These are absolutely perfect for Christmas: deeply chocolate-y and a little bit alcoholic. And they look a bit like cute teeny little Christmas puddings.

Of course, you can make them non-alcoholic too: just as well, as children love them!

They’re handy for using up leftover sponge cake (or a cake that has gone slightly wrong can often be redeemed by being turned into truffles) plus you can also make them ahead: freeze the cake balls then defrost and roll in sprinkles.

Makes 10

• 2 tablespoon tablespoons dark rum (or apricot or raspberry seedless jam for the non-alcoholic version)
• 250g sponge cake crumbs
• 100g dark chocolate, finely chopped
• 25g salted butter, finely diced
• Chocolate strands, and any other sprinkles that take your fancy, for finishing

You will need 10 x standard cake cases

Combine the rum or jam with the cake crumbs.

Melt the chocolate for up to 2 minutes, in 30 second bursts, in the microwave; add the butter towards the end of melting time.

Stir the crumb mix into the melted chocolate.

Add a drop more rum or jam if it’s too dry.

Chill the mix for 20-30 minutes before moulding into 10 balls (larger than a ping pong ball but smaller than a billiard ball) with wet hands.

Roll in the chocolate strands and sit in the paper cases.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

To Freeze

Wrap snugly in greaseproof paper and freeze in a plastic lidded box.