Allergy Friendly Cake Recipe: Gluten, Egg and Dairy Free!

On reflection after yesterday's post, I'd thought I'd post up the recipe I used for Carter's birthday cake to help out any others out there who are searching for an allergy friendly cake. I'm still a little excited that Susan sent it to me. To find a cake that's gluten free, egg free and dairy free but still tastes amazing is as rare as gold dust!

So, here it is. You can choose to make it chocolate or use custard powder, it's up to you!

Ingredients: 

 3 cups Gluten Free SR Flour
2/3 (80g) dairy free custard powder or 2/3 cup (70g) cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups (440g) caster sugar
2 cups (500ml ) water
2/3 Cups (160ml) canola oil
1 teaspoon Vanilla essence
2 tablespoons lemon juice ( optional)

Glace icing
3 cups (500g) gluten free icing sugar
2 teasooons dairy free spread
1/3 cups (80ml) soy milk
lemon juice or food colouring

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Line baking tray or 2 x 12 hole muffin tray with paper cases.

Sift the flour, custard powder and salt into a large bowl; stir in the sugar.
Combine the measured water, oil vanilla and lemon juice in a large jug.
whisk the water mixture into the flour mixture until smooth. Divide the mixture into paper cases or baking tray.
Bake for approximatively 25minutes.

ICING
combine the icing sugar, spread and soy milk in a small heat proof bowl. Place over a small pan of simmering water, stir until spreadable. Tint with a few drops of food colouring if desired.

Spread onto cold cakes and decorate.

Now, because I used a round cake tin I found mine took quite a bit longer to cook, around the 45 minute mark. I think opening the oven door frequently to test it didn't help as it sunk a little in the middle, but it was still moist and there's nothing a bit of frosting can't fix.

Thanks so much again Susan, you're a lifesaver. You've made one little boy very happy with his 'yummy shokolat cake!'

If anyone else has found a delicious allergy friendly cake recipe, I'd love you to link in the comments. I'm trying to build up my collection so Carter has a bit of variety. Thanks!

My Little Lion Turns Three.

Sometimes I look at my Little Lion and can't quite believe he's now three years old. He's not my baby anymore, he's my little boy and every day he makes my laugh with his funny antics and inquisitive nature. 

His birthday was last Tuesday, and we celebrated by going out to lunch, but his party was held on Sunday. We kept it simple- morning tea with family and close friends, and of course a cake for the birthday boy. All week Carter has been requesting a 'yummy shokolat cake' so when my friend Susan sent me a recipe for a gluten, egg and dairy free cake that still tasted delicious, I was over the moon. She runs a daycare centre and they use the recipe constantly, so I knew it was tried and tested and it wouldn't be a flop on the day!

Now, I'm not the best at decorating cakes. One day, sometime, I would love to do a cake decorating course, but for now I knew I needed to play to my strengths and decorate it wisely! I got my inspiration from Pinterest- where else?- and saw a cake decorated with bunting. Perfect! I kept the bunting the colours of our theme- Giggle and Hoot- and the look on his face when we bought it out made my day. I was just thrilled that he finally had a birthday cake he could actually eat, and enjoy!

Deon's parents had bought him an amazing present- a 32 Ford Roadster peddle car with has name as a numberplate on the back. The kid is getting into cars early and I don't think he had a choice as both sides of the family are motorheads and Hot Rodders. He ripped that paper off and jumped in immediately, and everyone helped him guide it around the yard. 

I thought I'd had the Little Lion's birthday present sussed for a few months now. We'd planned to buy an ipad- extravagant I know, but as a teacher I'd witnessed the advantages they had for children in early childhood, and some of the educational apps they had were brilliant. However, as his birthday came closer and closer I begin to waver with my decision, and two weeks out I knew I wanted to change it. There would always be time to get him a present like that, and right now all the kid wanted to do was to be outdoors. Influenced by our trip to Daintree Station I knew what it had to be- a little quad bike!  

