My Free From Experience of Florence...

Florence was full of amazing foods, with bundles of knowledge about gluten free food preparation, making eating out feel safe and far less stressful. Many gluten free spots had the Italian celiac association accreditation which was super helpful as it could easily be spotted on signs and menus. To make finding these restaurants even easier the Italian celiac association has a super useful app that gives both accredited food places to eat and places to buy food on the go i.e. in supermarkets.

I definitely found some favourite places to eat on my Florence trip, allowing my to try new foods that have become some of my favourites, so here are some details to everything I got to try.

1.Raw vegan Firenze

Starting off with one of my faveirote places that I tried whislt in Florence, this provided some amazing breakfast and snack options whilst I was there. It was a street away from our apartment so was perfect place to grab breakfast before exploring the city. I tried a couple different things from this cafe, which is both vegan and gluten free! They also had a range of savoury dishes including poke bowls, burgers, wraps and pizza which sounded amazing.

Protein Bar

This protein bar was covered in sesame seeds, and full of nuts and crunchy puffs of quinoa with a sweet date flavour. I really loved this bar, it was sweet, crunchy and satisfying. However I do recommended to store it in a freezer so that it remains solid and the dates don't soften to much especially if it is hot!

Smoothie

From the wide range of smoothie flavours, I tried the number 6 smoothie, which was thick and creamy with a banana flavour that had hints of the tropical fruits of mango and pineapple flavour. I really loved this one however the banana was quite strong so I don't think banana haters would enjoy it! You can also choose any of the smoothie flavours and ask for it to be made into a smoothie bowl.

Peanut balls

These were sweet, full of crunchy nuts and the flavour of peanut butter and chocolate.

Brownie

This brownie was almost moose like with a soft fudge texture and chunks of oats and nuts. It also had avocado and courgettes which I was super surprised to not be able to taste.

Ice cream

This ice cream had to be one of the best things I had in Florence, it was super smooth, thick and creamy. I off course had to try all the flavours, my faveirote was definitely coconut, and my second was chocolate with the lime and mint coming in third and the mango fourth. Each scoop is served with fruit and desiccated coconut (or cocoa nibs if you get the chocolate). Each flavour felt fresh, with a strong flavour and was super creamy and thick.

2. Babae

We stumbled upon babae as a hunt for there famous wine window, however after exploring the menu saw that it had some great looking food options to. Every dish on the menu was clearly labelled to be gluten free, vegetarian or vegan. We ate here for dinner twice in our trip as it was a super easy and delicious options that had a variety of options that could please everybody. Babae were also very prompt on knowledge about cross contamination, assuring me without being asked that care to prevent contamination would be taken in the kitchen. My dishes included:

Crispy cauliflower

This dish was coated crispy cauliflower served with a spinach hummus. It was full of flavour, the hummus smooth and creamy with the cauliflower being crisp on the outside and super soft in the middle. I ordered this with the side salad which was a simple mix of vegetables but still super fresh with a mix of crunchy vegetables. I also got the corn ribs, which were fresh and flavourful.

Tofu and cauliflower rice

The second night I tried the cauliflower rice in a turmeric and pepper coconut sauce topped with grilled tofu. Having never had cauliflower rice before I was dubious, however this was really good the cauliflower was cooked perfectly, the sauce full of flavour and the tofu was crispy on the top. Trying this in Florence has defiantly inspired me to try to recreate it at home!

3.Lorenzo de Medici

This restaurant was based in the considerably more tourist area of Florence, its a super convenient spot to grab a lunch or dinner whilst shopping and exploring. The menu was full of gluten free options including salads, fish,bread, pasta and pizza! I went here for dinner on my first night in Florence and enjoyed an amazing pizza and salad combo.

Pizza

Personally I love tuna on pizza so I decided to get the tuna and onion pizza. The base was relatively thick, however it was fully cooked and even got a 'this doesn't taste gluten free' by my sister who very much enjoys her gluten. The crust was crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle, with my only complaint being that it was slightly burnt and the base being slightly thicker than I generally prefer. The star to this pizza was the tomato sauce, it was thick and full of a seasoned fresh flavour. Topped with creamy vegan cheese, crispy tuna and caramelised onions this pizza gave me a wonderful first impression of the food Florence gf had to offer.They also served the gf pizzas on different collared plates to the normal pizzas which was very reassuring that my pizza could not be mixed up with ones with gluten In them.

Fresca Salad

Though simple this salad was super delicious, with fresh and crunchy vegetables including lettuce, sweetcorn, tomato and chicory. It was a great side to the pizza, fresh vegetables cutting through the warm doughy pizza.

