Category: Dairy Free

Gluten Free S’mores Cake Recipe (Vegan)

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I am often asked by friends to make birthday cakes suitable for vegans, and this chocolate sponge recipe is the one I go to nearly every time because it never fails to please. Those who aren’t vegan can never believe that this cake doesn’t contain eggs, and vegans are always pleasantly surprised that it has the texture of “normal” cake – never mind that it’s also gluten free!

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After coming across vegan marshmallows at my local supermarket, I really wanted to come up with a fun way to use them in a bake – so I decided to combine them with my favourite vegan sponge recipe and make a Vegan S’mores Cake.

Freedom Mallows are really similar to “real” marshmallows in both taste and texture. When I toasted them they lost their shape a little, but they are so close to the real thing I hardly think that matters. I found them in Sainsbury’s, but they can also be found in Holland and Barratt or online.

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If you’re looking for a cake that is suitable for a party with guests who have multiple allergies, intolerances or requirements then this is the recipe for you – no need to prepare more than dessert with this easy crowd pleaser.

Gluten Free and Vegan S’mores Cake

Ingredients

For the sponge:

300g gluten free self-raising flour 

50g cocoa powder

200g caster sugar  

2 tsp baking powder

375ml sweetened soya milk 

150ml sunflower oil

For the frosting:

75g cocoa powder

75g golden syrup

50g dairy free butter

To decorate:

150g vegan marshmallows (I used Freedom Mallows)

Method

1) Preheat the oven to 180 C/160 C fan/gas mark 4.

2) Grease and line three 7 inch sandwich tins with greaseproof paper.

3) In a large bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, gluten free flour, caster sugar and baking powder until combined.

4) Whisk together the oil and soya milk in a separate bowl, then add this to the dry ingredients. Whisk until the ingredients are just combined and quickly pour the batter into the prepared tins.

5) Tap the tins gentle on the work surface to get rid of any air bubbles and bake for 15 minutes or until the cake is firm to touch and cooked right through.

6) Leave the cakes to cool slightly in their tins, before turning them out onto a wire rack to cool.

7) To make the frosting, melt together the butter and golden syrup in a small pan over a medium heat. Sift in the cocoa powder and stir until combined. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool – the mixture will become less runny and spreadable as it cools down.

8) To Assemble the cake, place one of the sponges on a serving plate then spread a third of the frosting over the top. Repeat with the remaining sponges until you have all three sponges stacked on top of each other – there should be a layer on frosting on top.

9) Spread the marshmallows out across baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. Grill the marshmallows for 30 – 60 seconds or until golden brown – keep an eye on them so they don’t burn.

10) Leave the marshmallows to cool slightly, then pile them on top of the cake.

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I love seeing your take on my recipes, so remember to share a snap of your S’mores cakes over on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #titchytonbakes.

Gluten Free & Dairy Free Jammy Dodger Recipe

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Today I’m going to share with you my Gluten Free & Dairy Free Jammy Dodger Recipe – this recipe is also free from eggs and so is suitable for vegans.

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I found gluten free biscuits a little tricky at first, but I’ve discovered over the course of many biscuit based experiments that success comes down to two things:

1. What type of flour(s) you use.

2. How you bind your ingredients.

I’ve found that good gluten free biscuits require a mix of different flours. I usually start with gluten free self raising flour as my base, then add other types of flour depending what kind of texture I want the finished bake to have. For biscuits, I wouldn’t recommend using self raising flour alone, as the biscuits will rise too much and be more cake like. Gluten free self raising flour is a useful base though, as it usually has added raising and binding agents, like Xanthan gum which helps to bind the ingredients together. To the self raising flour I like to add cornflour, which also helps bind the ingredients together, and ground almonds to add some bulk  – although I don’t like to add too much, as this could cause the biscuits to crumble.

In most of my cookie recipes I usually add an egg yolk to help bind the ingredients together – without an egg, I usually find that the dough is too crumbly and too difficult to handle. This time I decided to experiment with golden syrup, which in my opinion did the job just as well as an egg yolk – great news for vegans!