Carter was in his element for the rest of the afternoon, alternating between the peddle car and quad bike. We have a 1 3/4 acre property that we'll be building on in the very near future, so I'm guessing Deon's next task will be to build a track for him to ride on. For now it's up and down the driveway and around the front paved area.. and I can guess what we'll be doing today as well!

Happy 3rd Birthday my beautiful Little Lion. We love you past the stars xx

Vitamin Rhi! The Finale.. Day 7&8

The overwhelming feeling I felt when I woke up on this particular morning was bittersweet. Although I had quad biking with my sister and her fiance Joey to look forward to this morning, it was out last day in the Daintree and Port Douglas and the next day we'd be kissing the Sunshine State goodbye and heading back to frosty Victoria. Sigh. What a bummer. Insert sad face here. The upside though? And a massive one at that? Giving my Little Lion, who I had missed terribly the biggest hug ever and kissing his gorgeous little face all over!

We had to leave from the Daintree Eco Lodge and Spa fairly quickly as we were booked into Quad Biking at 9am, so after a hasty (but extremely yum) breakfast of blueberry pancakes, I bid the lodge farewell and we hightailed it out of there.

Quad Biking was situated at Daintree Station, and I have a confession to make. When I picked Quad Biking, I thought it would be a cool little ride through the rainforest on flat paths which would be all lovely and scenic. Well, I got two parts right. It was cool, and it was scenic, but when they say Rumble in the Jungle they bloody well mean it. 

Fabulously enough there was a turn of events which meant that Deon, my sister Lanna, her fiance Joe and I had a group all to ourselves and were led by the awesome Chris. Now, I was a little nervous as the last time I drove a 4 wheeler I accidentally drove it into my cousins dam, so I needed to get my mojo and confidence back fast. After a brief practice on a small path, I thought I had it nailed. We took off in a line and then.... came to the first hill.

Holy f*&k. 

This was extreme. Keep in mind the the paths and grass were slick and full of mud due to the rain, so it was slippery at every turn. It took all my strength to keep the damn thing straight, and I could see my sister was freaking out too. It was terrifying... exhilarating... and pushed me right out of my comfort zone which was just what I wanted. The boys were totally in their element, racing through the mud, doing burnouts, monos and wheelies and I was just making sure I didn't roll the damn thing and get pinned under it!

My fave part would definitely have been the tiny winding tracks in the middle of the rainforest, and driving the creeks. Absolutely breathtaking, and something I'll remember forever. I am so grateful that I got to spend it with my family, and having my sister there was the icing on the cake. 

It was a full two hours of mud splattering motoring goodness, but my arms were killing at the end! I tell you what though, if we're ever up north again I'd go back in a heartbeat. In fact, Deon keeps talking about wanting a quad bike for himself now! 

After finishing up at Daintree Station, we quickly got changed and headed back to Port Douglas lunch- the best burgers ever from Bulls Burger Bar. I'd read on Tripadvisor (my Bible) that this was the place to go for burgers, but the fact that they're only open from Thursday to Sunday meant I had to wait til the last day to try them! Totally worth it though, I couldn't even finish mine and the chips were devilishly good. 

Hugs were exchanged, then we left Lan and Joey to head to Cairns. I tried to soak in as much as I could on the drive and savour every movement as I didn't know when I'd get the chance to go back again. 

I have NFI what on earth I'm doing with my mouth in this photo, but I remember I was insanely happy so it stays! 

Our last night was at the Holiday Inn on the Esplanade. A king size room with a balcony overlooking the ocean.. we kept the doors open to listen to the waves rolling in and simply people watch. Deon went to fit a gym session in while I was quite happy to soak in a bubble bath and completely relax. Room service was ordered and we pigged out on Nasi Goereng, mushroom pizza, wedges with sweet chili and sour cream and chocolate mud cake. After such a full on week, it was the perfect way for us to end our stay in Queensland.

