Hungary · Christmas & celebration tables
Hungarian Rum Balls
Rumgolyó
Every Hungarian grandmother has a tin of rumgolyó hidden somewhere in December. Made to use up leftover sponge and biscuit crumbs, rich with chocolate, walnuts and a good splash of dark rum, they are the sweet that disappears first from the Christmas platter. There is a children's version too.
Index markers: V N · From page 52 of the e-book
Ingredients
Rum balls
- 300 g plain sponge, Madeira cake or leftover cake, crumbed (see swaps)
- 100 g walnuts, finely ground
- 80 g icing sugar, sifted
- 30 g Dutch-process cocoa, sifted
- 100 g dark chocolate, chopped
- 60 g unsalted butter
- 100 g apricot jam
- 60 ml dark rum
To coat
- 100 g chocolate sprinkles (chocolate vermicelli), desiccated coconut, or extra cocoa
- Small paper petit-four cases (optional)
Kid-friendly (no alcohol) version
- Replace the 60 ml rum with 60 ml orange juice or milk plus ½ tsp vanilla extract
Method
- Crumb the cake by rubbing it between your hands or pulsing briefly in a food processor. You want fine, even crumbs.
- In a large bowl, combine the cake crumbs, ground walnuts, icing sugar and cocoa.
- Melt the chocolate and butter together gently in the microwave (in 20-second bursts) or in a bowl over simmering water. Stir in the apricot jam until smooth.
- Pour the chocolate mixture and the rum (or orange juice for the kids' batch) over the dry ingredients and mix well with a spoon, then your hands, until it holds together like a soft dough.
- Cover and refrigerate for 20–30 minutes, until firm enough to roll.
- With slightly damp hands, roll heaped teaspoons of the mixture (about 20–25 g) into walnut-sized balls.
- Roll each ball in chocolate sprinkles, coconut or cocoa, pressing gently so the coating sticks. Place in petit-four cases.
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. The flavour is even better the next day.
Oma's secret
Make them a day ahead. The rum, chocolate and walnuts mellow together overnight into a dense, truffle-like bite. Roll the children's batch in coconut and the grown-ups' in sprinkles so no one gets mixed up.
Storage & make-ahead
Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or freeze for up to 3 months. The alcohol is not cooked off, so label the rum version clearly and keep it away from children.
Simple swaps
No sponge? Use 250 g crushed plain sweet biscuits (such as Marie or Arrowroot) plus 2 tbsp extra jam or milk. Nut-free: replace the walnuts with extra crumbs or blitzed rolled oats.
Australian metric measures: 1 cup = 250 ml, 1 tablespoon = 20 ml, 1 teaspoon = 5 ml. Recipes may contain allergens, so please check every ingredient and packaged-food label if you're cooking for someone with an allergy.
More free recipes
Get all 94 recipes
This recipe is one of 94 in Oma's Recipes. The e-book has the Dobos torte, the Christmas bejgli, stuffed cabbage, pierogi, Medovik and many more, each with Oma's secret.
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