If you're planning to make vegan cupcakes, your sprinkles and pre-made decorations ingredients lists need to be examined to see if they contain animal products. Some are difficult to spot but I have some great alternatives to the normal range you'll find in the baking aisle. 

Before we start, here are some common ingredients to avoid:

Confectioners' Glaze - made from insects
Gelatine
Cochineal and Carmine (more bugs)
Certain colours (E20 is a common one)

What do I suggest instead to make your cupcakes look super fancy?

First, try Googling for inspiration. There are many companies (e.g. some small businesses on Etsy) who will post sprinkles to you.  Vegan Dollhouse has a huge list on her blog too - take a look here. 

Second, try thinking away from actual sprinkles for cake decorations. How about using...

   - fresh fruit - strawberries and raspberries work well, but use caution with softer berries like blackberries which might bleed into the buttercream. 

   - popcorn - super easy to pile up if you're using caramel sauce.

   - dark chocolate squares - a favourite of mine.

   - edible flower petals - I've used rose and lavender recently, a lovely finish and aroma. 

​   - freeze dried fruit - I love raspberries and strawberries here, again. 

   - biscuits like Lotus biscuits, Party Rings and Oreos​.

  - Sweets like Jelly Tots, Flying Saucers, Skittles - inject some colour into your cupcakes!

Don't forget cocoa powder too - a dusting of this over bright white buttercream looks great if the swirls are well defined.

And if you fancy making your own vegan sprinkles (who has THAT time??), take a look at this video I found on Youtube. 

Let me know if you give this tutorial a go, I'd love to see your resulting sprinkles!

Louise
280 Bakes
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Here are three of our favourite blackberry cake recipes. Let us know how you get on trying them out - or give us a buzz if you'd like someone else to do the work for you!

RECIPE 1. BBC Good Food Recipe - simple and tasty blackberry and apple cake. Here's one our Louise made this weekend for the Portishead Triathlon. 

RECIPE 2. Cygnet Kitchen - this gorgeous blogger uses sour cream in her blackberry and lemon cake recipe - divine!

RECIPE 3. Farm Flavor - an American website which hosts a fab recipe for a fluffier, creamier blackberry cake, if you'd prefer one like that

Which is your favourite?

The Team @ 280 Bakes
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It's Coeliac Awareness Week (starting today), and as a lot of our customers order gluten free cakes, we wanted to share some of the fab blog we've discovered in our recipe researching on alternative diets, be it vegan, avoidance of certain allergens, or a gluten free diet.

If you're gluten intolerant or a full-blown coeliac, you're not alone, despite what you may feel when the standard diet office cake comes round - lots of people share your difficulties, and these blogs prove triumphs on the plate do still happen. Have a good read and let us know if you like any blog in particular.

1. The Gluten Free Blogger - does what it says on the tin and is presented in a beautiful way. Our favourite one of the five we're showcasing today! You can find the author on Twitter too: @GFblogger

2. The Happy Coeliac is another blog you should take a look at - we especially like the recipe for raspberry cheesecake bites.

3. A shop, eating out guides, a forum, recipes... You can find it all on Coeliac Sanctuary.

4. Andy writes his blog from the perspective of a dad with a coeliac child. Some good tips and bags of empathy here!

5. The Gluten Free Goddess - another beautifully presented blog, full of useful information. We really like the section that's gluten free AND vegan.

Hope you found this useful,
The Team @ 280 Bakes