4.La pepiniere ristorante biologico

Having found this restaurant in my search for restaurants online before going to Florence, it was a great place to go after we did a long night walk up to a central point where you can get an amazing view of the city. Going at sunset we got quite hungry by the time we made it back to the city, so this place was perfect. It was open till 11 and was full of gluten free options from polenta triangles to falafels to pizza it had lots to choose from.

Pizza

I went for the vegetable pizza which was topped with vegan cheese, mushrooms and green peppers. The base was thin and soft, with a really soft and fluffy crust. This pizza was full of flavour from the combination of the tomato sauce, cheese and vegetables. I definitley would have loved to try more of the food options from here whilst I was there.

5.Supermarkets

Aside from the restaurants the supermarkets also had a variety of options, full of amazing fresh fruit and vegetables and clearly labelled packaged foods and isles with gluten free foods. This included snacks like bread, crackers and biscuits.The supermarkets were helpfully located through the city in varying sizes making for easy places to pick up easy options.

Overall Florence for me was a great place to find some amazing gluten free options, and has definitely given me some inspiration for recipes i'd love to try to make in the future. My trip definitely inspired me to want to explore more of Italy and see the other food options it has to offer.

Thank you for reading, I hope this was helpful!

Ruby xxx

Lemon and Poppyseed Cake!

Do you love lemons? Do you've cake? Well why not combine those two loves into one with my lemon and poppy seed cake. The piercing lemon flavour with the added texture of the poppy seeds marry's together beautifully.

I topped mine with a lemon buttercream and I tried to attempt the look of naked cakes but that might need a bit more practice...

Anyway this cake is super soft and moist. This recipe will make one big single layer cake, or you can divide it into two to make two smaller layers if you want to sandwich them or you could even bake them into some cupcakes or make a lemon and poppy seed loaf cake!

The icing will be enough to do decoration similar to mine or your could use it to just ice the top of the cake, a filling for the sandwiched cakes, or completely cover the cake with the icing.

The cake itself is really simple to make you just need to prepare your lemons and then whisk everything with an electric whisk until smooth, put in your tins, bake, whip up some buttercream and then decorate!

The buttercream is super smooth and creamy which is a lovely contrast the textured cake of sharp lemon and Poppy seeds. The cake is really moist without the crumbly dry texture you might be used to in various gluten free cakes.

Try this one on your non gluten free friends and watch as they won't realise the gluten free cake there eating! This one will let us join in on all the cake fun without having to worry about cross contaminacion.

Before I get into the recipe I thought that I would share some answers to questions you might have going into this recipe. If you have any further feedback or questions use the questionnaire form on this page or comment over on my Instagram @rubysgfkitchen.

1. Is this recipe gluten free?

Yes! Just make sure that you use gluten free self raising flour and you will be good to go and don't worry no one will be able to tell that its gluten free.

2. Is this recipe dairy free?

No but never fear! You can easily make it dairy free by doing some very simple switches and you'll get a gluten and dairy free lemon and poppy seed cake.

• Change the butter to a dairy free butter

• Change the milk to a dairy free milk

And that's it! Its super easy and will still be a lovely moist cake with a sharp lemon flavour and poppy seeds.

3. Is this recipe vegan?

No but don't worry I've got a few suggestions on how you could make it vegan.Make sure to start by making all the dairy free changes to the recipe and then replacing the eggs with a substitute such as:

• Mashed banana

• Chia eggs

• Flax eggs

• Egg replacement

I haven't tried this recipe vegan yet so if you do let me know how it goes over on instagram @rubysgfkitchen.

4. Do I need any special equitment?

You just need to be able to weigh the ingredients with electric scales to make sure your being accurate. I use an electric whisk as it is a lot faster but you could use a whisk it just might take some elbow grease to get it smooth. I also use an electric whisk for the buttercream which I thinks makes it a lot easier! You'll also need a sieve the sieve the icing suger to make sure that it makes smooth buttercream.

Anyway that's it with the questions! Lets get into the recipe...

175g Gluten free self raising flour

175g Butter, softened

175g Caster suger

3 Large Eggs

3 tbsp Milk

1/2 tsp Zanthem Gum

1 tsp Baking Powder

4 Lemons

4 tbsp Poppyseeds

100g Butter, softened

215g Icing sugar

3 tablespoons Lemon juice

1. Preheat the oven to 180 fan. Line two circular cake pans (or one big one or cupcake tin) with greaseproof paper.

2. In a bowl grate and juice the lemons using the zest and a tablespoon of the juice in the cake batter and leaving the rest for the icing.

3. In a bowl beat together all the ingredients for the cake with an electric whisk until the batter is smooth.

4. Distribute the batter into the two tins evenly (or all into one tin or one tablespoon in each cupcake) and smooth them out with a spatula until the tops are even.

