On January 13th my firstborn turned 4. 

On January 17th my baby turned 1. 

On January 19th we threw them a joint birthday party with a [party] animal theme. 

Meanwhile I was working at all hours after both kids were in bed to complete my eBooks ‘Nurtured - plant based recipes for kids’.

January was nuts. 

That party though!!

Lake said it was the best day of her life. And we’re pretty sure it was too! 

We hired a bouncy castle for Lakey’s gang, a soft play area for Banksy’s baby crew and incredibly it all fit inside The Living Room of My Chelsea/Tanya’s!!

The entire buffet spread was 100% vegan and nut-free and the sweets were also gluten-free and refined-sugar-free in addition to that. 

We ordered all the savoury yummies from My Chelsea and I did all the baking.

Lake’s grown up cake was Chocolate with Strawberry Frosting and Banksy’s baby cake was Carob with Apricot Frosting, because a). I wanted them to match and b). there’s no stimulants or caffeine in carob.

Here’s our plant based menu...

From My Chelsea Hotel:

Vegan Pizzas

Vegan Pasties

Vegan Sausage Rolls

Vegan Nuggets

Hummus + crudités + pita breads

Beetroot falafels

From ‘Nurtured - plant based recipes for kids’ eBooks:

Creamy Pea Dip (Dips & Party Foods eBook)

Blueberry Ice Lollies (Shakes & Ice Creams eBook)

Breakfast Popsicles (Shakes & Ice Creams eBook)

Banana Cake Bites (Dips & Party Foods eBook)

Baked Doughnuts (Dips & Party Foods eBook)

Chocolate Cake & Strawberry Frosting (Birthday Cakes eBook) 

Carob Cake & Apricot Frosting (Birthday Cakes eBook)

Lake specifically requested a Chocolate and Strawberry Cake, so that’s exactly what she got.

The end result went down an absolute treat and was very popular among all the parents as well as the kiddos.

It’s also a great staple cake recipe to keep handy and any one of your favourite frostings will go amazingly here, so have fun with it!

Aaaaand if you're looking for the perfect recipe to bake on the upcoming Love Day (Valentine's Day is this Friday people!!), then you've just found it...

VEGAN CHOCOLATE CAKE & STRAWBERRY FROSTING 

For the cake:

(This recipe is enough for two 7-inch cakes just like you see in my pictures. Or you can make two slim 9-inch cakes instead.)

3 cups (440g) GF self-raising flour

3/4 cup (65g) cacao powder

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp Himalayan pink salt

1 1/2 cup (420g) agave nectar

1 cup (200g) coconut milk from tin

1 cup (200g) light olive oil

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp ground flaxseed

1 tbsp vanilla extract

For the icing:

2 cups (250g) ground xylitol

1/3 cup (70g) vegan butter or a non-dairy spread

280g jar of sugar-free strawberry jam

3/4 block (150g) creamed coconut or 1/2 cup coconut butter

optional: 2-8 tbsp coconut flour

 METHOD

1. Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/390°F/gas mark 6. Grease two 7 inch (18cm) removable base cake tins with some olive oil.
2. Place the flour, cacao powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl and whisk together to combine.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the coconut milk with agave, olive oil, vinegar, vanilla and ground flax.
4. Pour the wet mixture into the dry and whisk again to combine, but don’t over-do it. Distribute among the two greased tins in equal amounts, tap tins on a hard surface for the mixture to even out and let them sit for 5-10 minutes at room temperature.
5. Place inside the hot oven and bake for 25 minutes. Cakes are ready when a sharp knife comes out clean or with a few crumbs stuck to it, just make sure not to overcook - this recipe is better gooey than too dry. Let the cakes cool entirely before getting started on the icing.
6. You can grind xylitol in your blender, simply blend on high until powdered and wait for 2-3 minutes for the dust to settle before opening the lid. Place all of the icing ingredients, except the coconut flour, into a food processor and process until smooth (You may need to open the lid and scrape everything down from the sides of the jug).
7. If you are making a Victoria sandwich-style cake, the cakes will need to be levelled off before they will stack neatly (only if the cakes haven’t sunk in the middle. If they’ve sunk, leave untouched). To do this, use a sharp knife to slice off the top of both cakes where they have over-risen. Then place a scoop of frosting onto the bottom cake and smooth out to the edges giving a generous layer of filling. Flip the second cake over and place on top. Pour the rest of the frosting on top of that if your icing is thick and spreadable but not runny. If it is too runny, add 1-2 tablespoons coconut flour to thicken it up and process to combine. Continue adding more coconut flour until the desired texture for icing your cakes has been achieved, careful not to over-do it as the coconut flour has a drying effect. Spread a generous amount of icing all over the top of the cake and take your time to carefully spread it towards the sides and then down the sides to completely cover the cake. If you like the exposed look of my cake, scrape off the icing from the sides as you are turning the cake on its stand. Decorate to your liking.

