Gluten, dairy and chocolate free Christmas dessert

[secondhoneymoon]

Need help with dessert for Xmas dinner guest with multiple allergies/intolerances I know you can buy 'free from xxxx' desserts but would like him to have something home cooked, which at the same time can double as a non-Christmas pudding option for all Friend is a relatively regular guest, not just Christmas, so have done poached pears, baked fruits, coconut milk rice, meringues etc served with Swedish glacé ice - cream. Any new ideas appreciated please

Could you make a trifle? I love a good trifle. Use aplro soya custard (pretty sure it's also gf) and alpro soya cream.

I know from his DW that baking using GF flour tends not to be great, so would like things that are gluten free to start with IUSWIM. Or something that has e.g. Lots of ground almonds and a relatively small amount of floor might work better?

I second the buy from the shop, partly as pp said they take an awful lot of practice but also, if you are not normally a free from household then your baking stuff will have traces of flour, butter etc on which could make your guest poorly depending on the level of their intolerance/allergy ( I speak from experience as am dairy allergic)

Sainsbury's and Asda dp some fab puddings, or if you really want to bake at home co-op do ready mix boxes for cakes which are good. I did their dairy and gluten free brownies the other week and they were fab!

An orange and almond or polenta cake would fit the intolerances but nit sure it is special enough?

Prusik I love a good trifle too but not sure if the dairy substitute custard and flour would be that good? And would need a GF sponge too - not sure, have you tried a trifle with those products? Or has anyone else?

Df you should be okay but df and gf will be harder. Like the pp said try it a number of times. Pinterest is a good source of ideas for allergy food. If all else fails try tesco, we have lived with multiple allergies for 3 years (but not gf) and I am seriously impressed with all the supermarkets efforts this year but especially tesco.

I'm coeliac and my mum always brings a gf trifle on Xmas day! But I appreciate that isn't dairy free... I'd be tempted to buy something from M&S to save a load of hassle... dp's parents are veggie and they always have an M&S nut roast so I don't have to cook meat, veggie and gf all from scratch! You can buy pretty decent gf Christmas puddings that I think would also be dairy free? And dp makes amazing gf mince pies which would also be dairy free.

Wheresthel1fght yes will check out shop bought but was thinking this could be a 2nd dessert for everyone. The only gluten free cake mixes I've seen have contained chocolate and he can't have that either. Don't have cross-contamination issue but worth pointing out for anyone reading this for another person who might be.

I know the shop bought ranges are getting better and will hold that in reverse but would prefer to make if poss, hence their request for ideas.
Thanks for all the suggestions, appreciated

Reserve not reverse obviously!

Gf sponge is an absolute PITA - would not recommend it!

Is it no chocolate or no dairy chocolate? If not I can recommend pavlova, with df whipped cream esque substance, dark chocolate drizzle, crystallised ginger and poached pears. Jamie Oliver recipe.

Sorry I can't link, but there are lots of nice recipes for vegan cheesecakes which you could make with a gluten free base. The Silken tofu in them gives a lovely creamy texture. You'd never know you were eating tofu.

How about meringues filled with soya cream and berries?

This would be luscious, and only needs a sub for the cream. I bet Oatly cream would work. Very Christmassy, too!

britishlarder.co.uk/chestnut-mousse-with-brown-sugar-meringues-and-marsala-honey-jelly/

I regularly make cakes gf and df so if you find a nice cake you like that might work. Just replace the flour with doves and the butter/marg with hard stork or use 3/4 the quantity of oil. Bake as normal and they will be fine. I do find plainer varieties such as Victoria sponge aren't as good but most other cakes are delicious. As they are gf and df even a cake they can eat may well be a treat.

Posh jellies made with prosecco perhaps served in little glasses?

www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/gluten-free-carrot-cake/

This works quite well as gf. You could replace the butter and cream cheese with dairy free alternatives. It’s quite a pudding-y cake iyswim

Gluten free baking is really easy. I substitute gf flour for normal flour in all sorts of recipes and it’s hard to tell the difference. No one has ever been anything but complimentary about my baking.

How about this chocolate olive oil cake - it’s dairy and gluten free, has orange and lemon zest and a bit of mixed spice in it, so it’s got a lovely flavour. It’s beautifully moist too.

150ml extra virgin olive oil
50g cocoa powder
200g caster sugar
150g ground almonds
1/2 tsp ground mixed spice
Zest of 1 orange
Zest of 1 lemon
3 large eggs separated
Icing sugar for dusting

Heat the oven to 180c, 160c fab, gas 4. Grease a 20cm springform tin and line with baking paper

In a large bowl, mix together the olive oil, cocoa, caster sugar, ground almonds, mixed spice, orange and lemon zests, and egg folks until combined.

In a spotlessly clean bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Using a large metal spoon, add 1 spoonful of the egg whites to the cake mix and gently fold in. Once combined gently fold in the remaining egg whites.

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 30 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool completely in the tin - the cake will deflate and crack slightly as it cools and the centre should still be quite moist and squidgy. Remove from the tin, put on a serving plate and dust with the icing sugar to serve.

It’s delicious!!

Thank you all, lots more options. I believe that chocolate (and therefore cocoa etc) are an issue independently of dairy content so all chocolate out.

Hmm. I go wheat free where possible as it triggers my eczema. The best ever cake I have made was a lemon drizzle cake that used mashed potato instead of flour! Another option is carrot cake using GL flour - because it's a moist, dense cake, it does not matter about the rise and it''s a good alternative to Christmas pudding.

Nightmare!

Try these, just miss out the syllabub.

[https://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/occasions/christmas/christmas-desserts/champagne-jellies-with-syllabub-and-frosted-grapes]

www.deliaonline.com/recipes/occasions/christmas/christmas-desserts/champagne-jellies-with-syllabub-and-frosted-grapes

Deliciously Ella has a vegan GF Christmas pudding recipe on her website

Have you tried searching for vegan options? I’m sure they would work with gf flour. The trick with gf flour is to add extra liquid - it absorbs more liquid than normal flour. In a standard cake recipe I add a few tbsps of milk, but this could be substituted for something dairy free I’m sure.

How about buying readymade gluten free pastry and making this amaretti treacle tart?
www.goodtoknow.co.uk/recipes/510274/amaretti-treacle-tart

Could make your own amaretti biscuits for it if you wanted to go for it. Gluten and and dairy free (not sure if shop bought ones are, you'd need to check): www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/amarettibistcuits_67183

Could serve with dairy free ice cream or make dairy free whipped cream:
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/may/09/dairy-free-food-whipping-whipped-cream

I'm drooling actually. Love amaretti biscuits.