Tuesday, October 18th, 2011
If you are on the look out for a dairy free chocolate advent calendar and other Christmas chocolate then you should really visit this website if you haven’t already.
This is a brilliant website stocking vegan groceries, toiletries and clothing but the page which really excites me is Chocolate and Sweets!
Not only can you buy a whole range of dairy free chocolate, you will also find vegan jelly sweets, dairy free fudge, vegan marshmallows and loads more.
Thursday, September 8th, 2011
I received a carton of Vanilla Rice Dream to try last week. I have used rice milk before but it’s always nice to receive something for free!
I do find rice milk too thin in consistency for cooking but the Vanilla Rice Dream is refreshing as a drink. I keep a few small cartons of the milkshakes to take on picnics.
My mother in law makes a lovely cup of coffee using half a cup of hot Vanilla Rice Dream and half a cup of hot water.
The Rice Dream website gives lots of information about their products and general advice about allergies and intolerances. It also contains lots of dairy free recipes. http://www.ricedream.co.uk/
Friday, August 5th, 2011
It is becoming a lot easier to find dairy free dark, milk and white chocolate in the shops. Supermarkets will now stock at least one dairy free Easter egg and you can even buy a dairy free milk chocolate advent calendar made by Moo Free Chocolates.
But do they taste nice and can they be used successfully in cakes and for decorating in the same way as usual chocolate?
Some chocolate may be labelled as Vegan but state ‘May contain traces of dairy’ as dairy products may be produced in the same factory or production line. They maybe safe for a person on a dairy free diet to eat but that is for that person to decide. As a caterer you need to be sure that the product you are using is safe for for the customer. For a one off commision you could ask the customer what they usually eat and are happy with or if you plan to make a lot of dairy free cakes, find a brand you are happy with.
Not all dark chocolate is dairy free. Many brands are labelled with ‘May contain dairy’ and some brands add dairy so it is cheaper to produce. So as ever always check the label.
For baking I think it is best to use a chocolate with about 55 – 60% cocoa solids. A chocolate with a high cocoa content can make a cake quite dry or a ganache too firm.
If you only need a small amount, Kinnertons produce a luxury dark chocolate bar which is suitable for dairy free, gluten free, egg free and nut free diets. It contains 55% cocoa solids and can be found in most supermarkets as an 85g bar.
If you need a large amount of dairy free dark chocolate, Plamil produce a range of dairy free chocolate which is also gluten free and nut free and it is available in 1kg bags and 6kg bags from their website www.plamilfoods.co.uk
They produce a chocolate with 60% cocoa solids which is perfect in baking and for making dairy free chocolate ganache. I also recommend their dairy free chocolate chips which is available in 200g tubs from whole food stores or in bulk from http://www.plamilfoods.co.uk/catering
Plamil produce a nice dairy free ‘milk’ chocolate. it can be found as a 100g bar in whole food shops or in bulk from their website.
Organica produce a 100g bar which can also be found in whole food shops. This has a nice flavour but is labelled as vegan and may contain traces of dairy and nuts.
My favourite dairy free milk chocolate is Humdinger dairy free milk chocolate buttons available from most supermarkets. I think this tastes and melts in the mouth the closest to dairy milk chocolate. You can use it to make chocolate cigerellos and moulded chocolates. The only trouble is it is only available in 25 gram bags. This chocolate does contain soya.
Some dairy free white chocolate is quite different to usual white chocolate and doesn’t work in the same way in recipes.
Plamil produce a dairy free white chocolate which can be bought in bulk from their website. It can vary in colour from a creamy colour to light brown.
Organica produce a 100g bar which is available from whole food shops. It is off white in colour with flecks of vanilla in it.
If you want a dairy free white chocolate that tastes similar to dairy white chocolate then the best to use is Humdinger dairy free white chocolate buttons available from most supermarkets. Again it is only available in 25g bags and contains soya. This is the only white chocolate which will work well for dairy free chocolate ganache.
Friday, March 25th, 2011
My two year old and I decided to play in the kitchen today so we made some dairy free chocolates for nanny. These are quick enough to make to hold a toddlers attention!
First we made dairy free white chocolate pennies. We topped half with Hundreds and thousands and half with dairy free plain chocolate chips.
