Ital is Vital... Vegan Cupcakes

Vanilla Vegan & Gluten-Free Cupcake with Vegan Buttercream and Strawberry Slices

Ital or I-tal (/ˈaɪtɑːl/ eye-tahl)  a diet designed to increase Livity (life energy).

Growing up in a Rastafarian household, there was a time that we ate only Ital food. In it's most purest form, Ital food is akin to a vegan diet minus the salt. In truth though, there are variations on the theme, and it is open to some level of interpretation. For me, when I think of Ital baking, I want to make something that anyone can eat, whether they are vegan, have nut allergies, a gluten intolerance or whatever else can steal the joy of someone wanting to eat a tasty cake.

Irie!

It's been a while since I did any, but last weekend, I tried my hand at a bit of Ital (in this case vegan and gluten-free) baking with a simple cupcake recipe adapted from Ms Cupcakes new cookery book - "The Naughtiest Vegan Cupcakes in Town"

Cupcakes fresh out of the oven

In my little bit of experience in making vegan cupcakes, I've discovered that there are a million ways to make them. Also once you get the right ingredients it's actually quite straightforward (my kinda cooking!)

Whilst I perfect my own recipe to share with you guys, check out PETA's website for a cool, step-by-step guide on how to make vanilla vegan cupcakes (Click here).

Some extra vegan baking tips;

• Vegetable shortening use Trex (for the British readers)
• Vinegar means Apple Cider Vinegar or White Wine Vinegar
• Oil means flavourless i.e. groundnut, grapeseed or sunflower oil
• I used gluten-free flour mix instead of the usual self-raising flour
• Work quickly once the liquid has been added to the dry-mix & don't overmix
• Vegan cakes don't last as long as normal ones so they are best eaten straightaway (which is really no problem at all!)

Vanilla Vegan & Gluten-Free Cupcake with Vegan Buttercream and Strawberry Slices - Ital baking at it's best!

Before I forget, the book is an essential item in a baker's kitchen - it's beautifully put together and the recipes are easy to follow. Get yourself a copy! :)

Peace & Love

xx

Pin It

Tate & Lyle Tasting House

One of the cool things about being a blogger is that I get invited to launches and other events. I'm usually too busy to go along to them but a couple of weeks ago I got an invite to the press night for Tate & Lyle's Tasting House in Central London. 

From the Caribbean room - all edible!

To celebrate the launch of their new range of golden and brown cane sugars, they put together an amazing Hansel & Gretel style house, filled with edible delights, curated by the talented Ms Cupcake and a team of master bakers. You can see more about the house on the Tate & Lyle blog, (click here).

Some of the things I took home!

Obviously an invite to a house full of cake was not something you're ever too busy for, so I made sure I went! I didn't realise that it wasn't a public event though & I was busy tweeting everyone telling them to get down there - whoops!

Anyways, it was really spectacular & I went home with a bag full of tasty goodies! Check out some of the photos from the evening.

Pillows made from cake (photo courtesy of Mischief PR)

(photo courtesy of Mischief PR)

(photo courtesy of Mischief PR)

A bath full of popcorn (photo courtesy of Mischief PR)

Me tucking into a 5ft long rainbow cake! 

Goodies for my doggy bag!

An edible sugar flower display 

Part of a rug made entirely of meringue

Me slightly overwhelmed with just how much cake there is!

I can't wait to try out the sugars themselves. Watch this space! :)

Peace & Love

xx

Pin It

Tea and Cakes of London - Ms Cupcake...

My sister bought a book recently called 'Tea & Cake London' by Zena Alkayat, which gives details of some of the best places for sweet treats in London. Our plan is to go to as many as we can, to taste some of the goodies that are out there & see how the professionals do it!

Last week I was in Brixton, South London and I stumbled upon the vegan cupcake store, Ms Cupcake. I was really excited as I have heard so many good things about the place and couldn't wait to taste test! Plus it's been a while since I've featured vegan cakes on this blog!

Sure enough they didn't disappoint. The first thing you notice is just how much icing is on the cupcakes! There is literally a 50:50 cake to icing ratio, making them look so luxurious. I definitely felt some icing envy and am wondering now if I have been too miserly with my portions!

I had four flavours, Chocolate Chilli, Rose Petal, Red Velvet and Lime & Coconut. They have so many flavours on offer, it's a bit overwhelming for someone as indecisive as me (but obviously amazing!) Of these four, my personal favourites were the Lime & Coconut, followed by the Rose Petal cake and I think that is because they are vegan. There is definitely a difference in flavour with vegan cakes, but they are still very very tasty. This is where the choice of flavours comes in handy because you can push the boundaries of what you would normally choose.

If you have yet to sample vegan cupcakes, then I would definitely start here. I personally couldn't manage all of the icing, but I salute anyone that can!

Ms Cupcake can be found at 408 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, London SW9 8LF, if you're in the area go check them out!

Peace & Love

xx

ps do you have any recommendations for cake eateries in London??

Pin It