Well we are officially dairy free – doctor’s orders. I called the pediatrician about my vegan challenge that cleared the baby’s eczema, and I explained that it reappeared once dairy was reintroduced. He said that it may indicate a dairy allergy, and that we should both be completely dairy free for the time being. We have a one year checkup in a few weeks, and I am guessing that he will send us to an allergist at that point. I so hope that we have no food allergies going on. The baby loves to eat, and he has never not liked anything I’ve given him. I hope that this was just a fluke.
In the meantime, I have been obsessing over baking the perfect dairy free cupcake/smash cake for the upcoming first birthday bash. I have literally baked dozens of dozens of cupcakes, and you know what? They have all been terrible. Well, I take that back. The vegan chocolate cupcake recipe from Martha Stewart’s Cupcake book was actually pretty decent. They were still heavier than a “regular” cupcake, but not chewy or tough. I took them to a friend who had just given birth, and she claimed they were the best cupcakes she’d ever eaten. Must have been the come down from the hormones talking.
I made several cupcakes from the VCTOTW cookbook, and they were all an odd texture, and my non-vegan testers were unimpressed. So was I. Every single batch I have made have been chewy, tough, and/or dense. I have followed directions to the letter. I have made sure not to over mix my batter. I even tried a recipe from a vegan chef who won Cupcake Wars! To be honest, those were the worst yet, which really surprised me. I am SO incredibly frustrated. Earlier today, I learned that Duncan Hines mixes are dairy free, and that a can of pop can be mixed into the batter to keep it light and vegan. I went to the store, bought the supplies, and made the cupcakes. The taste was decent, and they were light. So light, in fact, that they fell apart when we tried to take the liner off to eat them. Failure.
I GIVE UP.
Is there anyone out there who can help me find a decent dairy free cake for my baby’s first bithday? This is getting ridiculous! T minus two weeks, and at this rate, the poor child will be cake-less.
Help!
