Recipe

Galaxy Surprise Vegan Crème Eggs

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Easter is a few days away & the shops are full of Cadburys creme eggs that us vegans can’t eat, so I thought I would quickly whip up some of my vegan creme eggs.
They take next to no time to make and look spectacular when you bite it them.

They are also a great half term activity with the kids too. All the ingredients can be bought from a supermarket. Those lovely people at Sainsbury’s have made big bars of there amazing dairy free chocolate so I have used that to make my eggs,

These are galaxy swirls inside but you can make them like traditional creme eggs too, just dye a little of the fondant yellow & add white and a little yellow inside.
I used a egg mould that I found for 99p in the easter section.

Ingredients:

Method:
You don’t have to use the white chocolate but they do help add a little extra detail

  1. First you need to get your egg moulds ready. Melt the white chocolate in the microwave in short 15 second bursts until its melted, once melted using a tea spoon drizzle it over the inside of your moulds, If your adding sprinkles to the middle add them now. Place these in the freeze while you melt your milk chocolate
  2. As with the white chocolate melt 100g of your milk chocolate in short bursts in the microwave until completely melted, take your eggs from the freezer and add a tablespoon full to each mould and spread it up the sides using a teaspoon, place back in the freezer for a few minutes to set, once set add another coat of chocolate and put back in the freezer

The Fondant centre.

  1. First add your butter and liquid glucose to your bowl and beat them together, you can do this with a stand mixer, a hand held mixer or by hand with a spoon.
  2. Once thick and creamy add your icing sugar, 1 teaspoon of water, your flavouring &  mix together until all combined.
  3. Split your fondant between 4 bowls, keep one white and dye the other 3, black, pink & purple.
  4. I added all my colours to a piping bag and piped my mix into my egg shells but if you don’t have one you can just add a little of each colour and swirl together using a tooth pick, once filled place back in the freezer while you melt the last 100g of milk chocolate,
  5. Once your chocolate is all melted add a table spoon of chocolate to the tops and smooth out, place back in the freezer to set the chocolate.
  6. Once set pop them out of the moulds & enjoy. I sprayed mine with a little gold luster to make them sparkly, 
Recipe

Unicorn Chocolate Cake & The Winner is…………

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The time is up on our epic giveaway and in this blog post you will all find out who has won our EPIC prize.  I just want to say a huge thank-you to everyone who has entered we had so many entries.  Sadly there will only be one winner but we will have another giveaway at 1000 likes on our Facebook page! So go give us a like if you haven’t.

This unicorn cake is super easy and part of our quick and easy cake series, this one is super simple and can be made quickly and is suitable for any skill level, Our next unicorn cake will be a little tricker but this one is just for fun & anyone can make it.  If you feel this cake is too simple for you then keep your eyes peeled for our next cakes.

This cake would make the perfect birthday cake for any unicorn lover. <3

For the Velvet Chocolate Cake:

This is the cake version of my fabulous chocolate velvet cookies 

Ingredients:

  • 175g Dairy Free Butter
  • 225g Soft Light Brown Sugar
  • 75g Caster Sugar
  • 50g Cocoa Powder
  • 300g Gluten Free Self Raising Flour
  • 1 Pot of Alpro Dark Chocolate pudding (* see below)
  • 2 Tbsp. Ground Flax seed mixed with 6 Tbsp. water
  • 1 Tsp. Baking Powder
  • 1 Tsp. Bicarbonate of Soda
  • 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1 Tbsp White Wine Vinegar
  • 30ml Water

*If you can’t have Soya use 1 large very ripe banana or 100g of smooth peanut butter.

Method:

Pre-heat your oven to 160c/325f/or Gas mark 3, grease & line a 28cm x 22cm size tray non stick parchment paper.

