Goody Good Stuff Sweets Review

The fab folks over at Goody Good Stuff sent me a package of goodies to try! I'm always up for trying new vegan sweets - and these are brilliant!

Goody Good Stuff is an all-natural gummy sweet range which uses plant-based ingredients as opposed to the gelatin that most gummy sweets use. You can find them in health food shops, some sweet shops and online.

Cola Breeze are deliciously fizzy gummy cola bottles! These are a childhood classic and probably my favorite of the ones I tried. I love fizzy sweets and especially like sucking the sour sugar off of these!

Summer Peaches are a peach-y treat! These gummy sweets have a slightly firmer texture, and have a really lovely peach flavor without being overwhelmingly sweet. These would be great on top of some Peach Cupcakes!

The Tropical Fruit sweets are so good. I love that each fruit gummy actually tastes of the fruit it looks like - the banana ones actually taste of banana! I've never had banana flavored gummy sweets before and really loved them!

Being a sour sweet enthusiast the Sour Fruit Salad was right up my street! I especially loved the pear ones and would definitely buy them in the future.

Carrot Cake Cheesecake

I love it when two beautiful things come together to make an even more beautiful thing. And that's exactly what has happened with this amazing Carrot Cake Cheesecake! Vegan cheesecake is really easy to make, and I've previously tried making Strawberry and Chocolate Fudge Cheesecakes, and thought I would try something different this time!

Sweet, creamy vanilla cheesecake is swirled with spiced, moist carrot cake to create this delectable dessert.

Carrot Cake Cheesecake

Adapted from here

Serves 8

For the cheesecake mixture

9oz dairy free cream cheese

1C silken tofu

3/4C sugar

1tsp vanilla extract

2tsp flour

Egg replacer powder for 2 eggs

1/4C water

For the carrot cake mixture

1 1/4C plain flour

1/2tsp baking soda

1/2tsp baking powder

2tsp ground cinnamon

1/2C vegetable oil

2/3C sugar

1/3C light-brown packed sugar

Egg replacer powder for 2 eggs

1/4C water

1tsp vanilla extract

1C finely shredded carrot

Preheat the oven to 150 and grease a springform tin.

Put all the cheesecake ingredients into a food processor and blitz until the mixture is completely smooth. Set aside while you make the carrot cake mixture.

In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the sugars, oil, water and vanilla until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and mix until everything is well incorporated. Fold in the carrot and spoon a cup of the mixture into the bottom of the tin. Spread evenly over the bottom and then drop 1/3 of the cheesecake mixture in large tablespoons over the carrot cake layer, don't spread it out at all. Pour the remaining carrot cake mixture over the top and smooth over. Finally pour the rest of the cheesecake mixture into the tin and spread to level the mixture out.

Bake for 25mins at 150 and then increase the temperature to 175 and continue to bake for a further 20mins until the cheesecake is nicely risen and there is still a jiggle when you shake the tin. Leave to cool in the tin and then refrigerate overnight before removing from the tin to serve.

Store in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Reading List #1

I don't know about you, but I love to read. Especially if what I'm reading is full of vegan recipes! I've got so many cookery books that they have their own bookcase! I thought it would be fun to start a feature on Floral Frosting all about vegan stuff I've been reading.

I'm starting off this series with a triple whammy of vegan reads - a magazine, a cookery book and a zine!

I was super excited when this magazine caught my eye at my local health food shop! I occasionally buy Vegetarian magazines but am often disappointed at their lack of vegan recipes, so how exciting is it that the UK now has a 100% Vegan lifestyle magazine!? 

Vegan Life Magazine is jam packed with interesting recipes, articles and information about everything vegan! The first issue had lots of Asian inspired recipes, an interesting article about the ethics of keeping your own hens and shared a list of the top 10 Vegan Cheeses for a wine and cheese night! At the moment you can get a yearly subscription for less than £15!

I'm always on the lookout for new cookery books (even though I have so many!) And when I found out that Áine of Pea Soup Eats had written a vegan cook book I knew I had to have it! Áine is an incredible cook and her book Keep It Vegan is jam packed with delectable recipes for everything from Gluten Free Blueberry Muffins to Butternut Squash Macaroni Cheese! 

I'm fairly new to the world of 'zines', and Reap What You Sow is actually the first zine I've ever bought! Written by the super talented Abigail Stevens, a journalism graduate who works for The Vegan Society, this zine is perfect for new and old vegans alike. The first edition is particularly great for non-vegans or new vegans, as it explains lots of basics about veganism (it includes a list of non vegan E-numbers which I have found really helpful) and has plenty of great recipes for things like simple vegan Mayo and Fried Seitan 'Chicken'. 

I'm really excited about the future editions of this zine, especially as I will be writing a lot of the recipes for it! You can buy the first edition for only £1 here.

What have you been reading recently? I'd love to hear your recommendations!

Caramel Peanut Cupcakes with Chocolate Fudge Frosting & Peanut Brittle

Yesterday my son Hal was 6 months old, and to celebrate I decided to make some cupcakes! I went with a peanut flavored cupcake as we used to call him 'Peanut' when I was pregnant before and we knew that he was a boy. 

I thought making peanut brittle would be really complicated, but this recipe is so easy and is all done in the microwave in under 10 minutes!

Caramel Peanut Cupcakes

Recipe adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World

Makes 12

For the cupcakes

3/4C almond milk

2tsp apple cider vinegar

1/2C smooth peanut butter

1/3C oil

2/3C sugar

2tsp caramel extract

2Tbsp ground flaxseeds

1C + 2Tbsp plain flour

1tsp baking powder

1/2tsp baking soda

1/4tsp salt

For the frosting

10oz vegan dark chocolate chips

1/2C soy cream

For the brittle

1 1/2C peanuts

1C sugar

1/2C golden syrup

1/4tsp salt

1Tbsp vegan butter spread

1/2tsp baking soda

Preheat the oven to 180 and line a muffin tin with cupcake cases.

Mix the milk and vinegar together and set aside to curdle. In a large mixing bowl cream together the peanut butter, oil, sugar and caramel extract. Add the milk mixture and mix until well incorporated. Add the ground flax and mix. Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix until just combined. Spoon into the cupcake cases until they are 2/3 full and bake for 20mins. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Put the chocolate chips and soy cream in a small pan over a low heat and stir constantly until the mixture is smooth and all the chocolate has melted. Set aside to cool. Once the mixture has completely cooled spoon it into a small bowl and refrigerate for an hour. After an hour it should be nice and thick.

To make the brittle mix together the peanuts, sugar, salt and golden syrup and microwave for 3 1/2mins. Remove from the microwave and stir well. Microwave for a further 3 1/2mins.

Stir well and add the butter. Mix until the butter has completely melted. Add the baking soda and mix quickly. Pour onto a well greased baking tray and spread out evenly. Leave to cool completely before breaking into chunks.

Finish the cupcakes by spreading them with the Chocolate Fudge Frosting and topping them with pieces of the Peanut Brittle.