cheap and cheerful bday cake

it is snowflake's happy bday today - happy bday!
we decided to do it cheap this year (with the eco downturn / stock market tsunami and all)...
remember the pandoros from coles sitting in the igloo downstairs?

i took one out and divided in half... one for snowflake today... one for me a few days later...
i divided the half into another half... then sandwiched a layer of my homemade strawberry jam...
lovely!
then to the chocolate ganache - a block of dark i bought b4 during sale... abit of butter... and a dash of cream over a waterbath...
the molten lava was poured onto the starshaped mountain...
a sprinkle of blitzed whole almonds covered the flaws in the pouring... it was then put in the fridge for setting...
with abit of make up - 3 strawberries... a happy bday sign... flame dancing over candles...
there you have it - snowflake's chocolate strawberry and almond pandoro bday cake! just like store bought (in looks and in taste)

and it only cost <$5! <$2 if you only count the cake as the trimmings were sitting in the pantry all along... bargain! yum!