Vegan Salted Caramel Cheesecake

I've been wanting to write this up for a while now but I've been so poorly that I've had to step away from the laptop. Thankfully I'm feeling a little better! Before I start, the lovely folks at BuyWholefoodsOnline.co.uk have helped me to make this recipe by supplying at least 4 of the ingredients. Their Coconut oil, Maple Syrup, Macadamia Nuts and the most important: Cashew nuts.

The Organic Coffee Shop ~ Redruth ~ Free From Friendly!

As any fellow free from foodie will know one thing that's really hard to adjust to is finding places that will competently serve you whatever allergy free food it is you require. It really is amazing the amount of chefs I've come across who don't know what a vegan is let alone what contains gluten and what doesn't!

I can't eat wheat, milk or gluten and avoid most meat as that makes me feel unwell too. I suffer with IBS and have done since I was 14 so this is nothing new. I've adjusted to shopping for groceries, reading labels (and do this regularly because supermarkets are always changing their ingredients!) I'm also sadly use to completely vetoing restaurants because they don't serve anything apart from a plate of chips.

I recently found a new place in the next town over from me, a lovely cafe and health food shop called The Organic Coffee Shop. This place was recommended to me by the ladies on reception at the chiropractor. The perfect opportunity to check out this new coffee shop arose when my aunt popped round my house (a vegan) and my mother came along too (my mum can't eat gluten or wheat and avoids dairy). We fancied a treat and some quality time together and I chose The Organic Coffee Shop in Redruth.

Enjoying Coeliac Awareness Week with Tesco Free From Foods

This week is coeliac awareness week. ( See here for more info on coeliac disease) I've not been able to eat gluten for about 13 years. At first it was a huge struggle, supermarkets were only just bringing out 'free from' products and the quality wasn't fantastic. If you've been a reader for a while you'll also know I'm intolerant to dairy and wheat. These days the free from ranges are so, so much better. One superstore that has really improved their range not just in general but with their very own range is Tesco's Superstore. Look at my local Tesco:

  The frozen section has improved the most in my opinion. There's a lot more gluten free options than dairy and gluten free but I'm really impressed with pizzas, garlic bread, breads and nuggets which my children love.

I was sent a gift card to pick up some gluten free items from my local Tesco store. The garlic bread has only been available for a few months, I can't tell you how great it is to be able to buy some!  The bread cooks quickly and well and tastes really garlicky, just like your regular non gluten garlic bread. It's also milk and wheat free.

Before we found out I couldn't tolerate the foods that were causing my stomach problems, I had never got around to trying some really good food items. One food I never managed to taste was scampi (shock! I know) I was browsing the frozen section, not getting too excited in case there was milk in them, when I saw they didn't: Hooray!! I had scampi for the first time in my life this week and It. Is. So. Good. I had mine with some veg and chips and it did not disappoint. I do find them a bit sickly if I eat more than 4/5 but other than that they hit the spot. Midge thought they were ace so I will buy some normal ones for her next time.

Before our separation, my partner used to make us a weekly free from battered fish which was delicious. I keep meaning to practice but until I get around to it I've found these crispy breaded Pollock fillets that are a brilliant replacement. They are quick and easy, we all enjoy them and I love the crispy bread crumb coating.

These lemon slices are one of my favourite treats to pick up. The center of the cakes is lemony and creamy, the sponge is firm and the topping is lemon sugar which is delicious. The children loved these too!

As you can see I have finally found loads of tasty treats and essentials I can now eat! The range of food available in Tesco's is really good to see and I am always pleased to see new items being added, especially to the frozen section because that has been some what overlooked for a rather long time!

Do you eat free from foods? Are you a coelic who has been struggling to find tasty replacements for your cupboards? I hope this post has shown you just a selection of yummy goodies available to you. If you don't find something in your store you can always speak to customer services who in my experience have been really good ant trying to get products in that are normally more commonly found in my larger Tesco store. Check out the Free From Range by Tesco online!

Cupcake Mumma 

Enjoy Gluten & Dairy Free Pancakes AND Vegan Pancakes on Pancake Day!

