My Gluten Free Rainbow Piñata Cake

I decided to make this rainbow piñata cake for Coeliac Awareness Week 2019 to spread positivity about Coeliac Disease as there is always a rainbow at the end. Once you start your gluten free diet it is just something you get used to and learn as you go along. I personally feel a lot healthier since I was diagnosed Coeliac two years ago.

I posted this a couple of days ago and it was SO popular and a lot of you requested the recipe so here it is! This cake was so moist and delicious, sometimes with gluten free cakes they are really crumbly but this one wasn't, I hope it goes well for you guys!

Ingredients for the cake:

• 390g soft butter
• 390g caster sugar
• 6 eggs (I bought medium)
• 390g self raising flour (I used doves farm)
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 5 colours of food colour flavouring (I bought a pack from Sainsburys which was called 'gel food colours' and it has been designed for making rainbow cakes, it was something like £2.25 which was a lot cheaper than buying the food colouring individually) I used green, blue, pink, orange and yellow.
• 3 x 20cm round cake tins (I bought mine from TK Maxx, but if you don't have any loads of shops sell them like supermarkets, amazon etc)
• Baking parchment paper 
• Sweets (I bought haribos, haribo strawbs and minstrel for mine but you can put whatever sweets you like in it!)

Ingredients for the butter cream icing:

• 400g soft butter
• 3 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 800g icing sugar

Method:

1. Firstly, pre-heat your oven to 160c fan or 180c conventional oven.
2. Secondly, you will need to grease your 3 cake tins and line the bottom of them with baking parchment paper.
3. Next, mix all of your cake ingredients together and make sure that you mix until you get a smooth consistency. With your flour I would use a sieve to get this into the bowl so there are no lumps.
4. Once all the cake mixture is mixed and is smooth, you will then need to divide the cake mixture evenly between 3 bowls.
5. Once you have divided the cake mixture evenly, you then need to put one colour in each of your bowls (I used first the green, blue and red but you can use whichever colours you like first!)
6. You will then need to pour your 3 different coloured cake mixtures into each cake tin.
7. Next, bake your cakes in your oven for 25 minutes. You will know they are cooked if you put a knife into cake, if it comes out with mixture on the knife it is not quite cooked yet, but if it comes out with no mixture on it will be cooked. I would also not open the oven door whilst the cake is cooking.
8. Then, you will need to take these out to cool. I left mine for about an hour to cool.
9. Next, make your second batch of cake mixture these will be for the next two cakes.
10. Repeat the separating process into two bowls and use your final two colours.
11. Then, put these into your cake tins and bake again for 25 minutes.
12. Next, once baked take these out to cool down for about an hour again.

Method for the icing and decoration:

1. For the icing, you will need to mix all of your icing mixture together until it makes a smooth consistency into butter icing.
2. Next, put one of your cakes on your cake stand and cut the middle of that out with a cookie cutter or anything you can get your hands on!
3. Then, spread some of your butter icing over the top of the cake.
4. Next, cut out the middle of 3 of your other cakes, repeat the process of putting icing on top of the cake and placing the other cake on top.
5. Then, before you put the final cake on top, fill the middle of the stack of cakes with all of your sweets.
6. Finally, put your 5th cake on top of the stack of cakes (you do not cut the middle of the cake out on this one)
7. Then, spread the rest of your icing all over the cake and I sprinkled coloured stars all over but you can use whatever you like to decorate it with!
8. I then left the cake overnight to set in the fridge, once set you can then cut a slice out of the cake and your sweets will fall out like a piñata!!

I hope you enjoy this recipe and remember to tag me in your posts if you do make it! 😁

Danielle x

12 Recent gluten free finds - that you may not know are gluten free! *correct as of May 2019

A few days ago I asked everyone on Instagram what they would like me to write about on my blog and this was one of the most popular requests.

You may notice that I have posted a few gluten free finds recently, some of which you may not notice they were gluten free.

So firstly, we will start with chocolate spreads!

1. Twix chocolate spread

The 'crunchy biscuit pieces' label is enough to put any Coeliac off... however after looking at the ingredients on the back this is actually gluten free! What a treat!

