour) to the underside of the one end of the leaves. 

Dot them on the top of the cake pops then pipe more blobs of green icing to affix the red berries on top. 

 Edible red glitter to roll your berries in isn’t compulsory but it does make your pops sparkle! 

The most glittery one I’ve found is by Rainbow Dust. It’s like being at school again.

http://blog.maisoncupcake.com/christmas-pudding-cake-pops/

Traditional Dark Fruit Cake 

Serves/Makes:   4 loaves 

INGREDIENTS: 

1 pound chopped candied pineapple

1/2 pound candied cherries

1/4 pound chopped candied citron

1/4 pound chopped candied citrus peel

1 pound golden raisins

1/2 pound dark raisins

1/2 pound currants

1/2 cup dark rum or brandy

1/4 pound slivered almonds

1/4 pound chopped walnuts

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1/2 cup butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar, packed

5 eggs

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon almond extract 

DIRECTIONS: 

In a very large bowl (or roasting pan) combine dried fruits; stir in rum or brandy. Let stand overnight. 

The next day, preheat oven to 275F.  

Grease four 4 x 9-inch loaf pans. Line with parchment paper. Add nuts to fruit mixture; toss thoroughly with 1/2 c. flour until well-coated.  

In a medium bowl, sift together remaining flour with soda and spices. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in milk and almond extract. Stir flour mixture into creamed mixture. Blend well. Turn batter into floured fruit and nuts. Mix well. Spoon into loaf pans.  

Bake at 275F for 2 1/2 hours, or until tester inserted in center comes out clean. When cool, wrap airtight and store for at least 2 weeks before slicing. Brush periodically with additional brandy or rum if desired.  

**This can also be made up into two 9-inch square, 4-inch tall baking pans with removable bottoms. Increase the baking time to 3 1/2 hours. 

http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/2583/Traditional-Dark-Fruit-Cake119091.shtml

Brandy Buttercream Frosting 

8 tbsp butter, room temperature

2 tbsp brandy

1 tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

2 – 3 cups confectioners’ sugar 

In a large bowl, beat together the butter, brandy, milk and vanilla until smooth. Add in cinnamon and, mixing at a low speed, gradually stir in the confectioners’ sugar until frosting is smooth, thick and fluffy. You may not need all the sugar.

Spread onto cooled cake.

Recipe and picture adapted from: http://bakingbites.com/2011/10/pumpkin-sheet-cake-with-brandy-buttercream-frosting/