·         Use raw cacao nibs and raw cacao powder instead of chocolate. Surprisingly, even dark 70% cocoa chocolate may contain sugar, as can cocoa powder. Raw cacao has a rich flavour and is a good source of minerals (e.g. like iron)

·         Use fruit purées instead of syrups, treacle or honey. Syrups add a gooey texture to traybakes, cookies and tarts which is hard to recreate... However, fruit purées supply sweetness and moisture and can make a useful alternative.

·         Use wholemeal flour instead of refined white flour, or go totally gluten free. Although it may not be a sugar itself, refined white flour is digested really quickly, which may aggravate blood sugar levels. Use wholemeal flour to slow the rate at which your body absorbs all forms of sugar. The best cake flours for gluten free purposes are almond flour coconut flour (the cheaper of the two), or a mix.

·         Use vanilla pods instead of vanilla extract. They're relatively small in terms of their sugar contribution in cakes, but they're still a processed sugar you may choose to avoid. You can make the pricey pod go a little further but removing the seeds and infuse the pods in yoghurt or cream.

·         Use homemade fruit jams instead of store-bought jam, compotes or conserves. Even jams and conserves with no added sugar are still a concentrated source due to their high fruit content. You have greater control over the sugar content when you make it yourself, and there are zero sugar recipes if you search online.

·         Use lighter toppings in place of icing, buttercream and frosting - these little extras can more than double the calories per portion. Instead, sprinkle your cake lightly with cacao powder, cinnamon or ground ginger. Use  cream cheese topping flavoured with citrus zest, or a fresh cream filling with some seasonal fruit.

And if it all gets too much, we deliver!

The Team at 280 Bakes

I've had a challenging day, so I am determined to end the day on a positive, right here! Making the world a better place is a challenge for us all, from global leaders to making-small-changers. Cake is fab, we all know that, but bear with me while I tell you why our cakes are making the world just that little bit better.

Vegan diets are not everyone's cup of (non dairy milk) tea. Sure, animal rights may not be everyone's priority, but a plant-based diet has deeper implications than that: There's the wider environmental issues like soil erosion, climate change, and deforestation that a heavily meat based diet can exacerbate. Having a healthy planet should be top of our lists. We, and our grandchildren, will have no other home!

Enjoying a more plant-based diet can have a significant impact on our footprint on the planet, from creating less greenhouse gases, to the amount of pressure we're putting on our natural water resources. Vegan cakes can help here, as, among other animal product ingredients, they don't contain dairy milk or butter. Intensive dairy production is known to be environmentally detrimental, so the more vegetable based alternatives we can find here, the better.

Have you tried our vegan carrot cake? Our plant powered Victoria Sponge? Find out more here about our popular vegan cakes.

With hundreds of recipes, you'd be in safe hands if you order a vegan cake, like 60% of our customers do.

The Fairtrade movement ensures a fair price is paid to farmers in developing countries. From coffee to chocolate, cotton to tea, so many Fairtrade products are out there... Including our very own award winning banana cake!

Right now, you can get 15% off banana cakes for Fairtrade Fortnight, so drop us a line quoting FAIR18 and we'll deliver right to your door.

There's no denying, a good cake shared with a friend can make your day. We have hundreds of recipes, all wanting to be tasted by you, so why not share a smile with someone today, over a piece of home baked cake?

After all, changing the world needn't be only about the big campaigns and movements. Bringing some happiness to someone's day is all part of being human and making the world a better place.



Have you tried our Sweet Temptation range yet, inspired by your favourite sweets?
How about our low fat / low sugar '280 Skinny' range? You know, we even run a 'guilt free' baking workshop showing you how to make some of these 'healthier' cakes!

Have I missed anything? Are there other ways that cake makes the world a better place? Let me know in the comments below!

Louise
280 Bakes

Guilt Free Baking is our second workshop to be developed to help you to bake at home a little easier, to have some fun meeting like minded people, and to learn some new skills.

On Saturday 16th June, we'll be hosting the first of our 'skinny bakes' courses, where you can join us to bake low sugar and low fat cakes. Tickets are available now for just £40 for a three hour course, so don't miss out - our last workshop sold out in just a couple of weeks!

Find out more about our workshops here and follow us on Facebook and Twitter to hear the latest news. We'll be announcing the recipes we'll be baking for this course shortly, so stay tuned!

The Team @ 280 Bakes