  1. Cream together your dairy free butter and two sugars until light and fluffy.
  2. Add your cocoa powder, chocolate soya pudding (or mashed banana) &  flax seed mix, mix until well combined.
  3. Sieve in your flour, baking powder & Bicarb & mix again,
  4. Once the flour is all combined add your vanilla, water & white wine vinegar give another quick mix and pour into your prepared cake tin.
  5. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean when poked into the cake.
  6. Once baked leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

For the butter cream frosting:

Ingredients:

  • 300g Dairy Free Butter
  • 250g Vegetable Shorting
  • 750g Icing Sugar
  • 2 Tsp Vanila extract
  • Pink food colouring**

**I emailed Wilton a few years ago and they told me all the colour paste colours were Vegan so i’m hoping that hasn’t changed.

  1. Cream together your dairy free butter and shorting and add the icing sugar, vanila & mix until all combined.
  2. Take 4 large Tbsp. of butter cream and tint it pink.

Now to decorate. 

For decorating you will need a

  •  A star piping tip
    (You can find these really easily in most supermarkets in the baking section)
  • 14″ Coloured Cake board  or something to present your cake on
  • 2 piping bags,
  • Red, Yellow, Green, Blue, Orange, Purple, Pink, white & Black fondant
    (Approx 65g of each)
  • Icing Sugar for dusting
  • Tooth picks
  • Rolling pin
  • small knife
  • Pallet knife

Method:

  1. Once your cake is cold & you have made your butter cream cut your cake this this and place on your cake board (mine looks odd because I used flour and butter to grease my cake pan)

The little slices you use as feet cut in half, the rest of the left overs can be eaten, You must taste the cake to make sure its perfect, its the bakers perk. 🙂

2. Once your happy with your shape cover the cake in a thin layer of your butter cream & place in the fridge for 15 minutes to chill (this is called a crumb coat).

3. While your cake is chilling in the fridge you can make the fondant detail, roll out your rainbow colours into a long snake and lay them down on the counter go over with them with a rolling pin and use this to make the tail and mane

Snipe little details on the ends of the tail & mane in the part where it joins the cake add some tooth picks and leave them to dry,
Take the left over fondant and twist them together to make the unicorn horn and add two tooth picks to the base, For the ear, pinch of a little white and roll it into a tear drop shape and add a little tear drop of pink to the top, you can use a little water to sick the pink to the white.

4. Take your cake out of the fridge and start to pipe tiny little white stars all over but leave some space for the pink details, once you have done all the white add the pink detailing and place in the fridge to chill again.

5. For the face detail roll out a very thin snake for the mouth and lay it in place, roll a little snake for the nose and the same for an eye.
6. Now add all your mane, tail and horn in place and your cake is DONE.

I told you it was easy, and it only took me about an hour to decorate this cake.

Now for the announcement you have all been waiting for the winner of our 600 like giveaway.

THE WINNER IS Andy Teague!
Andy I will contact you via Facebook please check your other inbox 🙂 

Thank you everyone who entered and i’m so sorry we could only have one winner but we will have another giveaway at 1000 likes! So go give our Facebook a like.

Today is my grandmas birthday so in her honour i’m off to have glass
of something fizzy and nibble some of this cake.
Happy Birthday Grandma, “Maybe in another life I can find you there”
❤️ Cherish those you love & make every second count. ❤️

Recipe

Blueberry Pancakes With Caramel sauce. Pancake Day!

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These delicious pancakes get made at least once a week in the Living Dead Cakes kitchen and its normally my daughter who wants them, she is a pancake fiend.

They are super quick and easy to make and you can add anything you like from blueberries to dairy free chocolate chips. Perfect for pancake day!

This caramel sauce is absolutely amazing, you can drizzle it over the pancakes or use it on anything else you like, ice cream, hot chocolate anything you fancy.

For the caramel sauce:

Ingredients:

Method:

  1. In a medium sauce pan add the sugar and water, give it a little mix to combine the water and melt it on a medium heat until it changes to a medium amber colour,
  2. Once your sugar has reached an amber colour take it off the heat and carefully add the butter, coconut cream & vanilla paste and mix well, be careful it will be super hot!
  3. Once its all combined pour into a bowl and leave to cool on the counter and once cool place in the fridge to cool completely as it cools in the fridge it will thicken up.