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Jammy Dodgers – Gluten Free/Dairy Free/Egg Free/Vegan

Makes approximately 18 cookies

Ingredients

For the biscuits:

250g gluten free self raising flour

60g cornflour

40g ground almonds

100g caster sugar

150g dairy free spread

2 tbsp golden syrup

2 tsp vanilla extract

For the filling:

200g strawberry or seedless raspberry jam

1 tbsp cold water

Icing sugar for dusting

Method

1. In a large bowl, stir together the gluten free self raising flour, cornflour, ground almonds and sugar.

2. Rub the dairy free spread into the flour mixture until it starts to form a bread crumb like texture. Add the vanilla extract and golden syrup then start to bring the mixture together with your hands until it forms a dough – don’t worry if the dough seems quite soft at this point.

3. Wrap the dough in cling film then leave it to chill in a refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

4. Whilst the dough chills, preheat the oven to 170 degrees C/gas mark 3 and line two large baking trays with baking parchment.

5. Roll out the dough onto a floured surface. Using a 6cm crimped scone or pastry cutter, stamp out 36 cookies – transfer the cookies to the baking trays using a palate knife or splatula.

6. Once the cookies are on the tray, cut holes in the centre of half the biscuits using small cookie cutters in any shape you fancy – I used a tiny flower cutters and a piping nozzle to cut out circles.

7. Bake the cookies for approximately 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown – don’t worry if the cookies are a little soft, they will firm up when they cool down.

8. Leave the cookies to cool and firm up on the baking tray for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

9. In a small bowl mix together strawberry jam (or the jam of you choice) with some cold water to make it more spreadable.

10. Lightly dust the cookies with the hole in the centre with icing sugar.

11. Spread the jam over the base of  the cookies without the holes, then sandwich them together the remaining cookies, so that the jam peeks through!

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Gluten Free Cocoa Pops Recipe

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Every year I make it my New Years Resolution to eat breakfast every single day – but, every year I fail miserably and just end up  feeling pretty bad about myself and my lack of willpower. So this year, instead of coming up with resolutions I know I won’t keep, I decided to challenge myself to come up with fun breakfast ideas and to just enjoy food more.

My breakfast of choice used to be cereal and wouldn’t just eat it for breakfast, I’d have it as an after school snack or for a late night feast – now, I can’t eat most cereals as a lot of popular brands aren’t gluten free, and haven’t found many gluten free cereals which I really like or that don’t contain copious amount of sugar and additives.

This morning I had a huge craving for Coco Pops, so I decided to try to make my own homemade version and I’m very pleased with how they turned out.imageThese homemade Cocoa Pops are super easy to make – you only need four very basic ingredients and they can whipped up in less than 20 minutes. The recipe uses a natural alternative to refined sugar and is both dairy and gluten free, but I promise they are delicious and taste just as good, if not better than the shop variety!

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Cocoa Pops – GF/DF/EG

Ingredients

3 cups puffed rice
60 ml maple syrup
30 ml sunflower oil
1 tbsp cocoa powder

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160 C/140 C/gas mark 3 and line two large baking trays with greaseproof paper.

2. Place the maple syrup, oil and cocoa powder into a sauce pan and place it over a low heat. Stir the ingredients with a wooden spoon until no lumps remain, then fold through the puffed rice until it is fully coated in the cocoa mixture.

3. Spread the mixture into a thin layer across the two baking trays. Bake for 6 – 8 minutes, until the puffed rice becomes crisp – make sure to give the cereal a stir half way through the bake time.

4. Leave the cereal to cool on the baking trays for a few minutes, then it’s ready to enjoy!

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Gluten Free Christmas: Stollen Muffins

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It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas… and I don’t know about you, but I’m rather glad. It’s been a scary and rather uncertain year with everything that has been going on in the world, so I’m grateful for a distraction and I hope that a bit of Christmas cheer will help to take my mind off it… and yours too!

