By Rebecca Almond
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| Just peachy! Lactose-free cupcake |
For those of you who are lactose intolerant or know someone who is, you’ll be familiar with the problems often faced when searching for lactose-free recipes. So it’s great to hear top London cookery school L’atelier des Chefs has teamed up with Lactofree to offer a series of cookery courses to inspire lactose-free cooking.
From 6 September to 9 November, you can learn how to create favourite dishes – from curries and French cuisine to cakes and bakes – using Lactofree’s cream, spread, dairy drinks and cheeses. And the good news is, it couldn’t be easier! The products can be used just like their lactose-containing equivalents – it’s just a matter of making a straight swap.
We went along to test the claim for ourselves and whipped up a batch of peach melba fairy cakes.
‘If anything, baking with Lactofree Spreadable is easier than butter,’ says head chef Neil Matthews. ‘It has a softer consistency so can be used straight from the fridge. The spread does make a looser cake mixture, but the quantities and cooking times are exactly the same.’ And they taste like the real deal, too.
To whet your appetite, the chefs at L’atelier have kindly shared their Lactofree cupcake recipe, exclusively for HFG blog readers! Why not give it a go, then visit atelierdeschefs.co.uk/en/cooking-classes/themes/1375-lactofree-cooking.phpto see their full range of Lactofree cookery courses.
Peach melba fairy cakes
Prep: 15 min + cooling Cook: 15 min Makes: 24 cupcakes
For the fairy cakes
250g Lactofree spreadable
250g caster sugar
250g self-raising flour
4 eggs
1tsp baking powder
50g fresh raspberries
A few drops of red food colouring
For the peach compote
50g caster sugar
30g fresh peaches, cut into 1cm pieces
100ml dry white wine
For the icing
250g icing sugar, plus extra to dust
100g Lactofree soft cheese
150g Lactofree spreadable
A few drops of red food colouring
20g fresh peaches, chopped, and 50g fresh raspberries, halved, to decorate
1 Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4 and line 2x12-hole fairy cake trays cupcake cases. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the Lactofree spreadable and 250g sugar until light and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking after each addition until well combined. Sift in the flour and baking powder, then gently fold to combine. Add the food colouring and mix gently, then add the fresh raspberries and mix well. Spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases, then bake for 12–14 minutes.
2 Remove the cupcakes from the oven and leave to cool completely on a wire rack. Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Heat the caster sugar in a saucepan over a low heat until it turns into a dark caramel. Remove the pan from the heat, then stir in the peaches. Add the white wine, then return the pan to a medium heat, stirring continuously, for 1 min or until the peaches soften. Remove the mixture and set aside to cool completely.
3 To make the icing, sift the icing sugar into a mixing bowl, then add the Lactofree soft cheese, Lactofree spreadable and food colouring and whisk until smooth and combined. Spoon the icing into a piping bag with a star nozzle attachment.
4 Using a small knife, cut a small piece from the middle of each cupcake and set aside. Spoon some of the peach compote into the middle of each cake, then pipe in a little of the icing. Replace the cake pieces, then pipe on a little more icing. Decorate with the raspberries and fresh peach pieces, then dust with icing sugar.
Tip: When using coloured butter icing, use disposable rather than fabric piping bags as the food colouring can stain.
Per cupcake
222kcal
2.3g protein
12g fat
5.5g saturates
27.2g carbs
20.6g sugar
0.6g fibre
0.3g salt
45mg calcium
0.4mg iron
For more on lactose intolerance and the Lactofree range, visit lactofree.co.uk