For the Pancakes:

Ingredients:

  • 200g Gluten Free Self Raising Flour
  • 1 Tsp. Baking Powder
  • 1 Tsp. Bicarbonate Of Soda
  • 1 Tbsp. Caster Sugar
  • Pinch Of Salt
  • 2 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
  • 1 Tsp. White Wine Vinegar
  • 200ml Plant Milk
  • 150g blueberries
  • Little oil for frying

Method:

  1. In a bowl add all your dry ingredients and mix until will combined.
  2. Add your wet ingredients and mix well, don’t worry if its a little lumpy just make sure there is no big lumps
  3. Heat a frying pan until its hot on a medium heat and add a spoon full of your pancake batter if your adding blueberries add a few to the batter now while its cooking,
  1. Let cook on one side for 2-3 and flip over and cook the other side until golden brown.
  2. Cook all your pancakes and serve with the caramel sauce & some vegan cream.

Hope everyone enjoys their yummy pancakes on pancake day & don’t forget to enter our give away on our Facebook Page.

 

 

 

General

Our Facebook Giveaway! WORTH OVER £80!!

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I promised when our Facebook page hit 600 likes we would have a giveaway to say thank you to you all for the overwhelming amount of the love support & messages of encouragement you have all given since the website was born, that day has come and I’m so excited.

I have shopped until I dropped over the last month or so gathering tasty treats that I hope the winner will love & of course I had to add some of my favourite treats are in there too.

The whole prize is worth over an epic £80.00! & it’s all 100% VEGAN & GLUTEN FREE.
There are even some vegan bacon & chicken crisps!, Some english grown tea to warm to up and a fabulous limited edition Living Dead Cakes mug to drink it in.  I had to put in some of the lusted after Vego bars so the winner will receive not one but two bars one 165g bar to share and a 65g one!  There’s even some vegan squirty cream and whipping cream. (full list is below)

To enter all you have to do is like our Facebook page & like and share the photo of all the prizes on Facebook

The winner will be announced on my Grandmas Birthday 14th March 2017 **. So you have plenty of time to get liking and sharing, *each time you share the photo you will be added in to the give away, so the more times you share the more chances you have of winning!

It is open worldwide so get liking, commenting and sharing <3

Rules,
You must like Our Facebook page, and like & share the giveaway picture to enter.
The give away is open world wide.
*Each time you share the photo you will be added in to the give away, so the more times you share the more chances you have of winning! (one share per day)
**The competition closes on 13th March 2017 & the winner will be announced on 14th March 2017 
The winner will be picked by a random name generator
Proof of posting will be obtained when I post out the prize to the winner.

The Prizes are as shown in the photos and listed below

  • 1 Deliciously Ella energy ball
  • X3 Nakd Bars
  • 1 bag Chocolate Coconut chips
  • X2 Vego bars
  • x2 Pip & Nut Peanut butter squeeze packs
  • 1 Soyatoo Soy whip
  • 1 Soyatoo Cocos whip
  • 1 Schlagcreme
  • 1 Can Soyatoo Soya whip, spray cream
  • X3 Koko Dairy free strawberry
  • X4 Mini moos bars
  • X2 Moo Free Choccy Drops
  • 1 Ten acre chicken flavour vegan crisps
  • 1 Ten Acre Strawberry Popcorn
  • 1 Popchips ridges Vegan bacon crisps
  • 1 Retro cherry pips Popcorn
  • X1 Tea Forte, limited edition
  • X2 Tregothnan loose leaf tea
  • 1 Tea strainer
  • X3 YumEarth Organic Lollys
  • 1 Booja-Booja, Fine de champagne organic chocolates
  • 1 i choc white vanilla bar
  • X2 Pernigotti bars
  • 1 spooky tea towel
  • 1 Living Dead Cakes limited edition mug

❤️ Good Luck ❤️

Recipe

A Vegan Christmas: Chickpea & Sweet Potato Curry

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This delicious curry is perfect anytime of the year but when other people are making turkey curry with left overs for Boxing Day this is perfect meal for us vegans on Boxing Day.

I have used a pre mixed Tikka curry powder in this recipe but you can use your favourite combination of spices if you prefer, Curry isn’t something I make too often so this blend of tikka spices are perfect for me.