So, get ready for my first Christmas recipe of the year and prepare to feel fabulously festive.

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My Gluten Free and Dairy Free Stollen Muffins are every bit as tasty as actual Stollen and are the perfect way to get your Stollen fix, without the hassle of making bread.

Stollen is a German Christmas bread which usually contains dried fruit, almonds, marzipan and spices, such as cinnamon. These muffins are chock full of everything you’d find in traditional stollen, but with a dash of my favourite tipple for good measure, because it’s Christmas!

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Stollen Muffins – GF/DF

Ingredients

2 – 3 tbsp Cointreau (you could also use Brandy, Rum or Amaretto)
200g mixed dried fruit (I used sultanas/raisins/cherries/mixed peel)
300g gluten free self raising flour
Zest of an orange
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
150g ready to roll marzipan (chopped into small pieces)
100g caster sugar
50g light brown sugar
2 large eggs
100 ml sunflower oil
200 ml almond milk
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 vanilla extract
50g flaked almonds

Method

1) Leave the mixed fruit to soak in Cointreau overnight.

2) Preheat the oven to 180 C/160 C fan/gas mark 4 and line a muffin tin with muffin cases.

3) In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, orange zest, cinnamon and ginger, then stir through marzipan.

4) In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, oil, almond milk, vanilla extract and almond extract until combined, then add this to the dry ingredients.

5) Gently mix together all the ingredients using a wooden spoon until you are left with a batter which is only just combined (don’t worry too much if there are any lumps), then stir through the dried fruit and the flaked almonds.

6) Spoon approximately 2 tablespoons of batter into each muffin case, then bake for 25 minutes, until golden brown.

7) Leave the muffins to cool completely on a wire rack, before dusting them with icing sugar to finish.

Be sure to store the muffins in an air tight container and they will last for 4 to 5 days.

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Keep your eyes peeled for lots more Christmas recipes coming soon, but in the meantime why not try some of my Christmas recipes from previous years:

Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookies

Gluten Free Hazelnut, Cranberry and Orange Biscotti

Gluten Free Cointreau Christmas Cake

Gluten Free Kransekake (Traditional Scandinavian Cake)

Gluten Free Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip Granola

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It’s a well known fact that I love Peanut Butter and that I would put it in everything and anything, if I could!

In my opinion, granola is made infinitely better with the presence of peanut butter which not only delicious, but dairy free too. To make this granola recipe completely dairy free, just miss out the chocolate chips or use chunks of dairy free dark chocolate instead.

The recipe is easily adaptable, so you can change up the ingredients depending on what you fancy and it’s also lovely healthy way to start to the day, as the oats will give you that energy boost to get through until lunch time!

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Gluten Free Peanut Butter Granola  – GF/DF/EF

Ingredients:
250g gluten free oats
3 tbsp Smooth Peanut Butter (preferably one containing only natural sugars)
1 tbsp Sunflower Oil
2 tbsp Maple Syrup
50g Dark Chocolate Chips (or dairy free alternative)
A handful of chopped unsalted peanuts

Method:

1) Preheat Oven to 180 C/160 C fan/gas mark 4.

2) In a large heavy bottomed pan mix the peanut butter, oil and maple syrup over a low heat, then add the oats and stir until combined.

3) Spread the oats into a thin layer across a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper, then scatter across the chopped peanuts.

4) Bake the mixture for 5 minutes, give the oats a a quick stir with a wooden spoon, then return them to the oven and to bake for a further 5 minutes or until golden brown.

5. Once the Granola has cooled completely, stir through the chocolate chips (optional).

If you want to keep up to date with my kitchen adventures you can find me on Instagram @titchyton or on my Facebook page.

Gluten Free Corn Tortillas Recipe

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The art making of gluten free bread as always alluded me and unfortunately most of my attempts have ended in complete and utter disaster; so recently I’ve been trying to come of up with easy bread recipes to try and tackle my fear of making gluten free bread.

