Yummy Allergy-Friendly Chocolate Cake

As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm trying out birthday cake and frosting recipes for Cody's upcoming birthday.

I found many recipes for vegan chocolate cake and they were all pretty much the same. I usually try to give credit when I use someone else's recipe, but slight variations of this one seem to be so widely used that I don't know where credit should go.

This cake came out really good and I was very happy with the way it looked and tasted.

My little food critic; however, wasn't impressed. This was his first taste of something chocolate. After a couple of tiny nibbles and licks he finally took a big bite. He made his "pfffft" noise, shook his head and spit it out.

So I'll try a few more times, but I guess I'll try another flavor.

and see if he likes it better.

The frosting proved to be more difficult. My plan was to make a cherry frosting. I tried sunflower oil based recipe and it tasted funny. I tried coconut oil and that was much better, but the coconut flavor overwhelmed the cherries and my husband doesn't like coconut. Also, the oil based frostings seeped into the cake after a while.

I did some research and I think the answer is vegetable shortening. I bought an organic, palm oil shortening, but I haven't tried it out yet. If you need frosting before I can try mine out, there are many recipes for shortening frosting out there. Let me know if you try it.

Below is the recipe for chocolate cake. It's wheat, dairy, egg, soy, corn, peanut and tree nut free and vegan.

Enjoy!

Moms and Dads, what allergy friendly cakes have you made for your kids?

This recipe is free of the top 8 allergens (egg-free, dairy-free, wheat-free, peanut-free, tree nut-free, soy-free, fish-free and shellfish-free) and vegan.

Chocolate cake

1 1/2 cups oat flour
1 cup sugar

1 cup oat or rice milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 and grease cake pan or muffin pan.

Combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.

In another large bowl combine the milk, oil, vinegar and vanilla.

Gradually stir in the flour mixture. Be sure to mix well.

Spoon the batter into the cake or muffin pan. Bake for about 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Mini-Meatloaves with Smashed Potatoes and Carrots

I'm pretty excited that we're getting to the point that Cody can eat some of the meals I make for us. I'm getting used to cooking with the modifications for his allergies and even though we ate healthy before, we're eating even better now. I'm actually noticing those last few pesky pregnancy pounds coming off too. Can't beat that!

I made this for all of us for dinner last night. Cody really liked the meatloaf.

I love that you can bake this meal in one pan. Anything that simplifies makes me happy!

Here's the recipe. Enjoy!

This recipe is egg-free, dairy-free, wheat-free, soy-free, peanut/tree nut-free, fish/shellfish-free (many meatloaf recipes contain Worcestershire sauce which has anchovies in it).

Mini-meatloaves with smashed potatoes and carrots

Meatloaf:

1/2 cup oats

1/4 cup rice or oat milk

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 small onion, diced

1 cup shredded or finely diced carrots

1 cup peas

1 cup chopped green beans

1 clove garlic, minced

1 lb. ground buffalo, beef or turkey

3 tablespoons zucchini sauce* 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Additional zucchini sauce* for brushing tops

Potatoes and carrots:

2 Yukon gold potatoes

1 large sweet potato

8 baby carrots

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Meatloaf:

Put oats in large mixing bowl. Add milk. 

Let soak while preparing other ingredients

In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium/high heat. 

Add onions and veggies and sauté until just softened, about 8 - 10 minutes. 

Add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. 

Let cool completely.

Combine the oats, veggies and ground meat, zucchini sauce, salt and pepper and mix by hand.

Form five mini-meatloaves and place on a baking sheet. 

Brush tops with zucchini sauce

Potatoes and carrots:

Peel and slice the potatoes into 1/4 inch slices. 

Cut the carrots in half lengthwise.

In a bowl, toss the potatoes and carrots with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Place them on the baking sheet with the meat loaves.

Bake 35 - 40 min.  

Transfer the potatoes and carrots to a bowl and smash with a fork.

Serve immediately with the meat loaves.

*If you have no problem with tomatoes, you can use ketchup instead of zucchini sauce.