The gift of gluttony: Edible gifts are the best kind

My lovely sister-in-law just celebrated her 30th birthday and I really wanted to give her something I didn't just pick up from the shops. 

I love this girl so much that if I had a heap of money I would buy her a car, but she got homemade biscuits in Apothecary jars and a cake instead. 

The biscuit recipe is from Sweetapolita, it is just a basic sugar cookie recipe that is absolutely perfect.You can also use this recipe to make these cookie pops I made for Scout's birthday. 

After the biscuits had cooked and cooled I dipped a fork in some melted chocolate and waved it around above them. Then tossed on some sprinkles. They look lovely without the sprinkles too. 

The cake looked really lovely at this point but I put another layer on top and then iced it with ganache. It tasted great but didn't look half as nice so I am sharing the half-way-done pic. Next time I will just leave it at this. 

The cake mix is just a basic chocolate cake (you can use this cupcake recipe) or a packet mix. I piped on pink brandy buttercream, starting from the outside and working in until there was just a 7cm wide circle of cake exposed. Then I piled on some mixed berries... Obviously.

The piping tip I used is huge, you wont be able to get the same effect with one of the more common small ones so check out some specialty stores and hook yourself up.

I just used frozen berries that had been thawed on some kitchen paper but it would have looked nicer with fresh berries. 

Buttercream Recipe

• 185g butter, softened
• 2 1/4 cups icing sugar mixture
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 tablespoon of brandy essence

Use an electric mixer to cream the icing sugar and butter then add milk and essence and beat for a few minutes. 

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Comments

[Bec]

Edible gifts are the best kind, I will be doing this more often!! YUM

[Traditional irish gifts]

Nice gift idea. Sometimes, these kind of gifts have value more than that of some expensive gifts. Gifts become precious due to feeling behind, not the cost. The only purpose of giving gift is to show someone that "I cares for you".

[Steph]

That cake looks delicious!