 The next day was loooong catching two flights home, but the moment we began touching down in Mildura my excitement was palpable and I was almost pushing people out of the way to get to my little boy. As soon as I saw Carter I dropped everything to give him the biggest squishy cuddles I could. It was the best feeling in the world to feel his little arms wrapped around me and to kiss him goodnight again!

Once I just want to thank Tourism Queensland and Nuffnang Australia for making this trip possible by running the competition in the first place. Celeste, you have been amazing and put together the most wonderful itinerary for us. I said I wanted a trip full of action and adventure, and you certainly delivered that! To all the vendors in Cairns, Port Douglas and the Daintree, your friendliness and stellar customer service made our experience an absolute pleasure. 

If you're ever thinking about going to the Sunshine State, just GO. Ocean, rainforest, reef... a tropical playground. What more could you ask for?  

Love you Queensland!

Vitamin Rhi! Day 5&6

Today, I was up for a little bit of pampering.

By 10am we were all packed up and after bidding a fond farewell to Mantra apartments we started the drive to the Daintree Eco Lodge and Spa. We wound our way through sugercane fields and thick, intertwining trees and ferns. A tapestry in all shades of green.

We found the lodge tucked into a corner of the Daintree Rainforest, and it was breathtaking. An oasis of calm and tranquility, you could see instantly that the treehouses worked to fit in with the surroundings. With only 15 treehouses, you were guaranteed privacy and hey, Oprah stayed here. It had to be good!

We were greeted warmly by the owner and given the philosophy and background of the lodge. The Eco Lodge is completely inspired by and entrenched in Aboriginal culture, and you can find it infused in the artworks, food and spa treatments.

And speaking of spa treatments... of my LORD they were good. After settling into our gorgeous little tree house, I changed into a robe and headed over to the spa to indulge in a facial and massage. I was so blissed out, at one stage I almost fell asleep and had to will myself to keep awake. Hearing the natural surroundings of the rainforest was so special, and the sound of the rain pattering down gently was incredibly soothing.

After my treatments, I spent quite a bit of the afternoon relaxing on the balcony with a book. Deon started to get itchy feet and so we decided to check out the place, and came across a path that took us all the way to a waterfall.

We decided that night to stay in for dinner, and followed the lights along the boarwalks to make our way to the Julaymba Restaurant. Let me just say now, I could have eaten three of the light damper loaves with bush tomato butter, dukkah and macadamia oil. Absolutely delicious.

We fell asleep to the sounds of the bush turkeys and other various nocturnal animals, and awoke early to head out to Cape Tribulation for our Jungle Surfing adventure.

The drive to Cape Tribulation was all sorts of awesome. Although it took awhile, it was incredibly entertaining. We crossed the river on the ferry, then wound our way through the Daintree Village. When I saw the Ice Cream factory, I knew in a heartbeat that I would be stopping there on the way back!

When we arrived at the Snake House in Cape Tribulation, we had some time to kill so we spent an hour wandering through the boardwalks of the Daintree Rainforest. We ran out of time to visit Coconut Beach then, but I knew I wanted to go there after the surfing.

Ok. Now to the Surfing!

Two words. Awesomely Exhilarating. 

A bus charted us up to the top of the canopy, and after being fitted in harnesses and helmets we took a quick hike to the first station. (I was quite happy being Snow White, but I think Deon was a little put out about the choice of Bambi for him. I saw him looking longingly at Wolverine).

After being winched up, we then surfed down in four stages. The first was in tandem, then solo, then quicker, and then my absolute favourite: Upside down. I loved it! 

The guides were super fun- very knowledgable and witty, but still professional and safety conscious the whole time. If you're ever up North Queensland, this is a must do!

After the surfing I was still buzzing from it, so we took a quick walk to Coconut Beach (to where the ocean meets the rainforest) and I kept a lookout for crocodiles. Hey, you never know, right?