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Ingredients:

  • 1 large Onion, roughly chopped
  • 2 Tbsp. Vegetable oil
  • 2 Tbsp. Tikka Curry powder
  • 1 400g Can Chopped Tomatoes
  • 1 large Sweet Potato, peeled & chopped
  • 1 Courgette, chopped
  • 1 Large Pepper, deseeded & chopped
  • 1 Large Carrot, peeled & chopped
  • 500ml vegetable stock
  • 1 400g can chickpeas, drained
  • Salt & Pepper
  • 360g Long grain rice, to serve  (90g per person)

Method:

This recipe serves 4.

  1. In a large saucepan heat your oil & add your chopped onions, lightly cook for a few minutes until they are just starting to colour,
  2. Add your curry powder and fry for a few minutes,
  3. Add your chopped tomatoes, vegetable stock, sweet potato, courgette, carrots, & peppers, bring to the boil and simmer of medium heat for 20/25 minutes until your potatoes are just starting to soften,
  4. Add your chickpeas and simmer for 10 minutes while you boil your rice.
    cpc2
  5. Once your rice is cooked, taste your curry and adjust the seasoning to taste and serve.

cpc3Happy Holidays from Living Dead Cakes and we will see you all in the New Year, with lots of new recipes & a fabulous Give Away.

Give our Facebook page a like. Thank you everyone for their love & support this year. <3

Love Ophelia-Wednesday xx

Recipe

A Vegan Christmas: Brownie Christmas Trees & Adult Hot Chocolate.

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I start every post with saying how much I love something and with every post I type up its true, I do love Apple crumble, & Christmas cake.

Yep you guessed it yep I love brownies. mmmmm Brownies!

In the living Dead Cakes Kitchen they are the treat I make the most for my family as everyone loves them.
My hazelnut brownies are my all time favourite & that recipe is coming up after Christmas, But for now why not make these little Christmas trees & have some alcoholic hot chocolate.

These make great Christmas Eve treats for you and the kids (Just miss out the alcohol for them)

I found the best & the most amazing Gold Crème Brulee Liqueur In M&S.
Its Gluten Free & Vegan & EPIC, Its only £10 a bottle, this is the first of many recipes using it that is if I don’t drink it all between now and making something else with it.
The hot chocolates are super easy, just make using your favourite hot chocolate powder & plant milk and add add a shot of your favourite tipple, I also found some vegan squirty cream is Sainsbury’s it was with the Kosher & world foods in the chiller, it was around £2.40 a can.

For the hot chocolate:

I made

  • Vodka & peppermint
  • Disaronno & Dark Chocolate
  • Creme Burlee & Dark Chocolate

For the vodka and peppermint:
I added 1 Tsp. of peppermint oil and 20ml of vodka to my glass and topped up with hot chocolate, cream and a candy cane, The long candy canes I found in B&M for £1.

For the Creme Burlee: 
I added 25ml of the gold flecked nectar (yes I love it that much) to my glass, topped with hot chocolate & lots of cream and some grated dark chocolate.

For the Disaronno:
I added 20ml to the bottom of my glass topped with hot chocolate & lots of cream and some grated dark chocolate.

You could add anything you like, I was going to make a Coconut one but after drinking those three I was a little tipsy,

The Brownies:

I saw these on pinterest & just had to add my twist to them,
The mini candy canes were from PoundLand and no surprise were £1 for the whole box, This recipe makes 11 brownies so there will be a few left over.

Ingredients:

For the Brownies, 

  • 100g Dark Vegan Chocolate
  • 100g Dairy Free Butter
  • 165g Caster Sugar
  • 1 Tbsp Ground Flax seed mixed with 4 Tbsp. cold water
  • 75g Alpro Chocolate Soya Pudding or 1 medium mashed banana
  • 165g Plain Gluten Free Four
  • 1 Tsp. Baking Powder

For the Frosting,

  • 50g Dairy Free Butter
  • 50g Vegetable shorting
  • 270g Icing Sugar
  • 1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
  • Green & Yellow Food Colouring