Delicious Free From Chocolate Pastry Roll

Two weeks ago The Great British Bake Off focused on pastry. I've seen lots of lovely tarts and vol-au-vents but didn't join in on this occasion, I had the time because I use a bought gluten free puff pastry and can make a gluten free shortcrust pastry, I guess I just lacked the motivation this week and I'm not very imaginative!

I did bake a pastry related item however but chose not to link it because my bake didn't match any of the challenges. This bake is super easy, it's a gluten and milk free chocolate pastry roll and was delicious.

Free From Apple Crumble Cake

This week was free from week on the Bake Off. I actually struggled with this one (believe it or not!) There were sugar free cakes (okay, refined sugar free cakes!) gluten free breads and a dairy free ice cream cake. I'm having to try and go with the bake that would be the cheapest on our food budget and this week proved hard. I couldn't afford the alternatives for the sugar I always put in cakes. I tried honey but I thought, yuck! I shoved in the sugar and made a sponge instead!

So this week I went with gluten and dairy free sponge cake with a topping of gluten free oats and crumble mix.

Recipe

Free From Apple Crumble Cake

A gluten and dairy free sponge cake with apples and a crumble topping. Perfect for autumn! (And when you can't chose between cake and crumble!)

Ingredients

• 150g Dairy free spread
• 150g Caster sugar
• 1 tsp Vanilla essence
• 2 Eggs
• 150g Doves Farm Self Raising Flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• Doves Farm Plain Flour
• Gluten Free Oats
• Dairy free spread
• Apples (enough for your chosen dish)

Instructions

First make a sponge cake how you normally would by mixing all your ingredients together making sure there are no lumps

Pour the sponge mix into your chosen dish (I used a long dish for pies!)

Slice your apples and place them on top of the sponge mix

In another bowl, add some flour and butter. Using your hands, make a crumble. I didn't measure this bit, I just judged how big my dish was. Make sure there's not more spread than flour.

Scatter your crumble mix over the apples and sponge, covering entirely just like you would an ordinary apple crumble

I used 2 handfuls of gluten free oats and some more sugar on top of the crumble to give it that crunch.

Cook time: 35 mins at 180'C 

My Dairy Free Windtorte

So I decided to make life difficult for myself this week for The Great Bloggers Bake Off by baking a Spanische Windtorte for dessert week. I wasn't going to go near a dairy free creme brûlée no matter how much I wanted to and I didn't want to do the cheesecakes because finding a recipe was driving me nuts. Some how searching the recipes I could only really find the words 'raw', 'healthy', 'sin free', 'guilt free' am I the only person who doesn't give a fig about the guilt!? I felt like it! Besides, I baked a vegan and gluten free cheesecake in a previous Bake Off challenge so I was only left with the 1 option really!

Gluten and Dairy Free Biscotti

Today I'm blogging the biscuit challenge from last weeks Bake Off. I wasn't too worried about biscuit week, I mean I don't make wonderful biscuits but they've always tasted nice and been fairly successful. This week I took the recipe from another website. I found that 2 eggs would've been better than 3 and that there was too much water for me because my dough was pretty wet and it should've been a lot drier than that.

Banana Loaf~ Gluten and Milk Free ~ A-Z Challenge

Today I bring you B is for Banana Loaf with Golden Syrup and Chopped Peanuts. I love making banana cakes so shoving my mixture into a loaf tin and adding some last minute toppings of choice is a great way for me to spend an hour or so! This recipe is gluten, wheat and milk free but of course you can easily use ingredients of your choice and experiment with your toppings. Icing sugar, caramel sauce (yeah I can't make it either- disaster!) other nuts you prefer or chocolate would taste great (naturally) here goes...

*Banana Loaf with Syrup & Peanuts.

100g butter

100g sugar (I used brown sugar as that's what I had in but can use any really)

3 eggs

200g Gluten free flour (I use Doves Farm)

2 Bananas Mashed

1/2tsp bicarbonate soda

1tsp vanilla essence

Pinch of salt

Topping

Golden Syrup to drizzle

Handful of salted peanuts finely chopped to sprinkle

How To Bake The Mrs Cupcake Way:

Take all your ingredients and put them into a bowl. Mix really well, use a whisk before adding your banana if you like. Make sure your loaf tin is lined with grease proof paper and pour your mix into the tin.

