FAQ's: Where can I find a dairy free (free from) birthday cake?

Okay, so hands up - when it comes to birthdays, not all of us are born a Mary Berry, so who loves the idea of a ready made birthday cake??

Add your candles... and hey presto - you're all good to go!

Well, maybe not everyone, but I find I do a bit of both - I need one for the party and one for home and oh yes, another for school! No wonder I get very little blogging done when birthday season comes 'round! 

Sometimes I go all out like this:

This cake *may* just have caused me a few nightmares!

But sometimes, my fave Marry Berry Swiss Roll recipe (see here) just has to suffice - very quick, very easy and can be dressed a number of different ways! 

My absolute fave cake recipe!

Birthdays being the normal manic thing that they are, for at least one of these I love to cheat - to take the pressure off. Fortunately, as my kiddo is only dairy free it's a bit easier than I thought to find a dairy free cake... and from the supermarket too!

Asda, Tesco, Morrsion's and Sainsbury's all sell a fairly big range of celebration cakes and the good news is that quite a number of them are dairy free. Even Waitrose is now getting in on the act! 

Well, I say 'dairy free' - they are by no means marketed as 'Free From', but no milk or dairy products are listed in the ingredients of those that we've tried, and no 'may contains' either. And, maybe we've been lucky, but Kiddo has been quite sensitive to traces of milk and no unpleasant reactions have followed.

We've been 'lucky' so far - in that our Kiddo has been able to get the cake of her choice for each of her birthdays! She has already had this Lightening Mc Queen (Disney Cars) which we bought from Asda:

This is the bigger one!

Available for £10.00. For ingredients see here.

This Disney Frozen cake (bought from Tesco, but also at Sainsbury's):

Not quite as big when it's out of the box!

Which costs £10. Ingredients list here.

And also this Despicable Me Minion cake:

Not that big when out of the box either!

Serves 20 - just! But cost just £10.00. Ingredients here.

However, I've not been able to eat a single one of these cakes, as none of them are gluten free. Unless it's soya lecithin, I'm also soya free - which causes The Hub a fair bit of trouble when it comes to my birthday! 

This year, as so much was going on, there was NO cake for my birthday - cue sad face (that said we were about to go on holiday and The Hub was stressed to the eyeballs with stuff going on at work)! 

And THIS despite the fact that it's now become relatively easy to find a Free From cake - in fact all the major players now sell something gluten free (apart from Waitrose, of course) although Tesco's... well they now sell a nice looking little selection in their Free From department, but none of these are dairy free - cue another sad face! 

As of yet, despite the big Free From battle that is going on between the supermarkets, none of the cakes in any of the supermarkets are egg free. I am somewhat bewildered why it has not yet occurred to them that this section of the market remains untapped - especially as it would also appeal to Vegans. So if you are egg free, I'm afraid you will either need to contact a free from or Vegan baker like Hannah Banana (her cakes DO look amazing), or make your own, in which case, check out Lucy's Friendly Foods - she has some amazing dairy, egg and soya free recipes, including meringues!! 

However, on the plus side, Sainsbury's selection is definitely nut free too!

So lets have a little look at some of the options we've tried!

Asda

This cute little Madeira cake, priced £8.00, is just that - 'little' (678g). However it was enough just for us. Kiddo and I enjoyed it. The Hub not so much. It's free from all of the top allergens as far as I can see from the ingredients list, except for egg. However it is only described as 'Gluten Free' and 'Dairy free'. You can also get it in chocolate. However, the chocolate version (ingredients here) is made with soya beans, so is a 'no-go' for me.

Quite dinky!

Asda also make some lovely looking party cup cakes (£3.50 for 9), but sadly these are not dairy free (see here).

Morrisons

Morrisons have a nice looking Madeira Cake, which costs £8.00. It is free from the top fourteen allergens except egg, although it may also contain soya.

They also have a Vanilla tray bake, which is free of all the top fourteen allergens, except egg, although it may contain soya. It costs £3.60 and says it can serve 9 people.

There is also a chocolate traybake, which is made with egg and soya protein but is otherwise fourteen allergen free. As before, costing £3.60, it says it can serve 9 people.