Sprinkles & Mini Candy Canes for decoration

Method:

Pre-heat your oven to 160c/325f/or Gas mark 3 and line a 28cm x 22cm  size tray non stick parchment paper

  1. In a saucepan on a low heat melt your butter and chocolate, while its melting weigh out your other ingredients,
  2. Once your chocolate butter mixture is all melted add the sugar, flax seed, soya pudding, flour & baking powder and mix until all combined
  3. Pour your brownie mix into the tray and bake for 16-18 minutes
  4. Once baked lift out the parchment paper & leave to cool.
  5. When they are cold trim the edges and cut into triangles
  6. Once cut into triangles, break off the curl of the cane candy and push it into the base to represent the stump and make up your frosting,
  7. Combine all the ingredients for the frosting in a bowl minus the food colouring, add 1 large Tbsp of the buttercream to another bowl and add a little yellow food colouring & mix well, place in a piping bag with a mini star tip. The rest of the buttercream can be dyed green and put in either a piping bag or food bag and cut a little of the end to make a small hole for piping
  8. Pipe a green swirl down the brownie tree and add a little star to the top using the yellow butter cream and add a sprinkle of vegan sprinkles. & they are ready to eat.

These are super tasty & these have been Kid approved buy 3 of my friends children & buy my own children and kids are honest when it comes to food. My best friends little 2 year old Erika, is my favourite little taste tester she is very honest with my cakes & treats, she tries them for me and so far she hasn’t not liked anything I’ve made her.
She loved these little trees. They were also approved by my friends little boy Joseph. <3

Happy Holidays from Living Dead Cakes xx

Recipe

A Vegan Christmas: Fast Festive Chutney

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If you made or are planning to make my sweet chilli jam you might want to make this one too. They are a match made in heaven and both go amazingly with vegan cheese & crackers.

This chutney is unlike other chutneys that require time to mature, this one is ready to eat the second it is cold and is super fast and easy to make. It along with my sweet chilli jam would make a perfect last minute gift,

This recipe makes approx. 5 190ml jars.

Ingredients:

  • 150g Soft Brown Sugar
  • 4-5 Large Apples, peeled, cored & chopped
  • 4-5 Large Pears, Peeled cored & chopped
  • 100g Medjool dates, chopped
  • 300g Cranberries
  • 120ml White Wine Vinegar
  • 1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • 1 Tsp Ground Ginger
  • 1/2 Tsp Ground Nutmeg
  • 1/2 Tsp Salt
  • Lots of fresh ground pepper

Method: 

  1. Wash your empty jam jars & lids and place in a hot oven for 20 minutes to sterilise.
  2. While the jars are in the oven, In a large saucepan add all your ingredients and bring to a boil,
  3. Once at a boil lower the heat to medium/low and simmer for 20-25 minutes until you reach a thick bubbly rich red chutney, taste and add lots of fresh ground black pepper and extra salt if needed.
  4. Once the seasoning is to your taste add to the hot sterilised jars, add the lids and leave to cool completely before adding your labels.

Keeps for 4-6 weeks, once open keep the fridge.

Recipe

A Vegan Christmas: Sweet Chilli Jam

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This sweet spicy jam makes perfect gifts for the holiday season, Super easy to make & is the best chilli jam I have ever tasted,  I make this ever year & share it with my friends and family.

Perfect with some vegan cheese & gluten free crackers.
Makes a great addition to a vegan cheese board.

This recipe makes approx. 6 190ml jars.

Ingredients:

  • 9-10 Red & Green Peppers. deseeded & roughly chopped
  • 10 Red Chilli’s, roughly chopped
  • 800g Granulated Sugar
  • 400g can of Chopped tomatoes
  • 300ml Red Wine Vinegar
  • 10 Cloves Of Garlic, peeled
  • 1 large finger sized piece of root ginger, peeled & chopped

Method:

  1. Using a food processor add your peppers, chilli’s (with seeds), garlic, ginger and pulse until they are very finely chopped
  2. Add your chopped pepper mixture to a sauce pan with the sugar, tomatoes, red wine vinegar & bring it all to the boil,
    scj2
  3. Once it has reached a rolling boil lower the heat to medium high and simmer for 50/60 minutes, skimming of any orange foam, stir occasionally.
  4. While your jam is bubbling away wash your empty jam jars & lids and place in a hot oven for 20 minutes to sterilise.
  5. After 50/60 minutes your jam should be thick, red and looking sticky & delicious once you are happy with the constancy of your jam spoon carefully into your hot sterilised jars & place on the lids.
    scj3
  6. Once they are completely cold you can add your own labels.