Bake on 180• for 20-25 minutes (or when your knife comes out clean when inserted into the cake)

Carefully remove your cake whilst warm and now you can drizzle on your syrup or caramel or chocolate or whatever you've chosen as your desired topping.

Add those chopped peanuts and enjoy!

I have a rather slap dash approach to baking so if this isn't for you, may I recommend a Google search, Pinterest or maybe one of my other recipes that are more sensibly written?

Now then, whose for cake?

* If you scroll to the bottom of my blog, you'll find a handy fact sheet with all sorts of information including weights for those who don't use Grams!*

Cupcake Mumma

This Weeks Reasons to be Cheerful

Today I'm feeling a little blue so writing one of these posts is the perfect antidote I believe. I've had an earache on and off all day, it's something that always happens now it's cold but I still can't get used to them! It's also piddling it down which hasn't bothered me until now! Anyway, let's get on with some cheerier things shall we?

1) Fireworks night and Halloween are now all over for another year. This year both celebrations were so good and I have some lovely memories to keep. On Halloween I did my usual tea party for my two and their cousins. My niece stayed over night so we took her Trick or Treating which was good fun. Everyone was so polite and friendly. We had a lot more this year than last, perhaps thanks to Jack?

Firework night isn't something I go all out on. I guess I just don't believe in it and what it stands for. Having said that, I feel it's such a possibility for cosiness and memory making so I'm no scrooge! We had homemade fish and chips with butter drizzled corn on the cob for dinner, watched the neighbourhood fireworks, took some lovely photos, did our own sparklers and made our own version of s'mores (which I am now going to label free from Wagon Wheels! So watch out for that!)

2) I'm seeing my best buddy and 2 of her gorgeous clan next Saturday and I'm super excited..Bet you can't guess who it is? I've dug out Little A's Moses basket which has brought back memories! It's only one night but I'm still so excited.

3) Now half term is over I am pleased to be back into a routine. I get some quality time with Little A, Midge loves being back at school, the hours don't drag so much and I get some me time too- which is ever so important! I get a long hot shower, or to read in peace and do some snail mail. I also love that Little A and I are back to watching our morning trains after dropping Midge off. We love waving to the drivers, watching the birds waddle about looking for dropped bacon sandwiches but mostly I just adore watching how much A likes to see his train and watch it disappear around the bend when everyone is aboard. Isn't it great when your children just really love something!?

Lastly, we have heard back from the SEN department and they're going to observe A in nursery before having a little meeting with us which is such good news. Whilst I don't believe he has any specific behaviour problems or anything, he does need more help with his speech and communicating with him still isn't easy, even though I can see how different he is even from a few months ago. I just want to hear him talk to me like all the other children in nursery talk to their parents about what they want or what happened in their day. I'm happy to wait for it though.

Cupcake Mumma

Free From Find #2: Baked to Taste Pasties!

Living in Cornwall you just got to have a Cornish pasty! Sadly, the good old traditional pasty is out for me but that's where Baked to Taste have come in handy!

Now of course you can make your own pasties and I have the perfect gluten, wheat and dairy free pasty recipe (filled with sun dried tomatoes and vegetables) so do check this out for something to bake and eat straight away or even wrap up and take out!

Back to Baked To Taste and their pasties. There are several flavours of pasty in the range: cheese and onion for those who can eat dairy, curried vegetable and the one I bought: sun dried tomato and spinach. The pasties are sold so far in health food stores in the frozen section. Once bought I popped the pasty in the oven and roughly 30 minutes later I was tucking in to a really rather tasty tea. The pastry isn't hard and crumbly but flakes off with a nice big bite like any other pasty! The only part of the pasty that's a bit of a let down is its crimped edges which seem to cook slightly harder and crispier than the rest of the pasty. I've seen this mentioned elsewhere too so I'm glad it isn't just me!

The pasty is filled to the brim which is so good to see. Nothing like the disappointment of a stingy pasty! The filling is quite peppery and the sun dried tomatoes add to this with their own flavour. I think it's absolutely delicious.

