“You have to love your children unselfishly. That is hard. But it is the only way.” Barbara Bush
Researchers estimate that millions of people have some type of allergy. In most people, allergies first appear during infancy or childhood. Allergic disorders rank first among children’s chronic diseases. Any child may become allergic, but children from families with a history of allergy are more likely to be allergic. Children may inherit the tendency to become allergic from their parents, but only some of them will develop an active allergic disease. Children’s allergies can show up in different ways.
“The soul is healed by being with children.” English proverb
When a child is diagnosed with severe food allergies, adults need to learn new ways to approach common, everyday situations: how to determine which foods are “safe” for the child and which are not, how to handle social situations, school, travel, and more, how to cook, how to bake. Many, before their child was put on a “strict avoidance” diet may have done little, if any cooking. These days many busy parents have practically given up cooking – let alone baking – altogether and rely instead on sit-down restaurants, fast-food, take-out, ready-to-eat meals from the supermarket, and frozen dinners. Unfortunately, many of these options may either be unsafe or very limited for a food-allergic child. Cooking “from scratch” is the safest way to ensure that an allergic child eats a healthy, balanced, and safe diet. So where does it start? Well, learning to prepare can be as simple as 1-2-3. And – most importantly – there is always a keen, enthusiastic sous chef to assist…
“Only where children gather is there any real chance of fun.” Mignon McLaughlin
“Children are our most valuable resource.” Herbert Hoover
200 g Gluten Free Self Raising Flour
1 tsp Xanthan Gum
2 tsp gluten-free Baking Powder
50 g cocoa powder
4 eggs (for an egg-free option use 180 ml coconut milk mixed/set with 2 tbsp vinegar)
225 g dairy-free margarine
100 g Sugar
120 g brown sugar
4 tbsp of coconut milk
Pre-heat oven to 180°C. In a bowl, add the gluten-free flour and cocoa powder and mix together. Now add the eggs and mix together. Add the margarine, sugar and coconut milk and stir until evenly mixed and creamy . Grease a shallow tin/tray or line with baking paper and carefully pour the mixture in, level with a back of a spoon and bake for 35/40 minutes. Rest for 10 minutes, gently lift out and cool on a wire rack.
Optionally prepare the icing by mixing 300 g icing sugar, 2 tbsp cocoa powder, 2 tbsp melted golden syrup, 75 g melted margarine and 2 tbsp coconut milk. Once the cake has cooled, carefully pour the icing mixture on top and spread to coat evenly.
“I continue to believe that if children are given the necessary tools to succeed, they will succeed beyond their wildest dreams!” David Vitter