Recently, I had to do a presentation for one of my subjects Special Dietary Requirements. The special dietary needs that some people have are, gluten sensitivity, egg, lactose, celiac disease, peanut or nut allergies and the list goes on. Covering this subject in more depth has opened my eyes further and given me much greater understanding of food production and the impact this may have on certain individuals. One area which I explored and presented on was Veganism which is a lifestyle choice. I prepared a vegan chocolate cake as part of my presentation and I would like to share this recipe with you my followers and friends. Feel free to chat, discuss and have your say about Special Dietary Requirements in our society today.
For my second presentation the dish I had to prepare was a gluten free chicken parmigiana, no egg and low in fat. I made my own breadcrumbs from gluten free bread, instead of an egg wash I used yoghurt, the tomato sauce was made from my home made bottled tomatoes, ham I did have to buy and the cheese I halved the quantity as well as the quantity of oil for pan frying for the low fat part of the dish. The salad greens were all from my garden and the tomato salsa was lightly coated in lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil.
My daughter has been diagnosed with lactose and gluten intolerance. Her immune system is very low and she has been unwell for the majority of this year. She has had to make changes to suit her dietary needs and improve on her whole general health and well being. Not an easy task when you are 22 years old and there are so many things you have to give up as well as change.
I have always loved exploring the world of food and it’s diversity however, this will take me on another journey which will give me the opportunity to broaden my horizons further.
Vegan Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
300 ml Almond milk (soy milk can also be used)
1 tbsp lemon juice
160 g Nuttelex (or non dairy spread)
3 tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp instant coffee
270 g self raising flour
3/4 cup caster sugar
4 tbsp cocoa powder (unsweetened)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Chocolate Frosting
75 g Nuttelex (or non dairy spread)
3/4 cup icing sugar
4 tbsp cocoa powder (unsweetened)
Preheat oven at 180°C for at least 15 minutes. Line a 23 cm spring-form cake tin with baking paper.
- Stir the lemon juice into the almond milk and place aside.
- In a pan over medium heat, melt the Nuttelex, syrup and coffee together and set aside to cool a little.
- Sieve the flour, cocoa, caster sugar and bicarbonate of soda into a large mixing bowl.
- Pour the milk and melted spread mixture over the flour mixture and stir well until it becomes a smooth batter.
- Place the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
- Allow the cakes to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
- To make the chocolate frosting, beat together all ingredients until smooth.
- When the cake is completely cool, spread the frosting over the top and side of the cake. Decorate with a piping bag and some fresh berries.
Cook’s Tips
- When making the chocolate frosting if the mixture is a little dry gradually add 1 tablespoon of water combine and mix thoroughly. The consistency needs to be a little firm if you are planning to decorate the cake using a piping bag.
- If you like your cake a little sweeter, feel free to add a little more caster sugar to the mixture as well as the icing sugar to the frosting (1 cup).
Enjoy!
20 Responses
This looks so delicious, Milanka 🙂
I needed to learn, how to make much food at home, while my kids were small because of several allergies. Today I fight with Soy allergy myself, which makes buying very difficult, because they use soy in almost everything. As an example, the pigs are fed with almost only soy, because they grow so fast of this, which makes it a good business for the farmers. If I eat this meat, I will get problems, even many “experts” say, that the soy is out, when the pig get slaughtered. This is not the truth.
Your daughter will soon adapt to all the new.
Hello dear Irene, you are so right about the feed that is used for animals as well as humans??? Covering this topic has enlightened me even more on the importance of knowing where our food source comes from??? Grass feed as opposed to grain fed, free range chicken as opposed to what they can call and label as free range??? The food industry is very complex as well as how food is marketed and labelled . My motto is keep it fresh, keep it simple, use fresh ingredients, don’t buy processed food, read the labels, know where your food comes from and question everything? Some food for thought…. Keep well Irene and lovely to hear from you.
Thank you Milanka. We can’t always count on the labels either. Much are allowed without being labeled, which can be different for each country. Here we can only buy meat in the supermarket or in a butchery. It is not allowed to buy directly from the farmers, so who knows, which life and food, the animals have had?
All I can say is keep it fresh and make as much as you can yourself. You know exactly what you are eating. 🙂 I totally agree with what you saying. Keep well. 🙂
stunning recipe 🙂
Thank you Soamyaa for stopping by. Milanka 🙂
It was indeed a pleasure to be a part of your blog.
Thank you. Keep well Soamyaa.
I’m so jelous, I’d like a slice of this heavenly cake, it really looks incredible!
Thanks Kreso. 🙂
This cake looks amazing! I’ve studied baking for 3 years (non-vegan baking sadly) but this post has given me great ideas on how to veganise some recipes. Plus the decoration is fab! Although now I am just craving chocolate cake for breakfast
Hello there, glad to hear that this recipe has inspired you. Keep experimenting with natural ingredients and you will be surprised at the results. My task for the presentation was to use a vegan friendly product (Nuttelex) and of course the cake had to be egg free. It worked well! Thank you for stopping by. Milanka 🙂 🙂
No problem, I’m glad it worked so well for you 🙂
Omg it looks so delicious! 😍
Thank you for stopping by and your lovely comment. 🙂 Milanka
oh wow! looks insane!
Thank you for stopping by. 🙂 Milanka
This looks crazy delicious!
Thank you for stopping by. 🙂 Milanka
You’re welcome! 🙂