Cost wise they're not cheap (but free from never is) they are £2.18 and I consider them to be classed as a small pasty. The price does put them with your freshly baked pasties so you can't complain!

They are rather nice and filled me up perfectly at lunchtime...I'd probably add a side of chips for dinner though!

Product: Baked To Taste pasties (Sun dried tomato flavour)

Price: £2.18

Dietary info: wheat free, gluten free, lactose free.

Cupcake Mumma

Free From Finds #2 Delicious Jaffa Cakes!

There are some deliciously sweet treats I really missed when I found out my body could no longer tolerate gluten, wheat and dairy. Doughnuts are always the first thing I say to people I miss when they ask me the 'Don't you miss anything?' question. I don't really now, a part from doughnuts!

I used to eat Jaffa cakes at all the children's parties, (then at the adult ones too!) they made great sleepover treats and special treats in general. I can't remember when I first found these Jaffa Cakes by Kelkin, it's definitely been a few years now, but I'm surprised by how many people don't know they exist and are so easily bought from major supermarkets. One thing I will mention is that they may contain traces of milk as they are made in a factory that handles this ingredient. As I'm not allergic, I happily take the risk. This product also contains soya and egg. 

There are 12 Jaffa cakes in 1 box and they are a much smaller size compared to the original Jaffa cakes. The size is a little disappointing at first but perhaps that's just me being greedy! The Jaffa cakes are made exactly the same as the original cakes, with a sponge bottom, a jelly centre (best bit) and covered on the top with dark chocolate. I've always found them to not be as soft as the gluten and dairy cakes but that's the only thing I can complain about! They taste really nice, the chocolate is lovely, not a bitter dark chocolate but a nice sweet, tasting one to match the sponge. You can still 'dissect' the Jaffa cakes without them crumbling and falling a part (a common problem with gluten free foods) which is a bonus, I love nibbling off the chocolate, eating the sponge and saving the jelly until last, delicious!

If you haven't heard of Kelkin Jaffa cakes, check our your local supermarkets Free From section or request stock at customer service. Alternatively, health food shops often have them in store too. It's lovely to have Jaffa cakes back in my food cupboard!

Product: Kelkin Jaffa Cakes

Dietary Information: Free From Wheat and gluten. Containes Soya and Egg. May contain traces of Milk and nuts.

Price: £1.80

Bought From: Local Tesco store also available in Tesco Extra in my local area.

Cupcake Mumma

Free From Finds #1

I've decided to go back to my blogging basics. In order to love and enjoy my blog again I'm going to make sure I blog about what I like no matter what. You win some, you loose some. I'm tired of comparing myself to other blogs so here we go! With that out of the way, I've decided to reguly blog about any Free From foods I come across. Some will be known by pretty much everyone, but sometimes you come across a product or a recipe that others haven't noticed or even realised they could eat (the ingredients are long and confusing sometimes!)

I'm not paid or sent items to review so these products are those I've come across, bought myself, tried and then shared. I'll always state if otherwise.

My first find are these Sea Salted Lentil Chips produced by Cofresh. These are gluten free, dairy free, wheat free and soya free.

Best way for me to describe the smell, taste and texture? Well, think slightly thicker popadoms and I think you'll be there! They are delightfully crunchy and incredibly hard to put down! I found these in a local Health food shop so do pop in and have a look around or see if you can request they get some stock in. If anyone has seen these in a superstore, please let me know!

****

Product: Cofresh Lentil Chips Sea Salt flavour (also available in a dill sauce flavour)

Price: £1.08

Dietary Info: Free From: Gluten/Wheat/Dairy/Soya/Egg

Purchased From: The Natural Store Cornwall

Cupcake Mumma

Super Simple FreeFrom Flapjack!

I love flapjack. It's the one thing I can whip up super quick without too much fuss, mess and everything else. Sure I can make up a batch of cupcakes pretty quick but flapjacks are even quicker and satisfy a sweet craving every time.

The recipe I use is really easy. It's one I've had in a notepad for a long time so I don't actually know where its come from. I remember first baking some flapjacks when I was about 11 with my Mum and I hadn't baked them since finding this recipe and remembering how easy they are! These lovely sweet treats are both Wheat, Gluten and Dairy free. Enjoy!

