A Childhood Favorite: Rum Balls

Because nothing says school snack, like chocolatey balls soaked in rum. 

Yes, it's true, we Scandinavians come out of the womb with blonde locks, a penchant for dark and twisted literature and a glass of Aquavit in our hands. What I mean to say is, we come ready to play!
It is therefore no surprise that we start everything a little earlier, and that when you ask a Danish child what her favorite sweet treat happens to be, more often than not, you'll find she has a weakness for what is known as a rum ball. 
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we soak cakey, chocolatey dough in rum, roll it up, throw on some sprinkles, and serve it to our young ones - and they go nuts for it. 
I remember two things about my school snack bar: Crispy grilled ham and cheese sandwiches and these yummy, rummy orbs. Come to think of it - great pairing!
To be fair, most of these confections are actually made with what is called essence of rum, instead of real rum, but take one bite and you're basically on a beach in Havana with tiny paper umbrellas and the faint smell of a Cuban cigar wafting past you. 
I like to think that it's in an effort to develop sophisticated palates from an early age, but in reality, I think it was a clever way to keep young, rowdy Vikings just a little on the subdued side. And, hey, every child needs a little warmth on the inside when jumping bare-assed into the North Sea on those 'warm' summer days!

Ingredients:

• 350g leftover cake (I happened to have some banana walnut pound cake leftover, but use whatever you've got)
• 2 tablespoons apricot jam
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons rum

In a large bowl, crumble the leftover cake, until it has reached a fine crumb. Add your jam, cocoa and rum, and mix thoroughly to combine. You want a homogenous dough - no lumpy 'bits'.

Pinch off tablespoonful balls of the dough, and roll them into perfect spheres between your palms.

Roll the balls in the toppings of your choice, and place them in the refrigerator to firm up slightly, about 15 minutes.

If you don't eat them all in one sitting, you can keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for about 5 days. I like to take them out about 5 - 10 minutes before serving them, so they soften ever so slightly.

So yeah, there were those who enjoyed Little Debbie cakes and Fruit-by-the-Foot, and then there were those of us who ate balls of dough soaked in sugar cane spirit. Well played mom and dad, well played.