Honey & Almond Chocolate Cake Balls

It is time for Christmas recipe Number 2! This year Starbucks has brought a new Red Cup flavor: Honey & Almond Hot Chocolate. It is an indulgent drink that will definitely satisfy your chocolate craving and is also a bit more festive for the holiday season. If you would rather eat this chocolate treat than sip it, I have an easy recipe for you! ;)

For today’s post I incorporated the flavors from Starbucks’ new drink into a cake. To make things more fun, I then crumbled it all up, added some almond butter and Amaretto and formed small, bite-size balls. Honey & Almond Chocolate Cake Balls are a delicious, chocolaty afternoon treat or a cute DIY gift idea in a pretty Christmas cookie tin.

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Prep time

25 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

50 mins

Author: Bowsessed

Recipe type: Truffles, Dessert

Serves: 40

Ingredients

For the sponge cake

4 eggs (organic), divided
140g caster sugar
90g icing sugar
3 tbsp Amaretto (or a few drops of almond extract)
180g all-purpose flour (organic)
20g unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt

For the frosting

150g almond butter (organic)
2 tbsp honey (organic)
3 tbsp Amaretto
2-3 tbsp milk (organic)
sweetened cocoa powder for rolling

Instructions

Preheat the oven at 150°C using hot air. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Separate the eggs, placing the egg whites in one bowl and the egg yolks in another bowl. Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until foamy and frothy. Gradually add the caster sugar and continue beating until the egg whites are shiny and stiff peaks form. In another bowl, beat the egg yolks with the icing sugar for 2 minutes until the mixture has thickened and is light and fluffy. Mix in the Amaretto or almond extract. Gently add the egg whites to the egg yolk mixture in three batches. Carefully fold in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt and mix until just incorporated. Pour the batter on the prepared baking tray, smoothing the top. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let the sponge cake cool completely.
Once the sponge is completely cool, crumble the cake into a large bowl. Add the almond butter, honey, Amaretto and milk and mix it all together until the batter is smooth and moldable. I find it easiest using a fork. If you find that the batter is too dry, add a little bit more milk. Take a tablespoon at a time and form a ball between your hands. Roll the balls in the cocoa powder.

Notes

Store the cake balls in airtight containers for up to a week.
For a child-friendly version, substitute the Amaretto with a few drops of almond extract for the sponge cake. To form the dough, simply substitute the Amaretto by using more milk and add a few drops of almond extract for a nuttier, marzipan-like taste.