Gluten Free Soda Bread

I got my recipe for this gluten free soda bread from here, the Doves Farm website which is packed full of useful free from recipes I can't wait to try. I didn't need to substitute anything for this recipe which is why I won't be publishing it on my blog. I did use some gluten free oats I had in the cupboard to roll my dough on before placing in the oven (this added something extra to my loaf) and also this is a white bread, the recipe I have linked to is a brown bread- but that's all!

I found this really easy to make, really quick to make too which is handy. Unfortunately, due to both children deciding to play up at the same time, my loaf was left in the oven a bit too much longer than necessary and was a bit harder than I would've liked! All in all, the method works, the ingredients work and I had a nice supper of a couple of slices smothered in dairy free butter. Yum!

I'm linking this up with Jenny and Helen for our Great Bloggers bake Off. For this recipe, Tesco very kindly sent me some gluten free strong white bread flour. Very handy- thanks Tesco!

Vegetable and Sundried Tomato Pasty

Where I live, the Pasty is something very important. Now I can't remember the last time I actually ate a traditional Cornish pasty because it's been some time thanks to my stomach! I've spent so long trying to get my gluten free pastry right and finally I have found what I am happy with.

I'm going to share my recipe with you (which should make you a couple of pasties) as part of my baking journey with Jenny and Helen but you may like to change a few things to make it work for you. The one ingredient you must not leave out in my experience, is the egg!

First you'll need a selection of vegetables. I chose:

Potatoes, thinly sliced and chopped

Mushrooms, chopped

Onion, finely diced

Salt and pepper to season

Optional: 1 jar of Sun dried tomatoes of which I used about 4 large tomatoes. You could use anything that takes your fancy plus more/different vegetables.

For the pastry:

200g plain gluten free flour

100g stork* margarine

Pinch of salt

1 egg

Cold water (just have this in a jug and add as you need to get your pastry to the right consistency)

Pre heat oven to 200

If you have chopped your ingredients up nice and small you won't need to cook before placing in the pastry. If you prefer, cook your potatoes and slice or mash before popping on your pastry.

• Put the flour and butter into a large bowl.
• Use your hands to mix the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs.
• Add the egg and mix in (using hands or a spoon if you like) then stir in the water and quickly bring the pastry together until it's a sticky dough (This pastry tends to absorb more water than 'normal' pastry so add a few more drops of water if necessary)
• I like to lightly dust some cling film and roll out my pastry using this method to avoid it sticking to my work surface and then breaking
• Once rolled, transfer your pastry to your chosen flat tin. Make a 'guideline' to separate the top half of your pasty from the bottom. You can now add your filling to the bottom half before gently folding the top half over to cover your filling
• Crimp (or 'press down if you're anything like me!) and make 2 small slits/holes in the top of the pastry before brushing with egg yolk. Bake the pasties until they are a lovely golden colour and by inserting a knife gently through the pastry to see if the vegetables are cooked through.

I hope you have some joy with this gluten free pastry. It can take a little patience and a lot of practice but you should see some (and taste some!) good results. *I'd like to thank Stork for providing me with a pack of their very tasty vegetable margarine which seems to have made all the difference to my pastry baking.

Cupcake Mumma

Gluten & Dairy Free Carrot & Raisin Cake

This week I bring you a delicious gluten and dairy free carrot and raisin cake for week 8 of the Great Bloggers Bake Off with Jenny and Helen. It's not a novelty cake but it is a free from cake with a vegetable in!!

I wasn't sure I'd like this cake to be honest but it was SO GOOD! If you'd like to bake this cake then the recipe is below. Enjoy!

Ingredients

175g light muscovado sugar

175ml sunflower oil (I was caught out and used vegetable oil but luckily it was fine!)

