I had the craziest experience today. I travelled across the state to record a video segment for Nightline on food allergy. Yeah, little old me. How crazy is that? It’s pretty funny to go about life, thinking your experiences and opinions are pretty normal and maybe a bit boring…and then find a news team that wants to hear about it.
I started Speedbump Kitchen 4 years ago, to encourage fellow allergy moms to create the best food on earth for their allergic kids, keep the overwhelming fear and anxiety monsters in check, charge forward with confidence, and include as many people as possible in the party. Time will tell how successful I’ve been with mentoring moms on the emotional aspect…but I AM confident in the food aspect.
I created these cupcakes over the weekend and packed a few to share with the Nightline team. Joy of joys, our interviewer sampled one at the end of the interview and loved it. These are pretty amazing, if I do say so myself. I did a little “field research” of the real Hostess Cupcake before embarking on this recipe, and these are better than the original. I’ll let everyone know if and when the segment airs. Fair warning, I am not a slick politician type. I’m a total dork, and the braces I got for my 38th birthday sure don’t help matters much!
Fauxstess Cupcakes
Chocolate Cupcakes
1 cup flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt1 cup white sugar
1 cup dairy-free milk + 1 teaspoon cider vinegar set aside to thicken (I used Silk PureCoconut , my current preferred liquid for baking, but Silk Soy would be fine)
1/3 cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract1.) Preheat oven to 350. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
2.) Whisk together the top 4 ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
3.) Whisk the bottom 4 ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl.
4.) Dump the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well. Don’t overbeat or the cupcakes will be tough.
5.) Spoon into liners. You should be able to fill all 12 spots, don’t overfill.
6.) Bake for 16-18 minutes or until the tops are set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
7.) Allow to cool completely on a rack before filling.Cream Filling
(yes, this is a recipe within a recipe and you never use all of base items. I feel like Thomas Keller in Ad Hoc!)
4 Tablespoons Shortening, I use Spectrum Naturals
1 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup marshmallow fluff (recipe below)
2 Tablespoons Soy Creamer1.) With a mixer, beat the shortening and powdered sugar together until fluffy.
2.) Add the vanilla & soy creamer, beat again.
3.) Carefully mix in the fluff, don’t overbeat it…or you’ll lose all the fluff.
4.) Spoon into a pastry bag with a pointy tip. Plunge the tip of the pastry bag into the tops of the cooled cupcakes. Squeeze in just a bit of filling, until you feel the sides of cupcake swell.Marshmallow Fluff
Makes 2 cups
1 package gelatin
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup corn syrup
1 tablespoon water
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract1.) Sprinkle the gelatin powder into the bowl of a stand mixer.
2.) Pour the 1/4 cup water over the gelatin and allow to soften.
3.) In a medium saucepan, bring the sugar, corn syrup, 1 Tablespoon water and salt to a boil. Allow for boil for a minute or so, until the liquid changes from white to clear.
4.) Remove from the heat, add the vanilla.
5.) Pour hot sugar liquid into the stand mixer bowl and beat the heck out of it. We’re talking about 8 minutes on high.
6.) When the cream is soft and fluffy, it’s ready.
7.) Store extra in the fridge.Ganache
4 ounces safe chocolate chips, I used Divvies
1/4 cup soy creamer
1 Tablespoon shortening at room temp1.) Place the chocolate chips and shortening in a small bowl.
2.) Heat the soy cream up in the microwave for 30 seconds.
3.) Pour the creamer over the chocolate chips, make sure all the chips are submerged, and let sit for 2-3 minutes to melt.
4.) Whisk well, until all the chocolate is melted and smooth.
5.) Dip the cupcakes into the ganache and let dry flat. Once you’ve dipped all the cupcakes, given them all a second dip.Icing for the curlicues
Powdered Sugar
Water
1.) You’re going to have to wing this one. Add about 1/2 cup powdered sugar to a bowl, and a splash of water. Whisk well. Keep adding water until you’ve got a thick icing that is “pipe-able”, but not so runny that you make a mess. Spoon into a pastry bag and make your swirls! Enjoy!
Hi!
A friend of a friend of yours sent me a link to your awesome blog this morning.
Like you, I have a 9 year old daughter with severe food allergies. She has an airborne and contact allergy to peanuts and is allergic to some tree nuts and possibly to soy (test results have been rather inconsistent, but, after several trips to the ER after she has eaten meals high in soy protein, we now avoid it). We are vegetarians and I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease about a year ago, so, I am now Gluten Free. We have 7 year old twins who — thankfully — appear to have no food allergies or issues with gluten.
Like you, I bake and cook more. We enjoy Family Dinners most nights…and Sunday Brunches, too. I enjoy the preparation of the meals we eat as a family and relish the time we have together. We also bake and cook regularly for others in our circle of friends and in our community who suffer from food allergies or have other dietary issues or concerns.
Like you, we also travel less. Airplanes are scary for us as our daughter once had an anaphylactic reaction on-board an airplane where peanuts were being served. We’ve come to appreciate the joys of slower forms of transportation — including trains. I have a long list of “pros” when it comes to road-trips, and actually enjoy them!
I’m looking forward to following your blog!