But, by far and away the winners in the ready made birthday cake stakes, are, for me at the moment are...

(cue drum roll)


Sainsbury's!!

Purely because although not all are suitable for us, they now have a range of FOUR cakes that are ALL dairy, gluten, and nut free! 

We only have tried out the Madeira one (which was as pictured at the top of this post, but the design has now changed), because it is also soya free. It's priced £8.00 for 663g of cakiness, and would appeal to the more girly types among us - Kiddo loved it for sure - both the look and the flavour! 

The only one of the top allergens listed is again... you've guessed it, I'm sure... egg! 

This one, priced at £9.00, is perhaps more suitable for little ones (755g). It is also a madeira cake and really quite attractively decorated.

There is quite a nice size more adult-looking chocolate cake (743g), but it is made with soya protein, as well as the dreaded-for-some egg. It is priced at £8.00.

There is also a tray bake (726g) priced £7.00, which is a nice idea, for sharing -maybe with a class or toddler group, but which sadly contains the dreaded soya again (boo hiss). So I'm afraid those too are off my list!!

Sainsbury's, like Asda, now have some Free From cupcakes (6 for £3.50). They are plain and ready to decorate, but are not dairy free (sigh).



Tesco

Most of Tesco's ready made Free From cakes are only wheat/gluten free, but they recently produced this vanilla tray bake priced £4.00, it says it serves eight people. There is also this 'Carl the Caterpillar' cake priced £6.00.

One to appeal to the children!

So there you have it! 

Hope you've not been left too hungry after looking at all those cake pics and that this post has given you the information you need. 

Let us ALL eat cake!!!

Related posts: 

Dairy free frozen birthday party

The dairy free baby's party survival plan

Please note: 

This post is not an advert. I have not been paid to write this post. I am not sponsored in any way, even by advertising. I do not receive products free to review, although I have often been offered them. This is to try and maintain an unbiased approach. All views expressed are my own (unless I've asked for The Hub's or Kiddo's).

All I'm saying is... NEVER again!!

Have yourself a Gluten and Dairy Free Christmas

The other week, I saw that Ilumi were selling special Christmas hampers, and it brought back to mind one that I received the year that 'Baby' was born. It was from my sister-in-law and was full of special things that I would have loved to have eaten - except for the fact that 'Baby' was born not long before Christmas, by which time I was dairy free and breastfeeding - so I couldn't even drink the wine!

That year I did not feel up to Christmas anyway, so I shoved the hamper full of goodies (that I would have loved to have sampled) into a corner of a room, thinking that I would maybe be able to consume it all once 'Baby' was 'better'. And there it stayed - almost completely forgotten, until our recent move, when I rediscovered it.

By the time it was rediscovered, all the products were completely out of date (after all 'Baby' isn't really a 'Baby' anymore) and useless. I felt a pang of guilt over the wasted gift and another of sadness - that 'Baby' isn't 'better' yet, at all! So much for the, 'most babies grow out of it by the age of two,' which is what we were originally told!

SO I've turned my thoughts to more positive ones, thinking about the products that we can eat and do enjoy, whether gluten or dairy free. 

If we were to have a hamper this year, here are some of the things that I would hope to see in it:

This one's for 'Baby'!

O'Chocco's by Lovemore are chocolate biscuits like Oreos, but gluten and dairy free. Those have been mentioned before, too, see here. I give these to 'Baby' as Oreos are meant to be dairy free but 'may contain,' and cause 'Baby' some interesting nappies, whereas these don't.

Zero Zebra chocolate animal shapes, I've mentioned before, here. 'Baby' just loves these and so do I!

Then there's a Gruffalo toast and jam set. 'Baby' quite enjoys toast and jam. I'm hoping that these jams won't have what 'baby' calls 'pipsies' in them (pips to you and I) 'cos otherwise she won't eat them!

Udi's Toaster Pastries are also gluten free. I give 'Baby' these rather than the Kellogg's strawberry version (which are dairy free), as she prefers the taste of these. But these are only for a treat as they are quite expensive. See here.

Hotel Chocolat's Dark Chocolate penguins are also a favourite of ours - mentioned before in various posts, including this one.

