Cannon Ball Rum – Turning Sponge Offcuts into Pralines
Irresistible – and made entirely from leftovers
Imagine spoiling your guests with a small, sweet indulgence: enchanting cannon ball rum treats, juicy and tender, wrapped in chocolate and a hint of rum. Every bite turns your coffee get-together or festive dinner into a little celebration of flavour.
The best part: these rum balls are a treasure when it comes to transforming leftovers into a heavenly nibble. Have you created a 3D cake and have sponge, buttercream or Ganache leftovers? Then don't throw them away – with a little love they become something wonderful.
Ingredients
CANNON BALL RUM TREATS
Step by step
Preparation
Soak candied orange and lemon peel in rum
First, chop the candied orange and lemon peel finely and soak both in rum — ideally overnight, but at least for an hour if time is short. Depending on your taste, you can leave the fruit pieces in the rum as they are, or blend them coarsely or finely with a blender.
Would you like to use less alcohol? No problem: take away part of the rum (or an alcohol of your choice) and replace it with apricot jam or a neutral Syrup.
Rum mixture
Break up the sponge offcuts
Break up the sponge or cake leftovers in the blender and put them into a Mixing bowl.
Add buttercream, Ganache and jam
Now add the Buttercream, the Ganache, the apricot jam and the melted Dark couverture (40 °C).
If you don't have Buttercream and/or Ganache on hand, you can make them quickly yourself:
For the Buttercream, stir 30 g of soft butter until smooth and then beat it fluffy on the highest setting. As soon as the butter has lightened, add 25 g of icing sugar spoon by spoon.
For the Ganache, briefly bring 20 g of full cream to the boil, pour it over 10 g of dark, chopped couverture, let it sit briefly and then stir it into a homogeneous mixture.
Add the rum mixture and knead thoroughly
Finally, add the candied peel and rum mixture and knead everything thoroughly by hand.
If the mixture seems too dry and doesn't shape well, there's no need to worry: a dash of extra alcohol, a touch of fruity jam or a little more couverture will give it the moisture it needs. That way you refine texture and Liquid aroma exactly to your taste. The finished, kneaded mixture now goes into the fridge for at least 1 hour – after that it's much easier to shape into even balls.
Felchlin Couverture Grand Cru Maracaibo 65 % 0.5 kg
Hygienic gloves L, 100 pieces
Hygienic gloves M, 100 pieces
Shaping and coating
Shape ten balls of 95 g each
After an hour in the fridge the mixture has the right consistency. Now take an Ice cream scoop – it ensures that each ball is even and perfectly proportioned. With about 95 grams per ball you get the ideal size, and in the end you'll have ten balls of exactly the same size.
Ice cream scoop with soft grip
Digital kitchen scale 5 kg
Dip in chocolate and roll in chocolate strands
Prepare two bowls: fill the first with the Cake icing or alternatively with tempered couverture, and the second with the fine, crunchy Chocolate strands. For particularly clean work we recommend disposable gloves – they protect your hands and keep the balls even and flawless.
Take a rum ball and carefully dip it into the liquid chocolate. Roll it gently in your hands so that it is evenly coated all around.
As soon as the ball is completely coated in chocolate, move on to the second bowl: gently roll it in the chocolate strands until it is fully covered in the crunchy coating. Then carefully set it down.
Dark chocolate cake icing, 250 g
Chocolate strands, 90 g
Place in cups and dust with powdered snow
Gently place each ball into a patisserie cup: these Paper baking cups give the balls an elegant, festive touch and make them easier to serve.
For the finishing touch, take a Sieve and lightly dust the balls with a fine layer of Sweet powdered snow. This is not only a visual highlight but also adds a subtle sweetness that beautifully complements the chocolate coating. That way the balls shine like little jewels – as if they came from a praline workshop.
Sweet powdered snow, 150 g
Patisserie ramekin Round Black Ø 5 cm, 500 pieces
Cannon ball rum treats
Ingredients
CANNON BALL RUM TREATS
COATING
Preparation
- Soaking: Chop candied orange and lemon peel finely and soak overnight in rum (at least 1 hr.).
