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These cakes were made by bakers who baked their own bread and cakes. I think they were a way of recycling elderly cake that was too stale to sell - as they did also by producing Bread Pudding.

They would use any kind of sponge and/or fruit cake, mixed well with rum flavouring and cocoa - they may have used a LITTLE syrup/jam to aid cohesion. The mixture was then shaped into balls, (about the size of a small satsuma,) rolled in chocolate vermicelli, and sold in paper cake cases.

I'm planning to make some of these for my spinning group's Christmas meeting. I shall add a small splat of yellow icing - mini Christmas Puds!

never tried that Natasha but if you crumb the cake fine enough should be o.k.
Usually do it with sponge or rice cake.
As for the raisins , might be a bit large but try soaking them in the booze to make them soft before adding to mix.

hi frexy,
thanks for the recipe, will try - my mother and aged husband (well not really but 20 years older than me!!) remember these fondly from their youth and have had me searching for the instructions so they can enjoy. will try them and let you know if up to their standards!!!! Can you make them with fruit cake or add fruit in???

Thanks, N

natasha ,these can be made as cakes or small for truffles.
Equal amounts of fine cake crumbs, ground almonds and castor sugar.
Then bind them together with alcohol and sticky sieved apricot jam.
Roll into balls, small for truffles and bigger for cakes, flatten the cakes so they look like a burger.
Dip the cakes in some more of the jam and alcohol mixture then roll in choc vermecelli, leave to firm and pop into a cake case.
You can use whatever booze you like so could be rum, brandy or sherry, whatever you have,the small truffles could be dipped in melted chocolate.