During the last couple of my Tesco weekly shops I have popped a free from cake mix into my trolley. Before I continue, the recipes I create and include in my blog are, on the whole, healthy. This one isn’t particularly healthy but it’s not something we have everyday. Plus, in my opinion, life is to be enjoyed, everything in balance etc, etc…
So getting onto the cake mixes. There is a chocolate cake mix and a vanilla one. I obviously needed to try both (for research purposes)! I made both cake mixes into cupcakes as they are more practical in my house, little hands, and therefore will get eaten. After speaking to other allergy parents on social media, two packs are required to make a really decent sized whole cake, which is worth noting. Both mixes require you to add 125g butter/dairy free alternative, three eggs (or flaxseed eggs), and 20ml water. I found for both mixes that I needed to add roughly 30ml more liquid. This maybe due to using flaxseed eggs in place of eggs, but the batter was definitely too dry to mix without the extra liquid. I added dairy free milk but you could always add more water.
Taste test
We all really enjoyed the taste of the chocolate cake mix. I found it chocolately without being too rich. It also had a light texture which isn’t always achieved with a gluten and egg free batter. The vanilla cake mix was a little bit more synthetic tasting however it worked really well with the cookies in our hidden cookie cupcakes. These cupcakes included a surprise cookies and cream biscuit which you can find in the biscuit aisle at Tesco. Dairy, egg, nut and soya free, it’s great to find a product which little one can share which isn’t specifically free from, and therefore much cheaper! I’ve popped the recipe below.
Little one test
These are great to use with children. Little one really enjoyed helping to mix the batter, however her favourite part was popping the cookies into the muffin cases. I’m going to pretend it was a learning opportunity. Well, we did count the cookies out as we went! The mixes would be ideal to have in the cupboard for just in cases or for a rainy day activity. They are also pretty adaptable so you could make a variety of cakes/cupcakes with them.
I’d love to see how you transform the cake mixes. Let me know through the website or social media!
| Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time | 20 minutes |
| Servings |
cupcakes
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- 1 packet Tesco Free From Vanilla Cake Mix
- 3 flaxseed eggs
- 125 grams dairy free spread I used Flora Freedom
- 20 ml water
- 30 ml dairy free milk I used Oatly
- 12 allergy friendly cookies I used Tesco Cookies and Cream
Ingredients
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- Preheat the oven to 180c and line a muffin pan with 12 cupcake cases.
- In a large mixing bowl add all the ingredients (apart from the cookies). Use an electric mixer or hand whisk to whisk all the ingredients together until fully combined.
- Place a cookie into each of the cupcake case. Spoon the cake mixture into the cupcake cases, completely covering the cookie.
- Pop into the oven and bake for 20 minutes. You can tell when the cake is cooked if the cake is springy to touch, golden in colour and a skewer inserted to the centre of the cake comes out clean.
- Allow to cool slightly in the tin before placing on a wire rack to cool fully.
Dairy, egg, nut and soya free. Use gluten free cookies to make the cupcakes gluten free.
Vegan and vegetarian.
Hi, I love the way you put the biscuits in the middle. I think I may have to try this just for me ? #freefromfridays
I didn’t even know Tesco were doing cookies n’cream biscuits. Must look for them! Although little one loves Schär’s version, they are pricey. I agree with you when you say you mainly cook healthy food but also allow treats. Life is too short and I also believe in having a bit of everything as long as you’re not gorging on it 🙂 Thanks for joining in with #FreeFromFridays.
They taste absolutely yum, but no good if you’re gluten free. It’s nice to be able to buy something in the ‘normal’ aisle. Plus little one takes so long to eat one that I don’t feel guilty about the sugar! #freefromfridays
They taste absolutely yum, but no good if you’re gluten free. It’s nice to be able to buy something in the ‘normal’ aisle. Plus little one takes so long to eat one that I don’t feel guilty about the sugar! #freefromfridays
I’ve never used a freefrom cake mix so it’s great to hear they work with flax eggs. And we love cookie cupcakes! #freefromfridays
I was surprised at how nicely they turned out. I tend to avoid cake mixes as well due to high sugar content, but it is great to have in the cupboard as an emergency back up! #freefromfridays