We then made dairy free white chocolate cornflake bites.
100g dairy free white chocolate
Dr Oetker Hundreds and Thousands (these are not gluten free)
Plamil dairy free chocolate chips
Place a piece of baking parchment onto a baking tray.
Break up the white chocolate into a bowl. Melt on a low heat in a microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until melted.
Place teaspoon full amounts onto the baking tray. Using the back of the spoon, shape into flat discs.
Sprinkle Hundreds and thousands over the top of half the discs until completely covered. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the other half.
Leave to set before tipping the tray to let the excess topping roll off.
65g dairy free white chocolate
25g cornflakes (can use gluten free cornflakes)
30g dried cranberries
Place a piece of baking parchment onto a baking tray.
Break up the white chocolate into a bowl. Melt on a low heat in a microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until melted.
Crush the cornflakes into smaller flakes – not too small. Stir into the chocolate, then stir in the dried cranberries.
Use a teaspoon to place small amounts onto the baking tray. Leave to set.
Put the chocolates into little cellophane bags tied with ribbon. We are going to buy a nice tin for our chocolates.
Wednesday, March 16th, 2011
It’s finally here. After months of late nights and a 7lb 14oz baby boy!
Iced Gem Cakes and Bakes – Your guide to making dairy free, egg free, wheat free, gluten free and vegan celebration cakes.
Over 200 pages of all you need to know.
So if you’re a professional cake maker who’s fed up with turning down orders, or if you want to make beautiful creations in your own kitchen, this book will show you that catering for special diets really is a piece of cake!
The book includes:-
Techniques include:-
For a full list of contents, see here
I hope you like it!
Monday, January 31st, 2011
Here is one of the recipes from my new book – coming very soon. It’s a great base for any Dairy & Gluten Free Birthday or Wedding Cake.
Many cake makers are reluctant to make cakes for special diets as they don’t know enough about ingredients or what people can or can’t eat.
In my new book I will be offering advice about diets, cross contamination, wheat and gluten free, dairy free, egg free and vegan cake recipes and tips / techniques for decorating celebration cakes.
Click here for the Gluten and Dairy Free Victoria Sponge Recipe
Sunday, October 17th, 2010
I was asked if I had ever cooked with ‘No egg’ egg replacer, I hadn’t as I prefer to use everyday ingredients in my cooking. I thought I would give it a go.
I went to the Orgran website and was amazed to see a recipe for egg free meringue. I couldn’t quite believe it so I had to give it a try.
I was a little sceptical but as you can see I made a meringue!
The outside is light and fluffy. The inside is quite chewy, it reminded me of those foamy penny sweets.
I topped the meringue with dairy free ice cream and autumn raspberries as this was all I had. The meringue softened with the ice cream and became easier to eat. Brilliant if you can’t eat eggs or choose not to.
I also made the ‘Victorian sponge cake’ using gluten free flour.
This turned out quite edible especially if filled with jam and cream. The sponge has a close texture.
I have to say I prefer my recipe for egg free sponge cake.
Sunday, October 17th, 2010
I am often asked if I have a recipe for vegan / egg and dairy free sponge cake so here it is.
I am currently writing a guide about making and decorating cakes for people with special diets. This will include recipes for vegan cakes, wheat and gluten free cakes and wheat and gluten free vegan cakes. It will hopefully be available from my website early next year.
6 inch round cake
340g self raising flour
225g caster sugar
pinch salt
1 tsp baking powder
100ml sunflower oil
15ml white vinegar
340ml soya milk or 280ml water
few drops of vanilla extract
Line a 6 inch cake tin with baking parchment. Preheat oven to 180°c / gas mark 4.
Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
Measure together the wet ingredients then stir into the dry ingredients. It should be the consistency of a smooth loose batter.
Pour into the cake tin and bake for about 30 minutes until a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool for 15 minutes in the tin before turning out onto a plate then onto a cooling wire so it cools the right way up ( The sponge could break in half if you leave it to cool upside down).
Once cool cut in half and fill with jam and dairy free buttercream. Dust the top with icing sugar.
Using soya milk gives the sponge more flavour but is quite a dense cake. For a lighter sponge use water instead.
