We know what you’re all thinking. What a fantastic 2018 this has been so far, it couldn’t possibly get any better from here, right? Wrong. We’re about to release something so hot that Snoop Dogg himself is dropping it. The most hotly anticipated sequel since the second Shrek masterpiece. That’s right, people, It’s Gluten Free Mug Cakes 2. Will it be better than the first? Probably not, but we’ll give it a go.

 

 

Blueberry Banana Bread Mug Cake

We love blueberries, we love bananas, and we love bread. What could possibly go wrong with this one?

 

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp (14 g) coconut flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp (4 g) coconut palm sugar
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 Tbsp (45 ml) unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 medium, ripe banana)
• 1 large egg
• 25-30 g blueberries, fresh or frozen

 

Method 

1. Add coconut flour, baking powder, sugar, and cinnamon to a microwave-safe mug or bowl, mixing until well combined.
2. Add milk and mashed banana, stirring until no clumps remain before adding in your egg. Use a fork to gently beat the egg into the batter, making sure that it gets fully incorporated. Gently fold in blueberries.
3. Microwave on high for 2½ to 3 minutes, depending on microwave strength and size of mug.
4. Remove from microwave, grab a spoon, and enjoy!

 

 

Sugar & Gluten Free Lemon Mug Cake 

This particular recipe comes courtesy of Sugar Free Londoner. If you get a chance do check out her blog and of course, give this incredible recipe a go…

 

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 4 tbsp almond flour
• 2 tbsp double (heavy) cream
• 1 1/2 tbsp sweetener
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp GF baking powder

 

For the glaze

• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp double (heavy) cream
• squeeze of lemon juice (1 tsp)
• 1 tbsp powdered sweetener

 

Method 

1. Grease the inside of a ramekin/2 mugs or microwave-safe bowl with melted butter. I used a glass dessert bowl.
2. For the cake: Mix all dry ingredients – almond flour, sweetener and baking powder – in a separate bowl.
3. Add all wet ingredients and mix thoroughly with a fork.
4. Transfer batter into your ramekin/small bowl and level the top.
5. Microwave on high for ca 90 seconds. You can also bake the cake at 180 Celsius/360 Fahrenheit for ca 15 minutes.
6. Remove from microwave and turn upside down onto a plate.
7. For the glaze, melt the butter, then stir in the cream, lemon juice and sweetener.
8. Let it cool until the glaze begins to thicken but can still be poured. Then spoon/pour over cake and serve.

 

 

Gluten Free Carrot Mug Cake 

Carrot cake is one of those things that shouldn’t really work, but it really, really does. It’s fantastic, and this particular recipe is even fantasticer (yeah, we know that’s not a word) for it’s sheer simplicity and tastiness.

 

Ingredients

• 25ml Sunflower Oil
• 60ml Unsweetened almond milk
• 40g Gluten Free Plain Flour
• 1 tsp GF Baking Powder
• 20g Light Brown Sugar
• 2½g Mixed Spice Ground
• 30g Carrots finely grated
• 10g Sultanas
• Pecans x 6 (finely chopped)

 

 

Method 

1. Mix the oil and milk in a 300ml (1/2pt) microwave-proof mug. Add the remaining ingredients except 1 tsp pecan nuts and the decoration, and beat with a fork until thoroughly combined – make sure there are no floury lumps.
2. Cook in the microwave on High power (850 watt) for about 2 minutes until risen, just set on the top and springy to the touch. Or 750w for approx. 2 minutes 15 seconds. Stand for 1 minute. (Caution, mug will be hot) Then remove from the microwave and leave to cool for about 5 minutes.
3. To decorate, spoon a large portion of vegan ice cream on top of the mug cake. Sprinkle with the remaining pecan nuts and enjoy warm, straight from the mug.

 

 

Well, how was that? As sequels go it wasn’t too bad, right? If you get a chance to make any of the recipes above do send us pics of the results!

Right. We’re going to be totally honest with you here – this particular edition of Coeliac Cities was an absolute nightmare to curate. Don’t get us wrong, Bath is a lovely city, as equally lovely as the residents within, but wandering unfamiliar streets in freezing cold temps, whilst trudging ankle deep in snow is not our idea of an enjoyable afternoon. Luckily, Bath did the gluten-free community proud when it came to its offerings, leaving us in a much better mood than we arrived in. We also learnt a fairly interesting fact about the city that we thought we oughta’ share – the planet Uranus was discovered by William Herschel in his back garden on New King Street. Crazy! Anyway, let’s get on with it…

 

Lunch @ The Whole Bagel

The first place we visited was this fantastic little bagel joint aptly named ‘The Whole Bagel’, based on Bath’s Upper Borough Walls. Rather unpredictably we had a sandwich, but not just any sandwich. A French Brie & Pear Sandwich with Italian Prosciutto, Rocket, Roasted Walnuts & Balsamic Dressing, expertly layered between two slices of delicious gluten-free bread. Trust us when we say it was incredible as it sounds.

 

 

Dinner @ Dough 

After a stroll around the city walls and a couple of brief visits to Bath’s finest public houses (for heat the not the alcohol of course!) we stumbled upon Dough, considered to be Bath’s greatest Gluten Free Pizza. Now, we’re not entirely sure of the level of competition that exists for that particular title but we felt it was enough to warrant a visit. We went for the Gluten Free Calzone, our first one ever in fact, and boy was it good.

