Makes 10 – 12
Ingredients
- 400ml desiccated coconut
- Few drops pink colouring
- 140g butter
- 125ml sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 5ml vanilla essence
- 375ml self-raising flour
- Pinch of salt
- For sandwiching the cakes:
- 200ml icing sugar
- 20ml boiled water
- For the syrup:
- 120ml sugar
- 120ml water
- 150ml smooth apricot
- 7ml red food colouring
Method
- Place the desiccated coconut in a mixing and add few drops of pink food colouring. Rub the colouring into the coconut to tint the coconut until evenly coloured.
- Cream the butter until light and fluffy, then gradually add the sugar. Continue creaming until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Whisk the eggs lightly then gradually add this to the creamed butter, add a 2 teaspoons flour with the eggs to prevent curdling.
- Add the salt and vanilla essence. Add the flour and work the mixture into a soft dough.
- Divide the dough into portions – I weighed them into 25g balls. Roll each one until smooth and place on a baking tray lined with greased paper.
- Bake in a pre-heated oven at 170°C for 12 – 15 minutes. They should be pale in colour with the bases turning light golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack.
- Make the syrup – heat the sugar and water in a 24cm AMC pot.
- Bring the syrup to the boil once the sugar has dissolved.
- Add the apricot jam and simmer until the syrup is slightly thick – not too thick as it will prevent the syrup from penetrating the snowball.
- Tint the syrup with red food colouring. Once the snowballs are cool, mix the icing sugar and boiled water into a thick, smooth paste, then sandwich the snowballs together. Leave to harden slightly – this takes a minute or two, then dip the snowballs into the hot syrup and toss them a few times to make sure they are coated. I used tongs for this as the syrup was quite warm.
- Place them into the coconut and toss to coat evenly.
- Dust off the excess coconut and place on baking paper. These are delicious eaten fresh and may be stored for up to two days.