How to Make Edible Holiday Gifts

A Brandy Coffee Cake and Chocolate Pastry Recipe

Nov 4, 2008 Vicki F. Chavis

If gift-giving extends to friends, neighbors and associates, this delicious pastry and Brandy cake will clearly express the best sentiments of the holiday season.

There is something to be said for gift-giving that comes from the heart and from the riches of the kitchen. These two beautiful desserts are valid proof that the kitchen is still the heart of the home. The Brandy cake and the chocolate pastry can be made easily with the help of a bread machine.

Making these delicious foods to give away is simple, but do make sure to keep one! Having decorative tins on hand to place them into makes perfect sense. Rest assured that no one will turn these away or re-gift them.

Coffee Cake with Brandy

Ingredients:

  • 5 Tbsp strong black coffee
  • 2 Tbsp brandy
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 4 oz of raisins
  • 2 Tbsp hot milk
  • 3 eggs
  • 3-1/4 white bread flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/8 cup sugar
  • 2 tsp yeast
  • 6 Tbsp melted butter
  • sunflower oil for greasing
  • 2 egg whites
  • confectioners' sugar for dusting

Directions:

  1. Pour coffee into small saucepan, add brandy and cinnamon stick. Heat to just below boiling, remove from heat. Add raisins and set aside for 15-20 mins. until they plump up.
  2. Remove bread pan from bread machine. Pour milk into bread pan and strain in the coffee mixture. Discard cinnamon stick and reserve the raisins.
  3. Add eggs to the pan. Sprinkle the flour over the liquid so it's completely covered.
  4. Place salt and sugar in 2 corners of pan. Make an indentation in flour with your finger.
  5. Fit the bread pan in the machine and close lid. Set machine to the dough setting and press start. After five mins. add 1/3 of the melted butter, then close the lid.
  6. After 10 mins, add half of the melted butter. After 15 mins, add all the remaining butter.
  7. When cycle has finished, turn off machine. Remove bread pan and turn out dough into large mixing bowl. Gently knead in the reserved raisins,.
  8. Lightly grease a large mold with olive oil. Whisk egg whites in a grease-free bowl into soft peaks.Gradually incorporate the egg whites into the dough, folding in gently. Spoon dough into decorative pan, cover with oiled plastic and set aside in warm place for 1-1-1/2 hours to rise.
  9. Remove plastic wrap and then bake in preheated oven (375°) for 60 minutes.
  10. Turn the cake out onto a wire rack to cool. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

Pain du Chocolat

(Chocolate Pastry)

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup hot water (to the touch)
  • 1-3/4 cups white bread flour
  • 2 Tbsp nonfat dry milk powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 Tbsp sugar
  • 10 Tbsp softened butter (plus extra for greasing)
  • 1-1/2 tsp dried yeast
  • sunflower oil (for greasing)
  • 8 oz semisweet chocolate (broken into small chunks)

Glaze: 1 egg yolk and 1 tsp milk

Directions:

  1. Remove pan from bread machine. Pour in water. Sprinkle flour over liquid, then sprinkle in the milk powder. Place salt, sugar and 1 oz of butter in 3 corners of the pan.
  2. Make indentations in flour with fingers and add yeast. Fit pan into machine. Set at dough setting, and press start.
  3. Shape remaining butter into a rectangle.
  4. Shape finished dough into a ball and roll out edges. Place butter in center and fold the rolled out edges over it, pressing to seal.
  5. Roll out dough again into a long rectangle. Fold the top third of dough down and the bottom third up and seal edges.
  6. Wrap dough in oiled plastic and chill in fridge for 15 mins.
  7. Repeat twice more and then chill for a final 30 mins.
  8. Roll out dough and cut lengthwise into 3 strips to make 9 rectangles.
  9. Place a few chocolate pieces on the short end of each rectangle. Beat the yolk with milk and brush glaze around the edges of dough. Roll up dough to enclose the chocolate and seal edges.
  10. Transfer to oiled cookie sheets, seam-side down. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and set aside in warm spot for 30 mins to rise.
  11. Remove the wrap and brush the tops of pastries with remaining glaze. Bake in preheated oven at 400° for 15 mins. until golden.

Holiday gifts that have been baked and crafted with love are some of the best gifts one will ever receive.

Enjoy making these desserts for the upcoming holiday season and if you are lucky enough to receive one, consider yourself loved beyond measure!

The copyright of the article How to Make Edible Holiday Gifts in Party Food is owned by Vicki F. Chavis. Permission to republish How to Make Edible Holiday Gifts in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
Brandy Cake, Biberta Brandy Cake
Cakes and Pastries, seabreeze Cakes and Pastries
 
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