GBBO15 Week1 - Frosted Walnut Layer Cake

Having only posted about 2 recipes this year, I really wasn't going to do the milk, egg, wheat and soya free (MEWS free) versions of the technical challenges from The Great British Bake Off this year… Unfortunately, my 8 year old is hooked, remembered I did it the last couple of years and as soon as they showed yesterday's cake started talking about it and discussing what we could use instead!

So today, with 2 children in tow, we went shopping for ingredients (stopped at the Games shop to buy Pokémon cards and Lego Mixels) and came home to bake (and play and build…).

Week 1 - For Mary Berry's version, clic here: Frosted Walnut Layer Cake  

This week's main challenge for the MEWS free baker is an alternative to the 'boiled icing' (as it's attractively described in the original recipe!). Lucy's Friendly Foods has a great Italian Meringue recipe. Sadly, for us, it's made with another of Mini Monster's allergens, chickpeas… I opted for a marshmallowy coating instead.

Walnut Sponge (adapted from the basic cake recipe in our Milk, Egg, Wheat and Soya free diet sheet)

90g Dairy and Soya Free Spread

100g Golden Syrup

100g Caster Sugar

1tsp Vanilla Paste (or extract)

320mls Milk Substitute

1tsp Vinegar or Lemon Juice

350g Gluten Free Plain Flour (I used Dove's Farm White Bread Flour, you may need to adjust the liquid for different flour blends)

2tsp baking Powder

1/2tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

100g Walnut Pieces (I caramelised mine with 30g sugar, but this is optional)

Melt spread, sugar and syrup in a pan or microwave.

Stir in vanilla, milk substitute and vinegar.

In another bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.

Mix in the contents of the other bowl (don't over mix or cake will be tough).

Stir in the nuts. 

Divide mixture evenly between three cake tins (18cm, greased and lined).

Bake at 180ºC for 20-25mins.

Turn out of tins to cool.

Buttercream

50g Hard Vegetable Margarine (Stork, Trex etc)

100g Icing Sugar

1tbsp Milk Substitute

1tsp Vanilla Paste (or extract)

1tsp Corn Flour

Whisk everything together until light and fluffy.

Spread on first two layers of cake.

Marshmallow Frosting

110g Caster Sugar 

40g Golden Syrup

1 1/2 Leaves Gelatine

30mls Water

1/2tsp Vanilla Paste (or extract)

5mls Lemon Juice 

For method, follow instructions for marshmallows, the reduced amount of gelatine makes it softer and easier to spread

Caramelised Walnuts (for decoration)

100g Caster Sugar

10 Walnut Halves

For assembly and how to caramelise the nuts, follow the original recipe above.

Mini Courgette Cakes

Feeling guilty about the lack of recipes posted this year. Particularly when new patients come to see me and tell me they already use the site... I'm not entirely happy with this one yet, but as there have been a couple of requests for the recipe after posting the picture on Twitter, thought I'd make a start with this one.

Very light cakes, hidden veg always a bonus, but slightly sticky inside. I think it was the flour mix I used as I find pancakes go sticky with this brand too, so I'll try a different blend next time before changing quantities of ingredients.

With courgette season at its height, I thought I'd try a courgette and lime cake, to see if this might be a way to get the children to willingly eat a courgette… I Googled a couple of courgette cake recipes, but found the usual problem, the gluten free ones all had lots of eggs… Next step, try a vegan one… I found this one on the Ethical Chef website that looked easy to adapt to make it wheat free too. 

Generally, when adapting a recipe to make it gluten free, you need either a little less flour, or a little more liquid. I thought the lime juice would be enough, but the mixture was still a little thick, so I added some milk substitute too. Also, couldn't bring myself to add the vast amount of sugar in the original recipe…

1 Medium Courgette (finely grated)

1 Unwaxed Lime (Juice and Zest) 

1 Mashed Banana

1 Ball Frozen Chopped Spinach (defrosted)

1 tsp Vanilla Paste (or extract)

120g Dairy and Soya Free Spread

180g Wheat Free Self Raising Flour

60g Caster Sugar

2tbsp Milk Substitute

Whisk or beat the margarine and sugar together.

Mix in all the other ingredients.

Place spoonfuls onto greased muffin tins (or bun tin).

Bake at 180ºC for 25-30mins.

Turn out of tin to cool.

Drizzle with a little icing if you want… I made mine with icing sugar and lime juice.

We waited until he'd had his second one before telling him it was courgette and spinach...

Chocolate Fudge Cake

I know I've been neglecting the site recently, so I thought I'd start with a quick adaptation to save me writing out the recipe in full. This vegan chocolate fudge cake recipe from Sainsbury's Magazine was posted on Twitter yesterday. It's already milk, egg and soya free so with only one more thing  (wheat) to change, I thought I'd give it a go.

I know from experience, that unlike biscuit recipes you can't just do a straight swap for wheat free flour in cake. rather than just upping the fluid, I decided to reduce the quantity of flour as well. I still can't just follow a recipe, so I reduced the sugar too…

As it was an experiment, and I've recently had a bad experience with a blondie recipe, I just made half quantity. This was enough to fill an 18cm cake tin, which I cut in half before filling and icing.