After a bit of thinking I thought that flatbreads would be a good place to start as they don’t need rise, eliminating many potential problems you find getting  gluten free bread to work – starting with flatbreads definitely made me feel much less daunted!

After a bit of research I decided to trying gluten free Tortilas after reading about an ingredient  called Masa Harina, a gluten free flour which is used in Mexico and South America to make Corn Tortillas.

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Masa Harina is a type of cornflour, but it is very different from the cornflour you can buy in supermarkets here in the UK.

Masa Harina is made from corn kernels which have been soaked in limewater, this helps the corn to soften before it is ground into flour. As a result this flour can be made into a dough which is very malleable and easy to handle – Ideal for Tortillas!

So far, so good – the only problem is that Masa Harina is quite difficult to find here in the UK as it’s not readily available in supermarkets. I picked some up for £2.60 on my most recent trip to Borough Market, from Cool Chile Co who sell Mexican cooking supplies – good news for all you fellow Londoners, but if you live outside of London your best bet is to buy it online.

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Making these Tortillas is incredibly simple – all you need to do is mix the flour with some water and a pinch of salt, then knead it into a dough.

I don’t own a Tortilla press so I rolled the dough into small balls and used a heavy pan to flatten them into round discs before frying them lightly on each side.

The Tortillas were strong enough to hold their filling and didn’t begin to disintegrate on contact with hot food, they were also pliable enough to be folded up properly.

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I was very impressed with my first attempt at homemade Tortillas and was so happy to be able to try out an authentic and traditional way of making them without the stress of having to adapt the recipe to be gluten free!

They tasted amazing and I will definitely be making these again (despite the fact that getting hold of Masa Harina is a little difficult) because now I’ve tasted these these, I don’t think I could ever go back to shop bought!

Gluten Free Corn Tortillas Recipe
(Makes approximately 12 small Tortillas or 6 large Tortillas)

Gluten Free/Dairy Free/Egg Free

Ingredients:
150g Masa Harina (I used Co Chile Co Masa Harina Flour)
100ml cold water
Pinch of Salt

Method:

  1. In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, salt and water until it comes together to form a soft dough that is not sticky or overly dry.
  2. If the dough is too dry, add slightly more water or if it’s too wet add more flour.
  3. Cover the dough and refrigerate for 10 – 15 minutes.
  4. Roll the dough out into 15 smalls balls (if you are making small tortillas) or 8 large balls.
  5. Use a Tortilla press to shape the the dough into flat discs. If you don’t own a tortilla press, place a ball of dough in-between two sheets of plastic wrap and use a heavy pan or plate to flatten them into shape.
  6. Place a lightly oiled frying pan over a high heat.
  7. Fry each Tortilla for about a minute on each side, then wrap them in a tea towel to stay warm until serving.

Gluten Free Christmas: Kransekake Recipe

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For me, every Christmas table should have a showstopper, something extra special which makes the family go “Wow!”

I don’t know about you, but I don’t think there is anything more show stopping than the towering Kransekake Cake which would look simply spectacular at the centre of any Christmas dinner table!
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The Kransekake is a traditional Scandinavian cake which is often served at special occasions including weddings and Christmas celebrations. It consists of 18 almond flavoured rings which are stacked on top of each other to form an impressive tower – If you’re a Marzipan fan, you’ll love this cake!

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Although it looks very impressive, it’s actually quite straight forward to make! The rings are made from a dough consisting of ground almonds, icing sugar and egg whites which is shaped to fit Kransekake moulds which can be found at Lakeland.

