These festive little balls of rum-soaked chocolate cake are draped in a luscious layer of bittersweet dark chocolate, making them the perfect Valentine’s Day indulgence. Note, however, that because the liquor is added after the cooking process, they are not appropriate for children. For non-drinkers, simply substitute coffee, caramel, or hazelnut syrup for the rum.
JN Chevrolet’s Chocolate-Covered Rum Balls
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Active Time: 40 minutes
Inactive Time: 2 hours and 45 minutes
Yield: 15-20 rum balls
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup room-temperature water
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup white rum
16 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, melted
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and lightly flour an 8 x 8-inch-square baking pan.
In a mixing bowl, blend the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the water, butter, and vanilla to the flour mixture and stir to thoroughly combine.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and place in the oven to bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove the cake from the oven and flip it onto a cooling rack. Allow the cake to cool for two hours at room temperature.
When cake is cool, flip it onto a cutting board and use a serrated knife to remove and discard the crispy edges. Using your hands, break up the cake in medium-sized chunks and place them in a mixing bowl. Slowly pour the rum into the bowl, mashing it into the cake as you go and adding just enough to allow the cake to begin to bind together; you may not need all of the rum.
Roll the rum-cake mixture into golf-ball-sized balls and place them on wax paper. Drop a ball in the melted chocolate and gently retrieved with a spoon. Allow the excess chocolate to drip off the ball and spoon and back into the melted chocolate before placing the chocolate-covered ball back on the wax paper. Repeat this process until every ball is covered in chocolate. Place the rum balls in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the chocolate hardens, and serve.