I didn't have any avocado either (well, I did, but it's been lurking in the back of the fridge for so long, it really wasn't usable!) so haven't tried the icing. Mine was made with an apple and apricot fruit pot and the cake filled with apricot fruit spread. 

Amended ingredients:

1 small banana, or half a large one (mashed well) - mine was 47g

4 1/2 tbsp (75mls) Milk Substitute

2 1/2 tbsp (45mls) Vegetable Oil

120g Sugar (I still found this a bit sweet, despite using less than the original, would probably try with 100g next time)

1 tsp Vanilla Paste (or extract)

1 tsp Vinegar (I increased this as acid helps the rise in gluten  and egg free cakes)

25g Cocoa Powder (mixed with 75mls water)

175g Wheat Free Self Raising Flour

1/2 tbsp Baking Powder

35mls Maple Syrup

For method, please follow link

As it is a wetter mix, please adjust the cooking time by about 5 mins, or until it feels firm in the middle.

Jam Tarts

Who doesn't like a jam tart? The problem with the free from ones is they either contain egg, or the few that are really milk, egg, wheat and soya free, contain nuts, making them instantly not suitable for packed lunch (school nut ban).

Key Stage 1 party tomorrow afternoon, with the usual helpful 24hours notice about what food I need to provide! Fortunately, this year, they helpfully suggested that rather than me providing food for 8 children (sausages/carrot sticks etc), I have only been asked to provide a plate of food for Mini Monster. Now I just need to figure out what the others will have and make sure he gets an equivalent…

Obviously, I've started with pudding...

Makes 12 tarts

200g Gluten/Wheat Free Plain Flour 

70g Hard vegetable fat (Stork(the hard one not the spreadable, which contains milk)/cookeen/trex)

5-6tbsp Dairy and soya free cream/milk substitute
Extra Fruit Jam, or Clearspring fruit spread for no added sugar ones

Put flour in bowl and rub in fat until resembles breadcrumbs.

Slowly mix in the milk substitute, using a blunt knife, until the mix begins to come together.

Kneed well.

Roll out thinly between 2 sheets of cling film (means you don't need to add extra flour and risk it drying out).

Cut rounds and place in a greased tart tin.

Fill with 1tspn fruit spread/jam.

Bake at 200ºC for 15-20mins.

'Bacon Rolls' - Tomato and ham stuffed bread

These stuffed breads are based on the Italian Stromboli I remember from my childhood. Despite not being remotely like a bacon roll, Mini Monsters name for these has always stuck in this house.

These freeze very well and are perfect in a packed lunch box (I just take mine out of freezer the night before and leave packed lunch in the fridge overnight). 

250g Orgran Easy Bake Bread Mix
220mls cold water or milk substitute (less if using the spinach)
30mls Olive (or other) Oil
2 Balls of Frozen Chopped Spinach (defrosted) - optional
Extra Flour for kneading (I use Doves Farm 
Ham
Tomato Sauce
Basil Paste/Frozen Chopped Basil

Weigh bread mix into a bowl.

Put defrosted spinach into a measuring jug, add milk substitute or water to make up to 220mls, add oil. Mix.

Add to the flour mix.

Mix with a blunt knife unto the mixture comes together.

Kneed lightly with a little more flour if too sticky.

Divide dough into two and press out on a floured surface, using your hand, to form two rectangles.

Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce down the middle of each.

Top with basil and ham, before folding in the sides.

Carefully move to a greased tray and bake for 20mins at 200ºC.

Cut each into 3 pieces, cool and freeze until needed.

Easy Oat Biscuits

This week's packed lunch biscuits prove you don't need any fancy equipment in your kitchen…

60g Dairy and Soya Free Spread

30g (1/4 cup) Caster Sugar

30mls Milk Substitute)

1 tbsp Honey (or syrup)

1 tsp Vanilla Paste (or extract) - optional

50g (1/2 cup) Oats

150g (1 cup) Wheat free flour (I used gluten free white bread flour) or plain flour

1/4 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

(mine had dried strawberry pieces too)

Mix dairy free spread, sugar and vanilla with the back of a spoon.

Slowly mix in the honey and milk substitute.

Add all other ingredients and mix well.

Roll teaspoons of mixture into balls and place on tray, flatten slightly.

Bake at 180ºC for 15 minutes until golden brown.

Cool on wire rack.

Custard

I've neglected the blog for a while, but with a new year comes a new start, I need to get into the habit again. This year I'm starting with some basics, for those who didn't cook before having a child with allergies made it a necessity.

2tbsp (heaped) Custard Powder (or corn flour, or a mixture as I used here)

Sugar to taste (I didn't use any when boys were small, now only about 1tbsp)

350mls Milk Substitute (different substitutes require more or less cornflour/custard powder to thicken, if yours is the wrong consistency, just add more or less next time)

1-200mls Dairy and Soya Free Cream (e.g. rice/oat/almond)

Put custard powder and sugar (if using) in a bowl.

Mix with a little of the milk substitute to form a paste.

Add the rest of the milk substitute and stir well.

Microwave for 2 mins (should just be beginning to thicken and change colour on the edge) and stir well again.

Microwave for another 2-3 mins until thick and bubbling (make sure your bowl is big enough so it doesn't boil over).

Beat well, then mix in the dairy free cream.

If you'r leaving it to cool, mix again a few times to stop a skin forming.