Punschkugeln

Every Konditorei in Austria has a tray of Punschkugeln in the window. You can't miss them. They're the pinkest thing in a country that loves its pastry understated, and they sit there, glossy and round and brazenly bright, next to rows of dignified brown Torten. Gretel always said they were proof that the Viennese have a sense of humor about their baking, even if they'd never admit it.

The secret behind Punschkugeln is thrift. Austrian Konditoren never threw away cake trimmings. When you cut a Torte into perfect layers, you're left with edges and scraps. Those scraps get crumbled, mixed with apricot jam and a heavy pour of rum, shaped into balls, and coated in pink fondant. What starts as waste becomes one of the most beloved confections in the country. In my grandmother Eva's kitchen, Gretel would save every Biskuit offcut in a tin, and when there were enough, she'd announce it was Punschkugeln day. I can still smell the Stroh rum hitting the warm crumbs.

You don't need a Konditorei's worth of scraps to make these at home. A simple sponge cake, baked and crumbled, works beautifully. What you do need is Stroh rum. Not dark rum, not spiced rum, not whatever is on sale. Stroh is an Austrian rum, intensely aromatic, 80 proof, and it's the flavor that makes a Punschkugel taste like a Punschkugel. Everything else is negotiable. The rum is not.