- Mixture: Blend sponge offcuts, add buttercream, Ganache, apricot jam and melted couverture (40 °C).
- Knead: Add the rum mixture, knead thoroughly, 1 hr. in the fridge.
- Shape: Shape ten balls of 95 g each with the ice cream scoop.
- Coat: Dip in cake icing or tempered couverture, then roll in chocolate strands.
- Finish: Place in patisserie ramekins and dust with powdered snow.
Nutritional values per 100 g
Storage & shelf life
Everything for this recipe
Recommended from our bakery — exactly the sizes the recipe was tested with.
Ingredients
Felchlin Couverture Grand Cru Maracaibo 65 % 0.5 kg
Dark chocolate cake icing, 250 g
Chocolate strands, 90 g
Sweet powdered snow, 150 g
Equipment
Ice cream scoop with soft grip
Digital kitchen scale 5 kg
Hygienic gloves M, 100 pieces
Patisserie ramekin Round Black Ø 5 cm, 500 pieces
Delivery in 1–2 working days · Free shipping from CHF 100
Lovely alongside
Not needed for the recipe — but it fits.
Hygienic gloves L, 100 pieces
So they turn out perfectly every time
Together the ingredients make exactly 950 g of mixture: that's why there are ten balls of 95 g each. If you're working with different leftover amounts, simply weigh the finished mixture and divide by 95 – or make the balls smaller. The only important thing is that they all weigh the same, otherwise they look uneven on the plate.
This recipe is the perfect second use: sponge offcuts from trimming a cake, buttercream from the piping bag, leftover Ganache from the pot. Feel free to collect such leftovers in the freezer until you have enough for a round of cannon ball rum treats – sponge freezes without any problem.
If the mixture is too dry, a dash of alcohol, a little jam or more melted couverture helps. If it's too soft to shape, it simply needs longer in the fridge. Because the leftover amounts differ every time, this readjusting is normal – not a sign that something has gone wrong.
Frequently asked questions
Real sponge is meant: we used leftovers from a chocolate sponge, the kind you bake for a Black Forest cake. Biscuits like Petit Beurre or army biscuits don't work the same – they're too dry and give a crumbly, sandy mixture.
Yes, that works just as well. The balls then turn out a little lighter and less chocolatey – the chocolate comes through anyway from the dark couverture, the icing and the sprinkles. Leftovers of nut sponge or cake are also perfectly suitable.
Yes: replace the rum with orange or apple juice with a dash of neutral Syrup, or use more apricot jam. The fruit pieces should still soak for a few hours – the moisture is the most important thing. With alcohol, however, the balls keep a little longer.
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Related products
Felchlin Couverture Grand Cru Maracaibo 65 % 0.5 kg
Cake glaze dark chocolate, 250 g
Hygienic gloves L, 100 pieces
Hygienic gloves M, 100 pieces
Sweet powder snow, 150 g
Chocolate sprinkles, 90 g
Ice cream scoop with soft grip
Kitchen Scale Digital 5 kg
Patisserie ramekins round black Ø 5 cm, 500 pieces
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Comments
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Rezeptnachfrage Punschkugeln
By: Corinne On 2025-09-02Ich würde mich gerne an dieses Rezept wagen und habe aber noch eine Frage dazu. Was sind hier für Bisquit-Resten gemeint? Bisquit, wie zB. für eine Schwarzwälder-Torte oder eher Bisquits wie Petit Beurre oder Militärbisquits?
Herzlichen Dank für die Unterstützung und liebe Grüsse
CorinneReplied by: Rebecca Odermatt On 2025-09-02
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Punschkugel
By: Theres On 2025-04-25Liebes Team,
ich habe die Punschkugeln gestern gemacht. Gratulation zu diesem Rezept. Endlich mal Punschkugeln die nicht zu kompakt und trocken sind. Sind feucht und auch nicht so hart wie mein Bäcker. Werde diese ganz sicher wieder herstellen. Mein Mann hat schon gefragt, wann ich die nächsten herstelle.
Liebe Grüsse
TesyReplied by: Rebecca Odermatt On 2025-04-25
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