On the way back to the lodge I made Deon pull into the Daintree Ice Cream Company where I sampled four of the flavours made that day: Jackfruit, Soursop, Mango and Wattlefruit. Yes. Exotic. But freaking good.

I could have easily sat there and sampled for the rest of the afternoon, but it was time to go. We made the decision to head back to Finz in Port Douglas for tea as it was so damn good the last time, and the seafood paella definitely didn't disappoint us. Scallops, mussels, morton bay bugs, prawns, chicken, chorizo and rice in a huuuge paella pan that was so big that both of us couldn't finish it. 10 out of 10 Finz! 

 Tomorrow, Day 7&8. 

Vitamin Rhi! Day 3&4

We needed to be up bright and early and down in reception by 8am for our transfer to todays activity- Sailing on a Catamaran and snorkeling around Low Isles. Fabulous! 

We climbed on board the Sailaway and set out to Low Isles. Once again Queensland had turned out perfect weather for us and it was a balmy, calm and sunny morning. The thing I loved about Sailaway was that group numbers are small, so it's more personalised. Plus they own one of only four reef tour licences, which means limited access to the public and more access to the coral cay for you! Oh, and you can drink on board if you wish. Bonus. 

As we pulled out of the marina I pretended that I was wealthy and simply taking my boat out for the day. I mean, who wouldn't kill for one of these babies? Really? 

As we got further into our one hour voyage to Low Isles the wind whipped up and it became fresher.. and almost chilly. I started having an internal freak out as I can't stand to be cold, and with goosebumps prickling over my skin the thought of jumping in the ocean, Great Barrier Reef or not, was quite unappealing. And then... a miracle. Wetsuits were offered for $5 and I tell you what baby, it was the best $5 I spent that day.

Super flattering!

After grabbing a prime spot on the beach out of the wind, I took a deep breath, affixed my snorkeling gear and waded in. After about a minute of adjusting to breathing through the snorkel, I was off and exploring all the coral cay had to offer. Jewel toned fish, giant clams and textured coral.. amazing! 

Even though the water temperature was fine once I'd gotten used to it, I was freeeeezing when I jumped out! I needed to soak up some of those rays to get toasty warm again, and soak it up I did. Too much. I totally turned lobster and invested in some aleo vera that night. Oops! 

Back on board, and it was time for an awesome buffet lunch. Ham, beef, prawns, chicken, salads, fresh fruit and bread.. I was in heaven. This is totally my favourite sort of lunch, and I ate until I was completely stuffed. 

On the way back to Port Douglas the weather changed and the sea turned super choppy, meaning a lurching boat, rumbling grey skies and sea spraying everywhere. Most hid out the back of the boat but we bravely (or stupidly?) huddled together at the front, watching as we sliced through the ocean.

The rest of the day was spent chilling out back at the apartment, washing the salt out of my hair and strolling down the streets during the evening. I fell asleep in front of the TV, as the day had completely taken it out of me. I was exhausted! (Yeah yeah... I know how it sounds. Exhausted from sitting on a boat, swimming amongst fish and eating prawns. Total Prima Donna.)

Tuesday was another day of leisure for us, so apart from a little spot of retail therapy in the morning we took it pretty easy. In the afternoon we decided to explore 4 Mile Beach, and both of us felt like we needed a workout of some sort. All the food we were indulging in was starting to take its toll!

We power walked the whole way up and back breathing in that salty air, watching the kite surfers and marveled over the little crabs darting here and there. 

We decided to head out for tea that night, and ended up at a place called Finz. Best decision ever.. we both ordered eye fillet on seeded mustard mash with morton bay bugs, scallops and prawns. It was so damn good, and the raspberry chocolate brownie we shared for dessert topped off a perfect meal. One more Pina Colada later, and it was time to head back for our last night in Port Douglas. 


What did Wednesday have in store? Hello Daintree! 




Tomorrow, Day 5&6!