 If you think this recipe is pretty special, I have many many more in my new eBook series 'Nurtured - plant based recipes for kids'.

And the Launch Special 'Buy 2 eBooks, Get all 5!' is still on... check it out:

tanyasliving.com/pages/nurtured-plant-based-recipes-for-kids

Looking for the perfect gift this Love Day 2018  but struggling for it to tick all the boxes?

• Gluten free
• Dairy free
• Refined sugar free
• Organic
• Crazy beautiful
• Stupidly indulgent
• Actually healthy
• Really really delicious
• Delivered all across the UK

Not only have we just sorted you out, we've handmade every single little treat. All for the love of it! (Also, it tastes way better that way)

Go straight to the online store>> or shop below:

Notes on delivery:

FREE pick-up option is available. Please come to Tanya's at My Chelsea (SW3 3QX) on the evening of Tuesday 13th or any time on Wednesday14th.

London residents - You can order whole cakes too! (Please see this map to check if your area is covered by our delivery partners). If your order includes a cake, the entire order will be delivered on Wednesday 14th. If your order has no cake, it will be posted by 1st class Royal Mail with the rest on Monday 12th.

UK residents - Please place your order by 10am Monday 12th if you'd like us to mail it that day. We can't guarantee your delivery on or before Wednesday 14th if an order is placed after 10am Monday. Your order will be sent via 1st class Royal Mail and needs to go straight into the fridge as soon as it arrives.

Guys, brace yourself for all the exclamation marks ahead, this is some seriously exciting news!

But first some FACTS about YOU:

*If I got you completely mixed up for someone else, go here and make these salad recipes>>

Well my friend, I'm literally about to make all of your dreams come true!

For the first time EVER and only until Valentine's Day (that's next Wednesday 14th February for those that couldn't care less about this Valentine fella, but still reading because of, hmmm, chocolate?) I'm sending out some of my very best treats across all of the UK!

Yes yes UK- you heard!

[Please forgive me, my overseas friends, you've no idea how much I wish that I could post some handmade sweetness your way too, let's first see if they survive the overnight post locally :)]

Oh and did I mention that I'm making everything by hand? 

Speaking of which, I have to limit the number of available love balls, truffles, cookies, slices, etc, because you know- 2 hands, 24 hours in a day, a toddler, and all- so order yours quickly!

Go straight to the online store: https://tanyasliving.com/collections/valentines-day-gifts


Bring on Love Day 2018!

Happy Shopping and Happy Valentine's...

Notes on delivery:

FREE pick-up option is available. Please come to Tanya's at My Chelsea (SW3 3QX) on the evening of Tuesday 13th or any time on Wednesday14th.

London residents - You can order whole cakes too! (Please see this map to check if your area is covered by our delivery partners). If your order includes a cake, the entire order will be delivered on Wednesday 14th. If your order has no cake, it will be posted by 1st class Royal Mail with the rest on Monday 12th.

UK residents - Please place your order by 10am Monday 12th if you'd like us to mail it that day. We can't guarantee your delivery on or before Wednesday 14th if an order is placed after 10am Monday. Your order will be sent via 1st class Royal Mail and needs to go straight into the fridge as soon as it arrives.

Since my next class 'Raw Handmade Chocolate' is happening this Sunday, I've been absorbed in everything chocolate recently...

Nothing unusual really, but more so than ever, especially since I now have a permanent recipe taster / a handy 2 year old roomie that loves raw chocolate!

(You MUST check in on Instagram @tanyasliving later today for a video of her approving the below recipe! Here's a preview...)

Random side note: While I was listing the below cacao facts, I contemplated on telling you that during the Aztec times, cacao beans were used as currency. Ended up flagging that one (due to lack of wow factor) but I still had a good chuckle because Lake's word for chocolate is 'money'! Not even kidding. I once brought home dark chocolate coins and they left such a lasting impression that she holds out her hand saying 'mama, money peeease' like, all. the. time! Pretty hilarious until you're out in public and strangers do a double take, then stop to observe what sort of parent has a kid begging for cash before she can talk.

