Allergy friendly. cupcake happy!

I have always loved baking. I tear out magazine pages and put them in folder marked “Recipes to Try.” I pin recipes on Pinterest and actually make them. I spend hours looking through cookbooks. I love the process of baking and seeing and tasting the finished product.

But at one point in time, for no particular reason, I stopped. I pulled out my KitchenAid less frequently and wasn’t buying the good vanilla because there was no need.

Eventually, Savannah’s food allergies drove me to start again.

I found out that Savannah had multiple severe food allergies when she was six months old. I don’t recall any specific feelings I had. Maybe it was just a matter of fact feeling, “Oh, this sucks.” Or maybe I was relieved that at least we knew what was causing her face to break out in hives. But, what I do recall is that I thought to myself, “Okay, this is what life just handed to me, now deal with it.” So I did.

I learned a lot regarding reading food labels. For example, there are several uncommon words out there for common allergens, like “albumin” for eggs or “casein” for milk.  And “May contain” and “Manufactured on shared equipment” pretty much mean the same thing. I also found out you can contact several manufacturers and get very good information about their allergen-safe practices. And that some manufacturers that you contact may never call you back.

When she was first diagnosed, the only thing Savannah was eating at the time was breast milk and formula. I bought yucky-smelling soy formula and spent a week or two trying to get her to eat it. I changed my own diet; I gave up cake, cookies, milk, ice cream, cheese, chocolate, pizza, butter, Reeses and anything else that was a life-threatening allergen so I could safely continue to nurse Savannah until age one.

For Savannah’s first birthday, I experimented with my first dairy-free, egg-free cakes. I remember the one I actually gave her on her birthday didn’t taste very good, but she still ate it. After that, I researched high and low for vegan recipes and learned all about egg and milk replacers, thinking there has to be something better out there for Savannah to enjoy.

I bought Food Allergy Mama’s Baking Book by Kelly Rudnicki and Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero and tried out their recipes (many were successful!). I watched vegan Chef Chloe win on Cupcake Wars on the Food Network, and I searched the internet for her winning recipes. I remember thinking that it was was so exciting to see that vegan baking could be so good! It was then that I knew I could bake again with the same passion I used to have.

After a few years of baking experiments, a month of cake decorating classes and many many tubs of Earth Balance dairy-free margarine, I decided to start Cupcake Love and share my allergen-free baking adventures. I’ll continue to try new recipes, and I’ll continue to have my successes and failures. And I’ll share it all with you.

Savannah is now five years old. Together, we bake like peanut-free vegans. We’ve learned to bake without gluten for when we entertain guests with a wheat allergy. When Savannah sees me pulling ingredients from the pantry, she immediately asks to put on her apron so she can help. She sneaks Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips straight from the bag (I secretly love that!). She has the recipe for vanilla cupcakes memorized (don’t forget the baking soda Mommy!). And the Rainbow Cupcakes that we made on her birthday…well, these are her favorite! Maybe it will be your favorite, too.

Adapted from chefchloe.com

Dairy-Free, Egg-Free Rainbow Cupcakes
Makes 24

2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups non-dairy milk
1 cup canola oil
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
Several drops of each of 5 different colors of food coloring (you choose!)
Non-Dairy vanilla frosting
Colored sprinkles, optional

Supplies Needed
5 Quart-size clear zipper food storage bags
5 Tall glasses
Scissors

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 12-cup cupcake pans with paper liners. Spray with allergen-free baking spray.
2. Prepare five batter bags. Using one glass per food coloring color, line each glass with a zipper bag, allowing the bag to stand upright so it is easier to fill. Set aside.

   

3. Whisk together the sugar, baking soda, salt, and flour into a bowl.
4. In a separate bowl, mix the non-dairy milk, oil, vinegar and vanilla extract.
5. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and mix with a whisk until smooth.
6. To color the batter, divide batter evenly among the bag-lined glasses. One bag at a time, add a few drops of food coloring to each bag, remove air bubbles and seal the bag. Gently squeeze the bag to mix and evenly distribute the color. Repeat with additional colors (for more pictures, see my recipe for Christmas Velvet Cupcakes, which uses the same method).
7. To fill each cupcake liner, carefully snip the corner of one bag. Using it like a pastry bag, gently squeeze a small amount of batter into each cupcake liner until the batter is evenly distributed. Repeat with other colors until all batter is used. When complete, your cupcake liners will each be about 3/4 full.
8. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
9. Cool in pans ten minutes. Remove from pans to cool completely.
10. Frost cooled cupcakes with vanilla frosting, and top with sprinkles, if desired.

Non-Dairy Vanilla Buttercream
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup dairy-free margarine (recommended Earth Balance Soy-Free Vegan Buttery Spread)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup water

Procedure

1. Combine the confectioners’ sugar, margarine, and vanilla extract in the bowl of a stand mixer.
2. Beat on medium-high speed until combined. With the mixer running, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time, until the desired buttercream consistency.