A Tesco Free From chocolate steamed pudding takes central place in the basket. I found this the other week and thought that 'Baby' might enjoy eating this, rather than the traditional Christmas pudding, which I KNOW she will not eat, because it contains dried fruit. Chocolate, however, well now you're talking!

Moo Free's dairy free, gluten free Chocolate Santas can probably go without explanation, as most of you are probably familiar with them. If not, this post can explain more.

The last item in 'Baby's' hamper is a tin of biscuits, with her favourite Disney character emblazoned all across the tin! There were also Disney Princesses and Mickey Mouse tins. I found these in our local Poundland, around the time of her birthday (they seem to have sold out in ours now). They don't seem to contain milk and I thought they might come in handy for that moment at Christmas when everyone hands around the tin of biscuits in front of 'Baby' - completely forgetting that she can't have them and might become a little upset at missing out!!

One last treat that 'Baby' might like in her hamper is these chocolate logs by Sainsbury's:

Yule log substitutes?

I find them a little dry and grainy in texture, but still quite acceptable. 'Baby,' on the other hand, loves them and so do others, judging by the empty shelf in Sainsbury's yesterday! The graininess may come from the lentil flour, I think, but at least that's good roughage!!  

Well that's 'Baby's' hamper out the way. What about mine? Being gluten and dairy free, there are things that 'baby' can have that I can't, so here's what I'd like in mine:

A little more grown-up... maybe!

Well, there's some Udi's granola (it's included in that post about the Udi's Toaster Pastries). I really, really like this granola, but its quite pricey, so it would be a real treat to have some for Christmas.

Then, Well, surprise, surprise those O'Choccos make another appearance! As does the Moo Free Chocolate Santa!

Mince pies are a MUST for me at Christmas. I've tried making my own once and they didn't work. These by Hale and Hearty appeared in The Independent's top ten the other day and I must say, I do like them - they taste more home made and less shop-bought. Last year Waitrose sold them, but they're not in mine this year. You can get them from Ocado and good health food shops like Planet Organic, in London. I've heard that the Foodamentalists bakery do a good frangipane mince pie, but I've yet to try one. 

Gingerbread is also a traditional favourite, with me. I've tried three this year. The Sainsbury's one (pictured) has a nice taste and texture, but is no good for anyone who can't have oats. The Lazy Days one (Holland and Barrrett) has the nicest flavour but is hard and (as I found to my cost, when I didn't check properly) is made with soya flour. Lovemore's don't quite match the other two, but don't contain any nasties! We got ours from Ocado.

Then there's some Booja Booja truffles. All the Booja Booja truffles are gluten free and dairy free but I can't have all of them, as some contain cashews, which I can't eat. If you haven't tried these before, I can't tell you how nice they are. I usually buy them from a good health food shop or a decent branch of Holland and Barrett - some branches definitely have a better choice than others! 

Nestled somewhere in the middle there, is a tiny bottle of Fruitbroo - a recent discovery. You add some to hot water to make an instant fruit drink. I love the Apple and Ginger, as it reminds me of mulled fruit punch - a great taste for the festive season. This was found in the tea and coffee aisle in Sainsbury's.

Next to the Fruitbroo is Choc Shot by Sweet Freedom. Choc Shot is a new product on me. Liquid chocolate it says. I found it in with the hot chocolate in Sainsbury's and it's also sold by Waitrose. It seems quite versatile, as it can be used in baking and on desserts as well as in hot chocolate. Bit pricey though - I bought mine on offer!

Right at the front of my hamper sits a small Christmas cake by Baked to Taste. This was a discovery at the Wessex Coeliac Fayre in Winchester, not too long ago. I've made my own Christmas cake this year, but that little one is too good to miss! You can get these from Deli Divine, or Love Free From who has just started selling these, alongside another lovely little Christmas cake by Lazy Days, which is great for the nut free.

Not pictured in the hamper and new in Sainsbury's, but quite possibly worth including is a gluten and dairy free Panettone loaf. I have no idea what the real deal tastes like, but I know that you see it around a lot at Christmas. Out of curiosity, I bought this one. I have no idea if it tastes anything like it should, but I like it!

