Free from baking
At Vanilla Valley we want everyone to be involved when it comes to cake. We know that having intolerances and allergies are a pain when it comes to all the different cake baking and decorating elements. So, we have tried to make it as easy as possible when shopping with free from needs.
Overview of our free from pages
Vegetarian
Our top vegetarian products are Renshaw Ready to roll icing, PME candy buttons, Saracino modelling paste, Rainbow dust Progels, colour mill colourings.
Vegan
Vegan products are suitable for those who do not eat egg albumen, milk products, shellac, and more.
Halal
Should Halal be a consideration for your bake you can find everything that is suitable for that diet here. These are products which the manufacturers have had certified as Halal. These are products which will not contain alcohols or ingredients such as gelatine.
Kosher
Should Kosher be a consideration for your bake you can find everything that is suitable for that diet here. These are products which the manufacturers have had certified as Kosher.
Gluten free
Gluten free options are available on a huge range of products to suit allergies or dietary choices. Here we have a huge range of products from cake mixes to sprinkles, and food colours to flavours, everything you could possibly need to bake and decorate. In particular check out Madame Loulou for tasty cake and other baking mixes, and Quality Sprinkles for a range of free from sprinkles; both of these brands champion gluten free baking.
Alcohol free
Alcohol free options may be important for a number of reasons. Lots of cake decorating ingredients are alcohol free so this section could end up being very large, instead we've gathered here the types of products that do commonly have alcohol in them, like food colours, flavours, and other liquid-based products as well as products for which we are regularly asked about alcohol content to help you make an informed choice
Egg free
If you have an egg allergy, or are baking for someone who does, finding cake decorating products without egg content can be difficult. Egg albumen is commonly used to help harden and add strength to manufactured edible products. You'll find listed here all products which are egg free.
Lactose free
Lactose intolerance is fairly common, so it's likely that at some point you will make a lactose free cake! Unfortunately, you'll discover that it's not quite as simple as swapping butter for a lactose free version, particularly when it comes to decorating. We've included here products which often contain milk products, but which are in fact dairy free, for example sugar paste icing, icing mixes, sprinkles, and cake mixes.
Nut allergy
This page is designed for guidance only in baking for someone with a nut allergy. While we try our best to provide accurate information for product ingredients, we would advise caution and a good understanding of the severity of the individual's allergy
Top tips for free from baking
Ingredients
The main thing for free from baking is double and even triple checking ingredients and knowing what you are looking for. Make sure that you do your research on what you can and can’t use for your bake. Research what you are using, there are great alternatives that help make free from baking a breeze!
Keep an open mind
When baking free from, it can be disheartening when your bake doesn’t look the same as your regular cake. This can often be the case with things like gluten-free bread, it may not look the same after proving however grows into a great loaf after baking.
Cross contamination
Making sure that when you start creating a free from bake, you have protected yourself from cross contamination. You can do this in the prep, making sure that all tools, surfaces, and equipment are deep cleaned. Make sure that your free from ingredients are kept away from regular ingredients.
Measuring
One of the key tips for a successful bake is using your scales. Make sure that your products are weighed correctly with guidance from a recipe to ensure a great result.