Product Review: Oven Fresh Bakehouse

How do you feel about having fresh gluten-free baked goods delivered right to your door? Personally, I think it's an incredible idea! If you live in the GTA (greater Toronto area) or Durham Region then Oven Fresh Bakehouse is your new best friend. Check them out and let me know what you think!

Gluten free fresh delivery service

Oven Fresh Bakehouse is a new company based out of Mississauga, Ontario. The products are 100% gluten-free and dairy-free. There is a minimum order requirement of $40 and delivery is via courier at a $12 flat rate with a max weight of 10kg. 

Also worth noting:

"Ingredients are all responsibly sourced from fully audited suppliers, as an extra layer of food security every ingredient used to produce your bakery goods are independently tested to ensure 100% gluten free status."

The product range is pretty great. You can order everything from sliced bread and bagels to pound cake, pancake mix and muffins. Another highlight, everything is baked fresh to order. That bakery fresh smell is divine.

How the products stack up

I sampled various items, including buns, dinner rolls and sliced bread. Not only do these products taste phenomenal, the texture is impressively similar to that of gluten based bread's. They are light, fluffy and not at all crumbly. On a side note, they freeze and thaw out immaculately! I had some of the products in my freezer for well over a month. When I wanted one to enjoy, I simply took it out of the freezer and left it in my pantry to thaw out. No need to heat, toast or nuke in any way! Impressive, right?!

Overall, I am quite happy that I was introduced to this brand. Keep an eye on the Oven Fresh Bakehouse website for delivery expansion updates!


If you like keeping up to date with gluten-free companies on social media, you can follow Oven Fresh Bakehouse on facebook here.



* I received complimentary products for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

Easy Gluten-Free Black Forest Cake

This blog post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). Thanks for your support.

I have been wanting Black Forrest cake for what seems like FOREVER. It was a favourite of mine when I was growing up before I was diagnosed with Celiac. To put things in perspective, I have been navigating the gluten-free waters for well over ten years now. Enjoying some black forest cake, gluten-free of course has been long overdue.

What's a girl to do when she can't find a ready-made gluten-free version of her most favourite cake?! 

Make It At Home

Don't worry I am by no means a super amazing baker, which means you can totally pull this off too! Short-cuts and hacks are my best friends in the kitchen and I used a couple in this recipe.

You Won't Believe How Easy This Is

Seriously, it's a piece of cake.

All you need for the cupcakes is a boxed gluten-free chocolate cake mix. I used Betty Crocker because I love how moist and fluffy the final product turns out. But, you can use any boxed mix which you prefer. 

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake Mix

Whipping Cream

Sugar

Vanilla Extract

Maraschino Cherries

Chocolate Sprinkles

Red Sugar Crystals

Homemade Whipped Cream 

1 1/2 cup Whipping Cream

2 Tbsp Sugar 

1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

Place above ingredients for homemade whipped cream in a large bowl. Stir to combine. That's it for now, but ensuring everything is cold is super important. 
Place the beaters from a hand mixer in the bowl and cover with saran wrap. 
Put bowl, in the fridge for 30 minutes. 

Once chilled, beat with hand mixer until stiff peaks form.

Stiff Peaks

*Follow directions on chocolate cake mix box to make the cupcakes.

Once the cupcakes come out of the oven and cool, they are ready to be transformed. 

First up - deconstructed black forest cake... a trifle of sorts. 

To do this, I cut a cupcake into four layers. I then alternated between the following components:

cupcake slice

whipped cream

chocolate sprinkles 

red sugar crystals

maraschino cherries

For my more traditional cupcakes, I used the OXO 1261080BK GG Cupcake Corer. It literally cores your cupcakes with little to no effort at all, leaving room for a surprise filling. Once I had created room for a filling, it was time to assemble. In the cupcakes vacant centre, I layered the whipped cream, maraschino cherries, chocolate sprinkles and red sugar crystals. The top of the cupcakes a capped off with a swirl of whipped cream, sprinkles, and sugar crystals. A single maraschino cherry completes this sweet treat.

Just Look At That Goodness 

Have you created anything inspired by a favourite dessert? Let me know below.