5. Place them in the oven for 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. (At around 20 minutes my cake got to a golden brown but was not cooked so I covered it in clingfilm so watch out for that as you don't want your cake to burn!)

6. Leave the cakes to cool in they're tin for 5 minutes and then take them out to put them on flat surfaces to completely cool.

7. Whilst the cakes cool make the icing by beating the butter with an electric whisk in a bowl for 5 minutes until lighter in couler and fluffy. In three batches sift in the icing suger and beat it in. Add the 3 tablespoons of the lemon juice and beat it into the icing.

8. Once the cakes are cool chose your base and add an even layer of icing over the top of it and place the other on top or decorate the one cake or each cupcake. Decorate how you wish!

9. Slice and enjoy!

Thank you for reading. If you do bake this let me know by snapping a photo and tagging me on Instagram @rubysgfkitchen.

Happy Baking,

Ruby x

Triple Chocolate Cupcakes!

Too many chocolate choices? Are you struggling to decide between dark, milk or white chocolate?Anyone for a cupcake that combines all 3 choices? Yes? Well here's my ultimate triple chocolate cupcake recipe to fix your indecision.

I was doing some kitchen experimentation the other day and decided to make some cupcakes and I saw we had some bars of all three of the chocolates and I thought why not combine them! I would recommend that you fill each cupcake case a little less as this recipe makes cupcakes that rise a lot so piping is easier with a smaller size but if you want 12 big cupcakes then use all the batter in the 12 cases.

I like to bash the bars of chocolate to make pieces of chunky chocolate in the cupcakes that you are able to bite into and get large chunks of chocolate.

This ones a super fun one to do with family or friends as you can creative with your decorations and the cupcakes themselves are a one bowl recipe that are really quick to make and bake.

The time for the cupcakes to cook will vary depending on the size that you decide tome them as larger ones will take slightly longer to cook in the centre which you can tell my sticking a knife in the middle of them and seeing if it comes out clean.

Before I get into the recipe I'm going to answer a few questions you might have:

Is this recipe dairy free?

No but with some simple swaps you can make it dairy free.

• Switch the milk to a dairy free alternative

• Switch the butter to a dairy free alternative

• Switch the chocolate to dairy free chocolate

Is this recipe vegan?

No but to make it vegan you would need to do all the dairy free swaps and change the eggs for a substitute such as chia eggs, flax eggs, egg replacement or mashed banana. I haven't tried this recipe vegan so If you try it vegan let me know how it goes!

Is it gluten free?

Yes just make sure you have gf flour and no one will tell the difference.

Do I need special equipment?

No just a cupcake Tin, A few bowls and spoons, Piping bag and nozzle and an electric mixer.

Hope you enjoyed reading and give this recipe a go for yourself! If you try tag me @rubysgfkitchen on instagram to let me know!

INGREDIENTS

175g Gluten free self raising flour

175g Butter, softened

175g Caster suger

3 Large eggs

4 tbsp Milk

1/2 tsp Zanthem gum

1tsp Baking powder

1 tsp Vanilla extract

200g Squares of dark or milk chocolate, melted

25g Cocoa powder

4 Squares white chocolate

6 Squares dark chocolate

500g Butter, softened

370g Icing Suger

4 Squares white chocolate, melted

4 Squares dark chocolate, melted

4 Squares milk chocolate, melted

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180 fan, and line a 12 hole cupcake tin with cupcake cases.

2. Beat all your cupcake ingredients in a bowl with a electric whisk until smooth (Be careful not to over beat as cupcakes may be rubbery!)

3. Using a spoon or ice cream scoop evenly disrepute your batter between your cupcake cases, lightly flattening the top with a tea spoon, moving in circular motions and place in the oven for 10 - 15 minutes or until brown and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean ( if you have any extra batter you could do a few more cupcakes or I like to use fairy cases and make small ones!)

4. Leave the cupcakes too cool for five minutes in the tin and then take them out to let them cool completely.

5. To make the buttercream beet the softened butter for 5 minutes or until fluffy and lighter in couler. Add the suger by sifting it in in 3 equal parts beating with the electric whisk between each suger addition.

6. Separate your buttercream into 3 equal parts in 3 different bowls and beat one of your melted chocolates into each one.

7. In a piping bag fitted with a nozzle add the dark chocolate buttercream to one side of the bag, white chocolate buttercream in the middle and milk chocolate buttercream after the white chocolate buttercream so that when you pipe it it creates a marble affect.

8. Now pipe each cupcake however you wish to and enjoy them!

Thank you for reading! If you have any feedback of further questions fill in the feedback section on this website or comment it on my instagram @rubysgfkitchen.

Happy baking,

Ruby x