2 Years! Today marks my 2 years as a blogger – it’s been quite a journey, I really had no idea when I started how it would take off. There are a lot of directions in which I plan to improve and expand, but I do feel a sense of achievement in how it’s grown so far. Here’s what my first ever post said….
Hello and welcome to my brand new blog. I hope you will join me on a journey through the world of cooking for and living with allergies. I’ve always been a bit of a foodie and even trained at Le Cordon Bleu, but when my two daughters, who both have multiple food allergies, came along my whole approach to food had to change. It seems very easy to stand out as a child with food allergies, not being able to eat the same as your friends and having to be constantly careful and therefore maybe quite fearful. So I made a pledge to myself and my daughters that they would not miss out on any kind of food based experience, that I could create a substitute for anything (within reason!). So, aided by my library of cook books I will try….
I think to a certain degree I’ve managed to fulfil my objectives so far. But this is no time to rest on my laurels. To mark this 2 year anniversary I thought I it would be appropriate to post a recipe with ‘wow factor’. This chocolate fondant has been in the development stage for ages and for much of that time I really didn’t think it would be possible. Chocolate fondant is after all the stand out, impress-all but also highly risky pudding that marks a Masterchef success from a failure!
Previous attempts hadn’t produced the correct ooziness in the centre, ie what makes a fondant a fondant [it means melting after all]. This recipe borrows a technique from a recipe in a Waitrose magazine and it really works. Basically a portion of the mixture is briefly frozen before being buried in the centre of the pudding mix – because it’s colder, it takes longer to cook and you get that ultimate ooze. Clever, I think.
This pudding needs to be rich of course, it is after all ultimately decadent, which it achieves. What works nicely here is the banana. Chocolate and banana is obviously a winner and it’s a nice surprise when you take a bite of something that you presume will just be chocolate.
Chocolate fondant (dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, sesame-free, could be soya-free if use soya-free chocolate, vegetarian and vegan)
Serves 4
- 1 banana, blitzed
- 1 tbsp golden syrup or maple syrup
- 30g dairyfree dark chocolate
- 1 tbsp dairyfree milk of choice
- 60g dairyfree spread
- 60g caster sugar
- 3 tbsps cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup self-raising flour
- 1/4 cup oat milk
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
– Grease and coat with cocoa powder 4 small pudding moulds or ramekins
– Blitz together the banana and syrup and set aside
– Melt together the chocolate and 1 tbsp milk, stir to produce a silky chocolate mix
– Mix the blitzed bananas into the melted chocolate
– Preheat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade/Gas Mark 4
– Cream together the spread and caster sugar until light and fluffy
– Sift in the cocoa and salt
– Add the banana/chocolate mixture and mix to a smooth batter
– Remove 2 tbsps of the mix, add 1/2 tbsp flour and freeze for 30 minutes.
– Using the remainder of the mixture, sift in the self- raising flour and pour in the oat milk and vanilla.
– Combine to form a smooth, lump free batter.
– Half fill the ramekins/moulds with the batter, place a spoonful of the half frozen mix in the centre, then cover with more batter.
– Bake for 15 minutes until the top looks just set.
– Remove from the moulds and dust with more cocoa
– Enjoy hot or warm to make the most of the oozy centre
42 Responses
Congrats on two years! Definitely an amazing wow factor!
Gotta try this!!
gooey and gorgeous – I want to eat this now!
I was rather pleased with how it turned out – properly gooey!
Oh. My. Word. This is perhaps one of the most amazing vegan desserts I’ve ever seen. You got the wow for sure! Congrats on your two years!
Thank you so much 🙂
God……all that chocolate!! lovin it. P.s Huge huge congratulations on your 2nd bloggiversary. Keep rocking in all the years to come 🙂
You can’t go wrong with chocolate 😉
Phoar! Very impressive!
Thank you x
Congratulations! I’m coming up on one year and what a milestone! I can imagine after two years what a sense of achievement! Great recipe!
It is, but there’s definitely more to come! X
Wow…will have a very happy egg, dairy and sesame allergic son! Thank goodness for your blog !
I’m still on a mission to prove nearly everything can be made egg and dairy-free! X
Congrats! Keep up the great work! This looks delectable…
Thanks! I’ll try!!! 🙂 x
Brava! That looks amazing!!! And congrats on 2 years. I am especially envious of your professional food photos. 🙂
You’re too kind, I long for a better camera and better light for photos! Xx
Well, if you want to put that in perspective, look at the photos on my blog. They are plainly awful. 🙂
Hey your photos are good. I’ve just leant that photos in electric light always look yellow – apparently (I’ve researched a lot!) is to have white light (daylight) behind the plate, so take your photos in front of the window. Seems to work a treat 🙂
Ooo! That’s a good tip. Thanks! 🙂
Congratulations Lucy and WOW, your fondants look incredible, I can’t wait to make them!!
Thanks so much 🙂 I hope you give them a go, it seems like a winning recipe xx
I definitely will Lucy!
You had me at ‘Hello’. Well that and after I saw a photo of your fondant. Amazing Lucy, really, just amazing.
Aww thanks so much 🙂 allergy cooking is quite a journey, but oh so rewarding x
Yum! A real fav dessert of mine. Yours looks perfect.
I have to say I was rather pleased how it turned out in the end!!
WOW! I’m in love with this recipe. I must try these. Will let you know how they turn out for me! Happy blogiversary 😉 Keep up the amazing work.
Sophia
Hope it works well for you – let me know 🙂
What a fantastic cake, Lucy! You truly outdid yourself!… Congratulations on your second anniversary! Here’s to many more delicious posts 🙂
That is high praise from you, thank you so much x
I used to always get this cake from dominos…not as beautiful of ingredients as you have here. Happy Anniversary fellow blogger! Inspiring!
Aww thank you 🙂
This definitely has the “wow factor”! Congrats on the two years. Great way to celebrate
Thanks so much 🙂
Looks fantastic, deffo trying this out soon. I also bake without dairy,eggs or soya so great to see things can be done! Can i just ask what do you use to freeze the handful of mix? Will a small tub work or does it have to be a precise mould?
Kind regards, Mel
Thanks so much! I just froze it in some cling film and then unwrapped it before placing it in the centre x
What is a dairy free spread?
It’s dairy free margarine
Blitzed banana means “smashed”? 🙂
absolutely! I whizzed it up in food processor to make it extra smooth 🙂