OH MAN! You are AMAZING! This is going at the top of my list of your recipes to try! Only one more month and we will finally get our ice cream maker out of storage (it’s been there for TWO YEARS) and I will attempt some of those awesome ice cream ideas. First on that list: BLUE MOON. I will be ordering some from online for myself 🙂 Then the whole family can experience a piece of my childhood.
Thanks Stacey! The ice cream recipes are my favorites. I have so many ideas for ice cream recipes, I could probably write an entire book on that alone!
Thanks so much for driving to my house the other day. It was very nice meeting you. I have shared your blog page with our followers on FB. The cupcakes were very yummy, THANKS!!
Great meeting you too Lisa! Keep up the great work. Your members would also enjoy http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org . Their message board is very well staffed and has medically accurate information. I’m on their medical advisory board (I just proofread cookbooks and kids books!!) along with Dr. Matt Greenhawt, allergist in Ann Arbor who was also interviewed for the Nightline story.
Hi,
I am loving your site. I have a 6 year old with Autism and while he doesn’t have any severe food allergies, he is sensitive to certain foods. I am allergic to dairy and I knew from a pretty early age that he would have problems with it. He also has problems with soy and I am wondering what can I do to substitute out the soy creamer? I would like to be able to make him a whipped cream substitute. Thanks
Hi Kristin! Thanks so much. For the soy creamer, you could try the coconut creamer made by the Silk company. It’s hard to find though. I think going with straight coconut milk from a can would be too thick, as well as strong on the coconut flavor…but maybe 1/2 canned coconut milk and 1/2 rice milk would be interesting to try. For whipped cream, try this: http://nuttykitchen.com/2010/06/01/coconut-whipped-cream/
When my son had his first anaphylactic reaction to milk and was diagnosed with food allergies, I was so overwhelmed. My problem at the time was that I thought too much about those peanut butter bullies, and what he was going to do when he was 18 and I couldn’t watch out for him anymore. Somehow I stumbled onto your website and I found in you someone that calmed my fears, and a kindred spirit of sorts because I became the mom who made the allergy free foods better than the regular… What I made safe for my son, was the first dessert gone at potlucks. You helped give me the confidence that I needed to know that everything was going to be okay and that it was possible to train my son to protect himself, rather than live in fear and hatred of those who don’t understand allergies. I have seen many of those moms, and I definitely didn’t want to be the mom that everyone ran away from, or that had the child that no one wanted to play with because of his super sensitive mom :-). I learned that teaching other parents was the way to go instead of being angry that they didn’t understand, and I have been happy, and my son is happy. In fact, one day my son had a mild reaction and I said that I was so sorry that he has allergies. His response was, “it’s okay mom. I am happy.”. He has tons of friends and playdates, and no one complains when i supply the yummy treats. So as far as you being a mentor for me, without ever knowing me, I would say it was a success. So thanks for being there, and for not giving up 🙂
AWESOME!!! Can’t thank you enough for this blog! I have 2 kids with food allergies and one of them is severely allergic to dairy and eggs. Your recipes are amazing and I’ve tried many of them including this one…W-O-W!! These cupcakes are a hit and my boys raved about them. I posted a picture of mine on Facebook (made sure to credit Speed Bump kitchen) and was surprised how much feedback I got from my non-allergy friends wanting the recipe. Can’t wait to try the chocolate cream pie next! You have brought many smiles to my FA kids and for that there isn’t enough thanks you’s in the world 🙂
Thanks Kim! These cupcakes are really good! Even I was surprised!
I made these tonight for my daughter to take to a family gathering tomorrow. Of course, I had to sample one after all of my hard work. They are AMAZING!!! I am so glad I stumbled upon your blog…thanks for the wonderful recipes!!
I am totally going to try these with coconut creamer, cane syrup (not corn), and Enjoy Life (no soy) chips! Will keep you all posted. Need to find a day the kids will leave me alone to concentrate on all those steps, LOL.
Hi there. The current Food on Friday on Carole’s Chatter is all about favourite foods from childhood. I do hope you link this lovely one in. This is the link . Please do pop back to check out some of the other links. Have a great week.
My grandson is severely allergic to wheat, as well as eggs and all milk products. What do you recommend to substitute for the flour? There are suggestions online, but each combination seems to produce very different results. I’d be interested in your thoughts. Keep on cooking and posting! Moms of kids (and Grans like me), need your help 🙂
Hi Rhonda, I think the hardest allergy combo is wheat-egg-dairy when it comes to baking. Things just fall apart without either egg or wheat gluten to hold it all together. I have lots of crumbly brownies in my past. I tried buying all sorts of flour (oat, barley, rice, coconut, sorghum, corn, potato, tapioca…you name it) and mixing with xanthan gum to make my own “wheat-free baking mix”. In the end, I had the best luck and the least stress just buying the gluten-free Cherrybrook Kitchen mixes. Betty Crocker makes gluten-free mixes now as well and I’ve seen them at Walmart.
When using these mixes, dairy is easy to sub out, just use a dairy-free margarine. For egg, you can use the Ener-G egg replacer. The Ener-G replacer has some binders in it, which makes it nice when baking without gluten. Now that we’re able to use wheat around here, I tend not to use Ener-G, I just use 2-3 T of liquid instead…but it was a lifesaver when we had to bake wheat-free.