Kransekake Cakes are usually gluten free, although dough is sometimes rolled out in Semolina flour which is not suitable for Coeliacs. For my Kransekake cake, I rolled the dough out in Cornflour instead of Semolina.
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Gluten Free Kransekake Recipe – GF/DF

Recipe inspired by Paul Hollywood’s Recipe from ‘The Great British Bake Off’

Ingredients
500g ground almonds, plus cornflour for dusting
500g icing sugar
4 egg whites
1 tsp almond extract
sunflower oil spray

For the Decoration:
2 egg white
500g icing sugar
edible spray glitter
fondant stars (optional)

You will also need 6 Kransekake Moulds (I bought mine from Lakeland)

Method

1. In a large bowl mix together the ground almonds and icing sugar.

2. Add the egg whites and almond extract, then using your hands work the ingredients into a smooth ball of slightly sticky dough.

3. Chill the dough in the fridge for at least two hours.

4. Preheat the oven to 200 C/180 C Fan/gas mark 6.

5. Spray the Kransekake moulds with oil and dust them generously with cornflour.

6. Dust a work surface with cornflour and split the dough into 6 equally sized pieces.

7. Split one of the pieces of dough into three different sized pieces: one large, one medium and one small.

8. Roll the balls of dough out into pieces which are approximately a finger-width and long enough to wrap round the Kransekake moulds.

9. Place the first piece into the Kransekake mould and pinch the ends together. Repeat with all the other pieces until all the moulds are filled.

10. Place the moulds onto a baking tray and bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

11. Remove the Kransekake rings from the oven and allow them to set in their moulds – if you try to remove them while they are warm they will break! Once the Kransekake are cool remove them from their moulds and set them aside while you make the icing.

12. To make the Royal Icing, place the egg whites in a bowl and slowly sift in the icing sugar in batches. In between each batch of sugar stir the icing with a wooden spoon or a balloon whisk until the icing thickens up.

13. Spoon the icing into a piping bag fitted with a small round writing nozzle.

14. Before you begin to decorate, sort the rings out into size order.

15. Place the largest ring onto your serving plate (you could use a bit of icing to adhere it to the plate and stop it from slipping around). Pipe a zig-zag pattern onto the ring and place the second largest ring on top. Repeat until all the rings have been neatly stacked.

16. To finish, spray the Kransekake with edible spray glitter. I made mine extra special by covering it in gold stars made from fondant icing.

I hope you all enjoy the Christmas season and have a go at my Christmas recipes this year, which also include my Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookies which I posted last Christmas, my Hazelnut Cranberry and Orange Biscotti and my Cointreau Christmas Cake.
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I am taking a well deserved Christmas break, but I will be back in the New Year with plenty more gluten free recipes for you all to try.  In the meantime, why not check out my out my Instagram page or my Facebook page to see what else I get up to over Christmas!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!  xxx

Gluten Free Christmas: Hazelnut, Cranberry and Orange Biscotti Recipe

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It’s December which means one thing and one thing only… IT’S CHRISTMAS!!!

We are only a week into December and my friends have already accused me of Buddy The Elf levels of excitement at least a hundred times… but I can’t help it because Christmas is my favourite time of the year!
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The decorations are up, I’ve made my first batch of gingerbread, I’ve drunk my first mulled wine of the season and I’ve listened to my Christmas playlist on loop for about a week so I can confirm that I am officially in full Christmas mode.
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For me, the best thing about Christmas is the food. I love all the flavours that the season has to offer more than any other time of year and quite frankly it’s not christmas without spicy gingerbread, chewy chestnuts, juicy clementines or even Brussels sprouts!

Following a gluten free diet has never stopped me enjoying Christmas either. If anything, I’ve found more enjoyment in food because having to bake my own festive treats is all part of the fun.

I have tonnes of Christmas recipes which I cannot wait to share with you but I’m going to start with my Hazelnut, Cranberry and Orange Biscotti recipe.
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Since I shared my Cranberry, Almond and White Chocolate Biscotti recipe a few months back I’ve had it in my mind to create a version using more festive flavours for Christmas.