SOME LITTLE KNOWN CHOCOLATE FACTS 

CACAO FACT #1 

Just like peanut butter (stoneground peanuts), cacao paste (stoneground cacao beans) also has a 50/50 ratio of fats to solids. However, unlike peanut butter, which is liquid at room temperature, cacao paste is rock solid. This is how you can get a thin chocolate bar to stay in one piece and even require force to snap in half.

CACAO FACT #2

A woman often experiences cramps in her leg muscles during pregnancy. That's a sure sign of magnesium deficiency. The same woman also often craves chocolate. That's your clever body telling you that chocolate contains lots of magnesium, so you should definitely eat it! More on cravings will be covered in my March 11th class, but I thought it's about time you had a good excuse to NEVER say 'no' to dark chocolate again :)

CACAO FACT #3

Raw chocolate powder contains over 40 times more antioxidants than blueberries! There's a handy system called ORAC which measures the ability of antioxidants in foods to absorb free radicals and Cacao's ORAC score is 98,000 per 100g versus 2,400 in blueberries. 

[A little bit on free radicals:  "The body is under constant attack from oxidative stress. Oxygen in the body splits into single atoms with unpaired electrons. Electrons like to be in pairs, so these atoms, called free radicals, scavenge the body to seek out other electrons so they can become a pair. This causes damage to cells, proteins and DNA. Free radicals are associated with human disease, including cancer, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and many others. They also may have a link to ageing." - LiveScience]

Mini Raw Chocolate and Orange Cupcakes

For the cupcakes

• 1 cup almond meal (what is left after making almond milk)
• 1/2 cup hazelnuts, soaked overnight
• juice of 2-3 oranges
• 20 pitted dates, soaked overnight in above orange juice
• 1/2 ripe avocado
• 3 heaped tbsp cacao powder
• 3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 2 tbsp coconut sugar

For the icing

• 80g orange infused raw chocolate (buy at the store or see below for recipe)
• 100g (almost 1 cup cashews), soaked 4-8 hours
• 2 tbsp orange juice
• 2 tbsp coconut nectar or maple syrup
• zest of 1 orange

Method

1. Set cashews and hazelnuts to soak in water, using separate bowls. In a third bowl stir the dates in with the orange juice, making sure they are well covered or at least coated. If there's not enough juice to cover dates, make more juice or keep stirring over a few hours.
2. Squeeze the dates a little (keeping plenty of moisture in) and place them into a food processor. [Keep the sweet date/orange juice in the fridge to add to yummy smoothies later.] Add avocado and cacao powder. Process to a paste.
3. Add all the remaining ingredients and process again for 2-4 minutes. You should get a thick dry mousse type of mixture.
4. Take a spoonful, roll it in your hands, pop into mini muffin/ chocolate cases and gently press down so it forms a flat surface and looks like a baked cupcake. Repeat till you run out of mixture. Transfer to the fridge while preparing the frosting.
5. Grate the raw chocolate and gently melt it in a double boiler. Transfer to a blender.
6. Add remaining frosting ingredients and blend on high, using a tamper (or pulse, until smooth). 
7. Transfer the mixture into a piping bag and pipe in a spiral motion inwards. Transfer to the fridge to set for 30 minutes. Store in the fridge.

For the basic orange chocolate

• 45g (1/2 cup) raw cacao powder
• 90g (1/2 cup melted) cacao butter
• 1/4 cup maple syrup or less to taste
• 1/3 tsp Himalayan salt
• 10 drops sweet orange essential oil

Method

1. Grate the cacao butter and melt it gently in a double boiler.
2. Add cacao powder and stir out the clumps with a fork or a hand whisk.
3. Take away from heat and add the remaining ingredients. Continue whisking till the chocolate sauce is smooth and free from bubbles. 
4. Pour into forms and transfer to the fridge to set. Store in the fridge at all times.

P.S.  This Sunday's workshop will be the only Raw Handmade Chocolate class I hold all year. Don't miss out, book your spot here>>

P.P.S. For more simple yet delicious raw chocolate recipes, check out my eBook 'Seduced- Raw Chocolate Recipes to get very excited for' here>>

In a 2,5 hour session you will learn all kinds of interesting facts about chocolate, how it grows, how it's harvested and how it's produced from bean to bar.

Most importantly, you will learn the making of the yummiest recipes such as my Creamy White Chocolate Lemon Bites, Minty Truffles and Chocolate Coated Macaroons.

Read more