2. Cadburys chocolate caramel spread

Now this one doesn't really have anything that would put you off on the front - it still however does not have one of them lovely gluten free symbols on the front of it! This again, has no gluten containing ingredients so is perfectly save to use. This would be sooo delish on pancakes!

Now onto puds!

3. GU free from cheesecakes

I found these free from chocolate and vanilla cheesecakes a few days ago in the Co-Op and they are so delicious. Not only to they come in glass pots so you can wash and keep them, they just melt in your mouth and are the perfect treat. They have a coconut cream alternative in them to make them vegan, but i feel there is only a hint of coconut it is not too strong in case you are not keen on it! They are £3.50 for two which is a bit pricey, however they are worth it!

These next two finds I found in B&M a few weeks ago.. you just can't go wrong with B&M! 😄

4. Quick milk magic sipper - fruity cereal flavour

This would be another one that sometimes you just wouldn't pick up and check because the 'fruity cereal' flavour is another one to put you off. But to my surprise, I soon spotted that lovely small green symbol on the front stating that it is actually gluten free! 

5. Quick Milk magic sipper - Jammy Biscuit flavour

Again seeing that 'jammy biscuit flavour' is another one to put you off! But there is that lovely gluten free symbol on the front again. I used to love these magic sipper straws when I was young mainly because I hate straight milk! These would make drinking milk a lot nicer for me 😄

Now onto foods and kits...

6. Katsu Chicken breast fillets - Tesco

This for me is another one that you wouldn't usually pick up off the shelf because basically it just looks like it contains gluten really doesn't it! 😁

I bought this reduced (bargain) a couple of months ago and paired it up with jasmine rice for my dinner and it was amazing! It has a crumb coating however there are no gluten containing ingredients so it is fine for us to eat!

7. Aldi's Taco Kit

I found this Taco kit recently and as they are corn tacos they have no gluten containing ingredients! I love it because it is such a quick and easy dinner! All you basically need is your filling - it does come with the spike packet and a salsa packet. The spice mixture is actually really nice with the mince. The taco's only take a few minutes in the oven and bobs your uncle! It is so cheap also, I usually pick it up for £1.59, bargain!

8. Aldi's frozen paella mix (new)

I found this paella mix from Aldi a couple of days ago and this also has no gluten containing ingredients. It says you can cook it in 10 minutes also so another quick and easy dinner! I have really been wanting to cook a paella for ages now and if you are lazy like me and don't have time then this is perfect! Just wack it in a pan for 10 minutes then you are sorted!

9. Aldi's fajita frozen mix (new)

Another quick and easy dinner found in the frozen aisle in Aldi a couple of days ago. All you need is your wraps and your sauces! This one also says that it is ready in 10 minutes and you can cook from frozen again. Another thing I love about these frozen mixes is that it keeps, sometimes you just accidentally leave things in the fridge too long and its a waste! Where as you can cook some of this and put it back in the freezer for your next meal and it will be fine to eat a month later! 😄

10. Aldi's frozen seafood selection (new)

This is something that probably wouldn't contain gluten but it is a good one to put on here for you guys! It comes with a black garlic and lemon butter which is again naturally gluten free. I was just really excited when I saw this because I have been craving seafood for a few weeks and what a perfect pack, all in one! This is also good for paellas and anything you would put seafood in because again you can just keep it in the freezer until you want to cook it because it cooks from frozen!

11. Aldi's Whitebait

I see a theme coming along here! Another one from Aldi's frozen section - lightly dusted whitebait in a gluten free coating! How very generous! A gluten free coating! You can also cook this from frozen so it is good to keep in the freezer for when you want it. I think this is something that is perfect for dinner parties.

12. Aldi's frozen cauliflower cheese

I actually couldn't believe my eyes when I by the off chance checked the ingredients on this! I really struggle to find cauliflower cheese pre made as they all seem to have wheat in them! So to my surprise this has no gluten containing ingredients! I just really don't like making my own as all the gluten free packet mixes for cheese sauce I really hate, they just don't taste nice at all in my eyes! So fingers crosse that this is nice! And again, it keeps in the freezer so I can take it out whenever I need it! 

So that is it! All my recent gluten free finds in one place for you all! Make sure to follow my Instagram to keep up to date with all my latest finds!