When my family and I arrive home from church on Christmas morning we usually enjoy a cup of tea or coffee with a sweet treat just before opening all the presents. I think this year these Biscotti would be absolutely perfect and I will definitely be making a batch for the big day.
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Hazelnut, Cranberry and Orange Biscotti – GF/DF

Ingredients:
150g caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder
300g gluten free self raising flour, plus extra for shaping the dough
3 large eggs
150g blanched hazelnuts, roughly chopped
75g dried cranberries
1 tsp orange zest
2 tsp hazelnut syrup or extract (I used Monin Hazelnut Syrup)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 C/160 C fan/gas mark 4.

2. Line a large baking tray with greaseproof paper.

3. In a large bowl, stir together the caster sugar, baking powder and flour.

4. Add the eggs, cranberries and hazelnuts then mix until all the ingredients are combined.

The mixture will be slightly wetter than expected so please don’t panic and add more flour. Remember that gluten free flour needs more moisture than regular flour and these biscuits are going to be baked twice – if you add more flour you’ll end up with a very dry dough which will result in an overly dry biscotti that cannot be baked twice.

5. Separate the mixture into two halves and generously dust a work surface with a flour.

6. Spoon one half of the mixture onto the work surface into a rough log shape then dust the mixture with a generous layer of flour – do not knead or roll the mixture but gently use your hands to shape the mixture into a log shape. The flour will stick to the mixture like a coating which will help the log keep it shape whilst allowing the inside to stay soft.
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7. Transfer to the log to a baking tray (you could use a cake lifter to help) then flatten the log slightly so it’s approximately the width of a ciabatta. Repeat the with the other half of the mixture then place the second log on the tray – make sure you leave a little room between to allow them to expand slightly.

8. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the biscotti is golden brown. Transfer the biscotti to a wire rack to cool completely. Leave the oven on.

9. Once the biscotti is cool, slice it diagonally across into inch thick slices. Do not attempt to slice the biscotti whilst still warm or it will crumble.

10. Transfer the biscotti back onto the baking tray and bake for a further 6 to 8 minutes on each side. Leave the biscotti to cool completely before serving.
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I can’t wait to show you what else I have planned for Christmas, but if you are looking for more Christmas inspiration in the meantime, why not take a look at my Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookies recipe which I posted last Christmas, or, follow me over on Instagram or Facebook to see what else I’m getting up to.

Gluten Free LadyFingers (Inspired by ‘The Great British Bake Off’)

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I am really enjoying the current series of Bake off. Does anyone else think the challenges are even more difficult this year? It’s been great to see gluten free baking featured on the show and I wasn’t surprised that the bakers found gluten free bread so tricky!

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve posted a GBBO related bake, so today I am going to share with you my recipe for gluten free LadyFingers as featured on Victorian Week, as part of the Charlotte Russe Showstopper.

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LadyFingers, or Sponge fingers as they are also known, are a vital component of number of bakes, including trifle and tiramisu. They are made from a fatless sponge batter, so a good electric whisk or stand mixer is required to whip up enough air into the batter. I am also pleased to say this recipe is Xanthan gum free, perfect for those of you who struggle with Xanthan gum and other binding agents.

So, what are you waiting for? It’s time to start planning your very own Charlotte Russe Showstoppers, complete with gluten free LadyFingers!

Gluten Free LadyFingers – GF/DF

Ingredients: 

4 eggs, separated into egg whites and egg yolks
100g caster sugar
125g gluten free plain flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
a few drops of lemon juice

Method:

1. Preheat 200 C/180 C fan/gas mark 5.

2. Line two baking trays with parchment paper.

3. In a large bowl: whisk the egg yolks with a electric hand mixer for a few seconds then add the half of the caster sugar and the vanilla extract. Beat the eggs for a few minutes until the mixture is very thick.

4. In a separate large bowl: whisk the egg whites with a few drops of lemon juice until the egg whites start make soft peaks. Add the rest of the caster sugar and beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.

5. Sift the flour into the egg yolk mixture, then fold the egg whites a bit of a time through the egg yolk mixture until all the ingredients are fully incorporated and you are left with a stiff batter.