Confessions Of A Former Gluten-Free Hoarder

The beginning of my gluten-free journey was marred with often out of stock and usually overpriced product. I endured frustrating travel throughout the GTA (greater Toronto area) just to obtain a variety of items. Sometimes I would snap up new products by the dozen for fear of never seeing them again. This was a very real possibility back then.

Living a few hours from the United States gave new meaning to cross-border shopping. Instead of getting excited about deals on clothing and electronics, I focused solely on gluten-free food. I would visit 4 or 5 American grocery stores every trip. Each visit to the US brought home a haul of food that just wasn't (and sometimes still isn't) available in Canada. 

And so began a gluten-free hoarding problem

Sale? I'll take 7 

New product? Give me 3

Not many left? I'll take the rest

Out of town shopping? Fills a suitcase

Believe it or not, there is a certain kind of stress that comes with gluten-free food hoarding. Products sometimes expired before I could use them. I would get bored of eating the same things repeatedly. Sometimes I ended up not enjoying something which I bought in bulk. Not wanting to be wasteful, I would try finding a new owner for these items. A difficult task which usually resulted in food being tossed in the bin.

I have a petite kitchen at best. Putting an excessive amount of groceries away was like playing a well-organized game of Tetris. I got so creative with my storage that I often forgot about these items. Other times, I would grab a box of gluten-free cereal and half the pantry would tumble onto the floor. It was like these poor boxes were screaming to be acknowledged.

Another drawback was that I lost sight of what is naturally gluten-free, like fruits and vegetables. I developed a need for pre-packaged food and lost sight of food prep. Super unhealthy. It was also questionable financially as the gluten-free label goes hand in hand with an often inflated price.


Over time, I eventually realised that gluten-free isn't going anywhere and have thus drawn a line between stocking up and hoarding. In fact, it's getting better. Almost every supermarket has a decent gluten-free selection. Stores are also far better at consistently ensuring these items are on shelves. Companies are also clearly labeling their gluten-free goods so that they are easy to spot. This is such a win!

As things are different now. I no longer stock up en masse. I feel healthier, happier and no longer stressed out.

Product Review: Robin Hood Gluten-Free Banana Flavoured Quick Bread

When the folks at Robin Hood sent me a box of their Gluten-Free Banana Flavoured Quick Bread Mix to review, I was a little skeptical. Like most people, I've had my ups and downs with boxed mixes over the years. Unlike most people, I have the added challenge of needing to eat gluten-free. This makes finding a great boxed mix even more of a feat.

Let's Talk FAQ's

• Robin Hood Gluten-Free Banana Flavoured Quick Bread Mix is certified by the Canadian Celiac Association

• You will be pleasantly surprised with how simple it is to make. Just add water, oil, and eggs to the mix. Give it a good stir with a spoon, pour into a loaf pan and pop into the oven for 45 minutes. No fuss, no worries. 

• Bananas are not required, as dried banana is already incorporated into the mix. This is pretty great because, mashing bananas can get a little messy. Plus, who wants to wait around for bananas to go brown when they want banana bread now? Not me!

Taste Test

As with all my gluten-free adventures, I shared this creation with the gluten eaters in my home. Their thoughts and taste buds are always appreciated. We quickly agreed that Robin Hood Gluten-Free Banana Flavoured Quick Bread Mix gets two thumbs up. 

Robin Hood really gets it right with this mix. It is packed full of banana flavour and smells divine. The texture of the loaf is soft and light. No crumbling mess here!

While we enjoyed the mix plain, you can customise with the addition of fruit, nuts, and chocolate. You can also get creative and create muffins, pancakes, cookies and much more.

/// DISCLOSURE: I was sent a complimentary box of Robin Hood Gluten-Free Banana Flavoured Quick Bread Mix for review purposes. All opinions are my own. ///

7 Tips For A Stress Free Gluten-Free Christmas

Hey, everyone! Christmas is just around the corner and I'm super excited! With my gift shopping complete, I am working on a menu for our holiday dinner. If you are worried about hosting a meal for your loved ones, have no fear! I've put together a few tips to help keep you calm and on track. 
Remember to read all labels and when in doubt, go without.