French patissier brings gluten free cakes to UK

Christelle Coulin makes gluten and wheat free cakes with the finest ingredients. Ten years ago, she moved from Cannes to London, where she set up Gluten Free Delices.

“I grew up among a family of pastry makers – one reasons I wanted to turn my hobby into a business. I set up after noticing a lack of flavour in gluten free products.

“A lot of my friends who do not suffer allergies enjoy eating Gluten Free Delices products and are surprised to find they do not taste any different from traditional cakes. On the contrary, they like the lightness and the real taste of my cakes.

“Our cakes are hand crafted in small batches using fresh seasonal fruits when available, free range eggs and luxury organic gluten free chocolate. All our treats are hand baked without wheat or flour. We replace these ingredients with alternatives such as buckwheat, rice flour and almond flour.

“As we do not want to compromise on the taste of our cakes, we avoid preservatives in our products and artificial colours are added only if really necessary. GFD cakes allow you to indulge in a healthier way, enjoying the comfort of a homemade cake without the stress of making it yourself.”

Here’s one of Christelle’s favourite recipes, for gluten free coconut macaroons…

Ingredients: (makes about two dozen cookies, depending on size)

400g sweetened shredded coconut
400ml sweetened condensed milk
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
3 egg whites
½ teaspoon cream of tartar

Method:

1. In a bowl, mix together the shredded coconut, condensed milk and cinnamon

2. Using a mixer, whisk egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form

3. Fold egg whites into coconut mixture

4. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper

5. Drop heaped teaspoons of batter on to the parchment (use your fingers to shape the batter into a ball shape) and bake at 180°C for 25 minutes. The macaroons will be golden brown when done

6. Allow to cool before serving

Top tip: Dip the cool macaroon base into dark gluten free chocolate chips melted in the microwave.
Allow chocolate to set prior to serving and enjoy!

There is more information on the benefits of a gluten free diet on the Gluten Free Delices website. You can also find regular updates from the Gluten Free Delices kitchen on Facebook.

For further information or to request a price list, contact Christelle by email or call 07932728126