Dairy Free Butter cream
125g dairy free margarine ( I prefer Vitalite)
500g icing sugar
few drops vanilla extract
Mix the icing sugar and vanilla into the dairy free margarine. Do not overbeat the mixture as it will split. Stir in a few drops of water until it reaches the required consistency.
You may think this is a lot of icing sugar. If you use double the amount of icing sugar to margarine, the mixture will split. Add a little extra flavouring to this buttercream. (You don’t need as much ‘buttercream’ as usual as it is quite sweet).
Looking for more vegan recipes? Why not try making Vegan chocolates / dairy free Easter eggs
Saturday, July 24th, 2010
I have been making celebration cakes for people on special diets for as long as I have been making cakes and have spent a lot of time making sure the ingredients are safe to use for individual diets. I constantly check to see if the ingredients have changed or new products come on the market.
As a cake decorator are you are being asked more frequently if you can make cakes for special diets?
Do you get confused with ingredient lists?
I have put together a list of the common icings and sugarcraft ingredients used in the UK and allergy advice on each.
There are hidden ingredients that you may not think about. The main ingredient that causes confusion is Glucose syrup. This ingredient is found in most sugarcraft products.
Glucose can be made from any kind of starch and is used in sugary foods to soften texture and prevent crystallisation of sugars.
Most of the world seems to make glucose syrup from corn and call it corn syrup rather than glucose syrup. In Europe glucose syrup is made with corn and wheat..
If you buy your ingredients from a catering wholesaler there is a good chance the glucose in the product will be made from wheat, – this includes glace cherries and mixed peel.
To be sure what is in a product ask your supplier for the food specifications. This is a printed sheet which gives a description of a product, packaging info, shelf life, origin, ingredients and their derivatives and any allergy information.
Food labelling rules allow products containing wheat glucose to be sold as ‘gluten free’. The theory is that it should be safe for coeliacs and people with wheat allergies because it is so refined. However, speak to people with intolerances and allergies and you will find plenty of evidence that this is clearly not the case.
Always ask the customer if they know if wheat glucose affects them. To be on the safe side, I always use ingredients I know are 100 per cent wheat free.
Fortunately, new EU legislation will eventually make things simpler by forcing producers to specify if a product contains wheat glucose. This will take a while to come into practice as manufacturers are permitted to use up their old packaging before redesigning labels – so for the time being at least, err on the side of caution and choose products which are definitely wheat free.
Take a look at the list below for a one-stop guide to popular sugarcraft products and their allergens. If you want to add any brands I’ve missed, please do get in touch.
Updated 2nd September 2011
Key:
v = vegan / free from all animal products including egg, dairy products, gelatine and honey.
df = dairy / lactose free
nf = nut free
gf = gluten free
wf = wheat free
ef = egg free
Most supermarkets stock silver spoon or Dr Oetker’s ready to roll icing so they are easy to find.
Most supermarkets stock silver spoon or Dr Oetker’s marzipan so they are easy to find.
Supermarkets now stock writing icing which does not contain any allergens so handy if you just want to pipe a simple message or decoration or you can use watered down sugarpaste which pipes from a piping tube really well.
Friday, April 23rd, 2010
Many of those experiencing the uncomfortable symptoms of lactose intolerance still don’t know the cause of their upset, so the team at Lactofree created The Dairy Dilemma, a short animated film to show them how to take control and mend their broken relationship with dairy.
The film, illustrated by young designer Niki Pilkington, follows a young woman who is determined to discover the source of her discomfort in order to live her life to the full.
My name is Gemma Mcfarlane. I have been cooking meals for people with special diets since leaving catering college. I became determined to offer the same choices to everyone so began researching and experimenting with different ingredients.
Many people think they have to give up their favourite foods when they discover they have a food intolerance or allergy. They are put off by bland, processed special diet cakes in supermarkets and long for good, homemade food but don't realise they can make anything better themselves.
By putting my recipes online I hope to introduce you to the joys of gluten and dairy free baking.
If you would like to make a comment visit me on Facebook.
Many cake makers are reluctant to make cakes for special diets as they don't know enough about ingredients or what people can or can't eat.
In this book I will be offering advice about diets, cross contamination, wheat and gluten free, dairy free, egg free and vegan cake recipes and tips / techniques for decorating celebration cakes.
Find out more
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