6. Transfer the mixture into a piping bag which is fitted with a 1/2 inch nozzle.

7. Pipe the batter into 7cm long fingers leaving a good gap between each one to allow them to expand slightly.

8. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, until slightly golden brown.

9. Leave the fingers to cool on the tray for few minutes then use a palate knife to transfer them to a cooling rack.

Other recipes I’ve posted from this series of ‘Bake Off’ include my gluten free Madeira recipe and my gluten free Biscotti Recipe.

You can keep up to date with my kitchen adventures on Instagram or Facebook. I’m also pleased to announce I am going to be contributing the occasional recipe to the Daily Spectacle website and you can find both my gluten free Blueberry Muffin Recipe and my gluten free Maple and Pecan Granola Recipe there already!

Gluten Free ‘HP Sauce’

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Today I had a bacon Sandwich with HP Sauce for the first time in almost 3 years… it was glorious!

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If you asked me which foods I miss the most since giving up gluten, top of my list would be HP Sauce – a staple condiment on the British dinner table.

It has always been my favourite, and is a firm fixture on my family’s dinner table. In fact, we couldn’t live without it so much that we would take it on holiday to Italy with us – that, and Yorkshire Tea!

I was upset once I realised I could no longer eat HP Sauce as it contains malt vinegar… but, I am a firm believer that with creativity it’s possible to eat everything thing I used to before, and so, I decided it was finally time to attempt making my own HP Sauce. The aim? To make it as close to the real deal as possible.

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Gluten Free HP Sauce – GF/DF/EF

This recipe makes approximately 500ml.

You will need one 550ml Glass Preserve Bottle or a Twist Top Bottle which you will need to Sterilise as follows:

1. Remove the wax seal or lid. Wash the bottle in hot soapy water, rinse well then and leave to dry.
2. Place the bottle in an oven on a low temperature (140 degrees C/ Gas Mark 1) for 15 minutes, do this shortly before the sauce is ready so that the bottle remains warm.
3. Sterilise the wax seal or lid in a pan of boiling water for 10 minutes.
4. If you are using a clip top bottle, replace the wax seal once the bottle has been sterilised.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
4 shallots, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
65g dates, with the stones removed and chopped.
2 tbsp tomato puree
250 ml water
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp ground pepper
50ml apple juice
150ml cider vinegar
50ml balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp molasses or black Treacle
1/2 tbsp dark brown sugar
1 tbsp cornflour

Method:

1) Heat the olive oil in a large heavy bottomed pan over a medium heat.

2) Fry the shallots and garlic for 4 -5 minutes until soft, then add the dates and 150 ml of the water.

3) Using a hand blender, blend the ingredients into a thick paste.

4) Add the another 50 ml water (you should still have 50 ml left for later), tomato puree, ginger, cinnamon, ground pepper, and turmeric powder. Give it a good stir and then simmer the ingredients over a low heat for 10 minutes.

5) Remove the pan from the heat, then press the mixture through a sieve with a wooden spoon into a clean pan.

6) Add the remaining water, apple juice, cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, molasses and sugar then return the pan to the heat and boil the sauce for 5 minutes.

7) Place the cornflour into a small bowl, then add a few tablespoon of liquid from the sauce to to make a paste.

8) Add the cornflour paste to the sauce and then whisk with a balloon whisk to ensure there are no lumps.

9) Boil the sauce for a further 4 minutes whilst whisking continuously.

Tip. Don’t worry if there are a few lumps after you’ve added the cornflour – just sieve the sauce again.

10) Remove the sauce from the heat and leave to cool slightly before carefully pouring the sauce into your sterilised bottle –  you may need to use a funnel to help you do this safely.

11) Leave the sauce to cool before storing -the sauce should keep up to 3 – 4 weeks in the fridge.

I hope you give my recipe a try this weekend. If you are looking for Gluten Free inspiration you can check out all the recipes I have posted to date on my Recipes page.

Remember that you can also keep up to date with all my kitchen adventures on:
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