Pancake perfection

I cannot let Shrove Tuesday pass by without making some scrummy pancakes. I love them and we often have these for a weekend breakfast. Babypuddleduck (aged 6) loves to make it a treat with maple syrup or golden syrup. Me and my boy (2) can just eat them plain! 

As we are following a gluten-free and dairy-free diet at the moment, I've tried to create pancakes that we can also enjoy guilt-free. I prefer a spongy, fluffy pancake to the very thin crepe style, I think it's because they're a bit more filling and satisfying and can be eaten alone.

I've scoured Pinterest and tried a few recipes recently but tonight I followed the Doves Farm recipe for Scotch pancakes (dropped scones).  I replaced the milk with Oatly Oat drink and in my humble opinion these beat the rice milk and soya milk versions hands down.

They rose nicely and cooked well and got the thumbs up from all three of us.

Being the idealistic mother that I am, I tried to make some fun shapes for the kids' pancakes - with limited success.  They got stuck in the moulds (cookie cutters) and I burnt my fingers trying to flip them over! I then tried to do some shapes freehand - a car, a heart - but these were even worse. My boy had fun though trying to decipher what the mis-shapen ones were supposed to be..... a tree of course! 

Needless to say, they didn't last too long and we enjoyed the whole batter mix between the three of us! I ate mine with a nectarine slice rolled up in each round, the boy had yoghurt to dip in and babypuddleduck reverted to her default syrups.

I'd definitely try these with Oat 'milk' again as they had a lovely texture and taste. This poor gingerbread shaped pancake didn't stand a chance with my boy around! 

Gluten and dairy free, one bowl, simple chocolate cupcakes

This weekend we were invited to a family get together. My mum is one of seven siblings so it can be quite a gathering when the whole family turns up. 

This time it was relatively quiet, but with culinary skills running in the genes there was the usual semi-competitive bake off. 

A homemade chicken pie, a beautiful pork pie and two home baked loaves made my humble cupcakes pale into insignificance. But at least my offering was gluten and dairy free. 

When we arrived one of my Aunties proclaimed "I've weighed our breads and Sylvia's is the heaviest!" I mis-heard and thought she said "weighed our breasts"!! Oops! 

The beauty of these gluten and dairy free cupcakes is that you would never know they aren't 'normal'. It's the simplest recipe and if you use Doves Farm Gluten Free flour you don't need to worry about finding gluten free baking powder or Xantham Gum. 

I was really pleased with how these baked. They were soft and spongy and I defy anyone to tell the difference from a traditional chocolate cupcake.

I have to hold my hands up and admit they don't quite live up to The Pink Whisk's chocolate cake recipe in which vinegar is added to milk to cause a chemical reaction that results in a really rich and gooey texture that's just divine. If you're not dairy-free I urge you to try this.

However for a gluten and dairy free treat, these will do just fine!

I had some leftover buttercream from last week's orders so I topped half of them with icing roses so anyone not following gluten and dairy free didn't feel too hard done by.  

The allergen-free ones were topped with icing sugar using a (cheap) heart shaped icing template hence the rough edges and different sizes! 

RECIPE

120g Dove's Farm self raising flour

120g margarine or dairy free spread (check the ingredients, I used Pure Dairy Free Spread) 

120g caster sugar

2 eggs

4 tablespoons cocoa powder (I used Green and Blacks organic, it's just divine) 

1-2 tablespoons of dairy alternative milk e.g. almond milk, oat milk, rice milk or soya milk. 

METHOD

There really is no detail to the method. Put everything apart from the milk substitute in the bowl of a mixer and go. Start slowly and work up to full speed. You'll literally need just a couple of minutes and it's done. If the mixture is on the thick side, add a small amount of milk substitute and remix. 

This will make 12 cupcakes. 

Pop in the oven for 20 minutes - 190 C (170 C for Dan oven) / 375 F / gas mark 5. 

When the timer goes off, pop a cocktail stick in one of the cupcakes and if it comes out clean they're done. Bob's your Uncle and Fanny's your Aunt as they say! Although they're not - despite such a huge family there isn't a Bob or a Fanny! 

Happy Baking!