3 large eggs

140g grated carrots (about 3 medium)

100g raisins

grated zest of 1 large orange

175g self-raising flour

1tsp bicarbonate of soda

1tsp ground cinnamon

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180C and line your cake tin
• Tip the sugar into a large mixing bowl, pour in the oil and add the eggs. Mix a little then stir in the grated carrots, raisins and orange rind.
• Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices. Stir all the ingredients but dont over mix. It should be runny but all nicely blended together.
• Pour the mix into your tin and bake for 40- 45 minutes, until it feels firm and springy when you press it in the centre.
• After the cake is cooled you can mix together some icing sugar and water to make a thick icing to drizzle over the top and sides.

CupcakeMumma

A Pot Of Gold.

This has nothing to do with me chasing rainbows I'm afraid. Not so. I was recently sent a rather lovely product to review called 'Pot Of Gold Baby Balm.' This baby balm isn't just for babies, but can be used for the whole family. What's so different I hear you ask?

Well, check out the ingredients: organic palm oil, coniferous tree sap extract, raw organic beeswax, vanilla essential oil.

Do you see anything remotely 'nasty' there? I certainly don't and that's just the first reason why I'd buy this product again in the future and why I'd highly recommend it to other parents and their children. 

I first used the Pot Of Gold Baby Balm on my son. He's 21 months so still in nappies and unfortunately lately he's been getting a bit of a sore bottom. I've been one to go to those bigger brands that may work but are full of all sorts of ingredients that really most of us (including me) ignore. I have given the balm a fair while to work, just to make sure it really was going to live up to its name! It really is my little pot of gold and I carry it everywhere with me! My sons bottom has never looked so clear and soft. It's usually always a bit red and takes a while for other baby creams to work. This Baby Balm worked much, MUCH quicker.

Not only is the Pot of Gold Baby Balm made for babies bottoms, but I was also told I could try it on cradle cap, eczema, stretch marks and also on my dry lips. My lips have been super soft in this horrid, chilly weather and my 4 year old, who had a VERY sore ear (which shampoos and creams even prescribed from the GP have not managed to clear up)is happy again because behind her ear is no longer sore or itchy. In fact it has COMPLETELY gone away!

Not the best photo (who wants their ears pulled!?) but the difference
is noticeable

I've used the balm on my stretchmarks when they itch and I have found it to be quite soothing. I imagine it would've been the same feeling my son had once I applied it to his bottom!

Pot of Gold Baby Balm really is an all over natural skin care product. It has a beeswax base which means you don't have to use a lot. It may be a little pricey for most parents at £8.20 for a 50g pot but trust me, it lasts far more longer then other chemical filled baby products and is just fabulous on the skin. You need the smallest amount on your finger tips, and if the temperature is a little cold, simply rub the balm between your fingers to warm it up. You'll soon see what I mean by a little goes a long way!

Pot of Gold is based on a family recipe which is now in its 6th generation and is made in New Zealand.  One of my favourite things about this product? If you're having a rather bad day, opening up a pot to use on your babies bottom and seeing this is going to make you feel even that little bit better!

CupcakeMumma

* I was sent a 50g 'Pot of Gold Baby Balm' for the purpose of this review and as always my words and opinions are all of my own*

Pinaddicts March!

I had to have a very quick change of plan this month for Pinaddicts because I couldn't find the materials I needed in time. You may have seen this posted on my blog already so I shall place a link at the end of my blog so you can have a good look at how to make my March Pin!

I decided, seeming as I was throwing my aunt a surprise roast for her retirement I would make her a cheesecake. A vegan cheesecake. I also made it gluten free so i could indulge! I have to say this went down very, very well! So well my sister is coming to stay on Wednesday and she has requested i make one just for us to pig out on because she wasn't well enough to join in the party.

Here is the original pin I found about a week ago. I already kinda knew how to make this kind of cheesecake but I had never made it properly.

And here is mine! To see the recipe and some more pictures please click here!!

Please join in and show off what you have made for the Pinaddicts challenge in March. The lovely Sew Scrumptious is hosting this months Pinaddicts. You can also link up and don't forget to share your post on Twitter using #Pinaddicts so we can find you!

Cupcake Mumma

Free From Vegan Cheesecake- You Have To Try!

Even if you're not vegan or free from anything that might make your tummy a bit grumpy (or pretty ill in my case) I still recommend you give this really easy cheesecake a go. It's super quick, super tasty and really good for you!