The jam keeps for about 3-4 months in a cool dark place. but I don’t think it ever lasts that long when I make it, everyone has eaten it all after 2 days!

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Recipe

A Vegan Christmas: Apple & Cashew Brussel Sprouts.

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What’s a Christmas dinner with out those green little Brussel sprouts, the bane of many a children’s Christmas meal, I love cabbage in any shape or form but I have up until now never really embraced the humble Brussel sprout.

I asked what Christmas things you all wanted to see and something with Brussel Sprouts was one that came up again & again, Many meat eaters add bacon to sprouts at Christmas & then that means another thing we can’t eat!

As with lots of my Christmas recipes this one can also be prepared in advance and just lightly sautéed just before serving.

If you require more servings than my 4 that this recipe provides, just double the ingredients to get your required servings.

sprouts4

Ingredients:

  • 450g Brussel Sprouts, Trimmed & cut into quarters
  • 2 Red Onions, diced
  • 2 Apples, cored & diced
  • 100g Cashew nuts, chopped
  • 1 Tbsp. Dairy Free Butter
  • 4 Tbsp. Apple Juice
  • Salt & Pepper

Method: 

Serves 4 

  1. In a saucepan blanche your trimmed and cut sprouts in salted water for 3-5 minutes,
  2. Once blanched refresh in cold water and leave to drain,
  3. In a frying pan melt your butter and add your diced onions & apples and lightly fry for a few minutes,
  4. Add your sprouts, cashew nuts and apple juice & fry for another few minutes until the apple juice has evaporated.
  5. Season with salt and pepper & serve.

My tip: If you would like to add some crunch to this, you can lightly dry fry your cashews and add them on the top when you season with salt & pepper 

sprouts2

 

Recipe

A Vegan Christmas: Garlic & Rosemary Potatoes.

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Potatoes!! I love them & Hobbits love them. So if they are good enough for Middle Earth then they are good enough for me.

These lovely potatoes make a great extra side dish for your Vegan Christmas dinner or they go with any main meal, They do take a while to bake & because of this they are perfect to bake early & freeze and take out Christmas eve ready for Christmas dinner.

My Christmas dinner tip is preparation, do as much as you can before and when the main event arrives you will be able to make a dinner people will remember for years and not get in a panic over it, & these potatoes are one of my early prep recipes.

When I made these I made enough for 3 servings, you will need about 2-3 potatoes per serving.

Ingredients:

  • 1kg Potatoes, peeled & thinly sliced
  • 1 Leek, sliced
  • 3 Cloves of smoked garlic, crushed
  • 30g Vegan butter
  • 20g Vegetable oil
  • 4 Springs of Rosemary

Method:

Pre-heat your oven to 180c/350f/or Gas mark 4

  1. In your dish place the leeks and on top add the sliced potatoes, keeping them together in potato shapes.
  2. In a bowl melt your butter & add the garlic & oil.
  3. Pour this mixture over your potatoes and make sure it goes down the slices of potato.
  4. Place the springs of Rosemary on top and cover with foil and bake in the oven for 90 minutes,
    (Depending on how thick you sliced your potatoes the baking time will vary),potatoes2
  5. After 90 minutes remove the foil and bake for another 30/45 minutes* uncovered or until the potatoes are soft on the inside & crispy on the edges.
  6. Remove the rosemary & serve

*If you are freezing these for Christmas you can bake them in a disposable foil tray with a lid and just place in the freezer once cold after the initial 90 minute bake.
Take out of the freezer on Christmas eve & defrost fully ready to bake for the final 30/45 minutes uncovered for Christmas dinner.

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