New addition!

Now often in hampers you find cheese and biscuits. Should my hamper come chilled, I wouldn't choose any dairy and gluten free cheese, because there isn't one that truly hits the spot for me, so I've chosen a few things from the chiller, to fill the gap!

First off a Baked to Taste pie. I've tried a few, which you can read about here. They're not all dairy and soya free but they are gluten free. I couldn't possibly choose which one should go in my hamper, but seeing as they're priced so reasonably, maybe I'd have to have them all! 

Then there's Hotch Potch scotch eggs. A new find, from the Wessex Coeliac Fayre, again, they can be bought online directly from Hotch Potch, or through Deli Divine.

This one is made with chorizo - simply delicious!

Finally, for dessert, something by Glamour Puds! I love this passion fruit chiffon pud - it's so light and zingy. The lemon one is great too! These are again stocked by Deli Divine and can also be found at the Whole Foods Market. 

Or perhaps something by Pudology! They are available at Ocado and some branches of Waitrose and Sainsbury's, but sadly not mine! Their chocolate pud is still a favourite of mine, so It's a good job we can get Ocado. Which reminds me - there's still one in the fridge :) Before I go off and eat it, though, I have a question for you:

These are the choices for our hampers, but maybe I've missed something. What would you put in yours?

Oh-oh-oh! Dairy free, gluten free Oreos!!

Well, believe it or not, although I'm a huge fan of that drug called chocolate, I've never been a huge fan of Oreos. In fact, I think I tried one not long before I had Baby and I was completely underwhelmed - they tasted so... well... artificial - really not my cup of tea, at all. Which was why, when I first heard that the UK version of Oreos no longer had milk in the ingredients, I was like, 'Yadda, yadda, yadda! Who really cares about that? I still can't eat them, because they're not gluten free, and 'Baby' can't eat them, because they may contain milk, BUT I'll pass the information on anyway.' 

End of... or so I thought...

However that was before The Hub found these:

They look like the real deal, don't they?

Not strictly Oreos, of course, actually they're O'chocos, and you know what? Whether they resemble Oreos or not, I don't care because I love them! They're so much nicer, in my humble opinion. And they're obviously a hit with other people too, because at the weekend Ocado sold out (well they were on offer too). 

Here's what to look out for

They're made by Free From food manufacturers, Lovemore (who will be at the The Allergy and Free From Show in London in June), and are marketed as gluten free, but just so happen to be dairy free, as well. You can buy them online here.

Lovemore also make these Bourbons:

Here's the Bourbons

I crunched into one, but had to stop with one, because I started to read the label and discovered they contained soya flour*. Pants! Now I'm okay with soya lecithin, which is used to make the Oreos, but not so, with soya milk or soya flour.

I have to admit, I was quite disappointed, as the Bourbons were yummy too. C 'est la vie, I guess - all par for the course with multiple food intolerance!

Now, for those of you who need to know, here's what's in them:

O'Choco ingredients:

Rice flour, sugar, vegetable fats, corn starch, cocoa powder, potato starch, corn flour, dextrose, glucose syrup, refined sunflower oil, rice starch, raising agent: sodium hydrocarbonate, thickener: Xanthan gum, flavourings, emulsifier: soy lecithin, table salt.

Allergy Information:

Free from: Gluten, Wheat and milk.

Contains: soya.

Suitable for coeliacs and dairy sufferers.

Bourbon ingredients:

Rice flour, potato starch, sugar, vegetable fat, maize starch, cocoa powder, glucose syrup, soya flour, unrefined brown cane sugar, refined sunflower oil, thickener: xanthan gum, salt, emulsifier: soya lecithin, natural vanilla flavouring.

Allergy information:

Free from: gluten, wheat and milk.

Contains: soya.

Suitable for coeliac and dairy allergy sufferers.

*Why gluten free food manufacturers insist on using such a common allergen as soya, I'll never know. DS Specials are another offender in this respect, with their bread and gluten free digestives, which are really quite yummy and almost wheat-like! The digestives are also handy to take out as they come in little packs of five - just right for slipping in your bag or pocket. Baby loves these too, not that she's gluten free of course!