 

 

Dessert @ Rosarios Café

 Finally, the one you’ve all been waiting for. The most important meal of the day – dessert! When doing a little research for our visit to Bath we found this café mentioned in a few different places and upon seeing a pic of their GF Coffee & Walnut cake it was basically a done deal. Upon arrival we caught sight of their Gluten Free Sicilian Lemon Cake which left us in quite the predicament. Only joking, we had both, and they were both STUNNING. 5/5

 

 

So there you have it – three fabulous gluten free offerings from an equally fabulous city. The real question is, where do we head to next? Let us know over on Twitter @TooGoodToBeUK

Most people like to spend their Paddy’s Day out drinking Guinness in their local Irish bar with their pals. Not us. We see it as yet another excuse to rustle up a few mean dishes, followed shortly after by an all out gorge on the goodies we create. To be completely honest it’s how most days are spent here at TGTB HQ, but pretending there’s some kind of reasoning behind our food problem makes us feel a little bit better. Anyway, here are three of our Paddy’s Day faves. Enjoy…

 

Gluten Free Soda Bread

 If you’ve no Irish in your family there’s a chance you won’t have actually tried Soda bread. If you do then you probably can’t move for the stuff. They love it over the water and so will you…

 

Ingredients

• 175g gf sorghum flour blend plus extra for dusting
• 75g gf oat flour
• 1 level teaspoon xanthan gum
• 11/2 level teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon light soft brown sugar
• 200ml buttermilk about 75ml milk
• 2 teaspoons gluten free rolled oats for the top, or a dusting of gluten free wholegrain flour

 

 

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas mark 7. Line a baking tray with baking parchment and dust liberally with flour.
2. In a large bowl, measure the flours, xanthan gum, bicarbonate of soda, salt and sugar, and mix well so they are evenly combined.
3. Pour the buttermilk over the dry ingredients and stir in enough milk to form a thick, sticky dough.
4. Tip the dough out onto the floured baking parchment; it will still break and crumble. Coat your hands in flour if the dough is sticky, and lift the dough and turn it to shape it into a ball, rather than kneading it. This will help to give the bread a soft, melting texture.
5. When you have a fairly smooth ball, pat the top with the oats or wholegrain flour, transfer to a baking tray and then flatten the top slightly. Leave in a warm place for 15 minutes to rise.
6. Use a sharp knife to score the bread into four, cutting almost through to the base, and taking care not to knock the air out.
7. Bake for about 40 minutes until golden brown and cooked through: tap the bottom and it should sound ‘hollow’. Set aside to cool on a rack and enjoy warm and fresh on the same day, or freeze.

 

 

Gluten Free Irish Stew

 

So the title of this particular dish is a little misleading since it was already Gluten Free to begin with, but we’re trying to stick to a theme here so go easy on us. This stunning winter warmer is a great way to celebrate the emerald isle and the perfect accompaniment to that Soda Bread we just discussed.

 

Ingredients

• 750g floury potatoes (Estima, King Edward, Maris Piper or Desiree), scrubbed and thickly sliced
• 450g lamb chops or shoulder meat off the bone
• 1tsp sea salt
• plenty of freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large onion, peeled and thickly sliced
• 2 large carrots, scrubbed and sliced thickly
• 2 turnips, scrubbed and sliced thickly
• 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 3 bay leaves
• 5 litres water
• large handful fresh parsley, coarsely chopped

 

Method 

1. Put half of the potatoes in the bottom of a large heavy saucepan. Cover the potatoes with the lamband season.
2. Cover the lamb with the vegetables and the rest of the potatoes then add the rest of the seasoning.
3. Add the thyme and the water (or stock). Bring slowly to the boil and skim off any scum that rises with a slotted spoon.
4. Cover and simmer very gently for 3-4 hours.
5. Allow to cool completely and then chill. Remove any excess fat from the top of the stew then reheat gently until piping hot.
6. Adjust the seasoning to taste and add the chopped parsley.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Irish Whiskey Cake 

 

We had to find a way to include Irish Whiskey somehow, right?! The country’s national drink combined with a gorgeous cake make for one hell of a pudding. Try it for yourself…

 

Ingredients 

• 55g butter
• 100ml water
• 225g dates, stoned and roughly chopped
• 100g caster sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 30ml Irish whiskey
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 50g walnuts
• 225g gluten-free self raising flour
• 1 tbsp Demerara sugar

 

Method 

1. Preheat the oven to 160˚C/150˚C fan/gas mark 3 and grease and line a 2lb/900g loaf tin. In a small saucepan, gently heat together the butter and water until the butter melts and the water is just boiling.
2. Place the dates, caster sugar, vanilla and bicarbonate of soda in a large mixing bowl and pour over the butter and water, then add the whiskey and mix together. Stir in the egg, walnuts and flour and spoon into the prepared tin, levelling the top.
3. Sprinkle over the Demerara sugar and bake until golden brown, firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Check after an hour and then every 5 mins until it is done. Leave to cool in the tin for 15 mins before turning out onto a wire rack.

 

 

Happy St Paddy’s Day!