I love pretty much everything about Christmas: spending time with friends, seeing family having two whole weeks off work to wind down, vegetate on the settee and watch Christmas films. But one thing that everything I love about Christmas seems to revolve around is food! Whether its treating yourself to a sweet treat, enjoying a decadent desert with family or inviting friends over for a catch up over coffee and cake, there is always food! And as a coeliac, it’s hard not to feel left out when everyone else is tucking in and enjoying themselves. I always try make sure I have stocked up with goodies from the supermarket for Christmas, but these are almost without exception either dry brownies or a pale, crumbly (and tiny) imitation of what I remember cakes and bakes to be like.
So I can’t tell you have delighted I was to be asked to try out one of Sponge.co.uk’s gluten free cakes from their festive range. They have a humongous range of cakes and bakes which cater for those with and without restricted diets. Their offerings include dairy-free, gluten-free, dairy and gluten free, refined sugar free and vegan cakes as well as ‘normal’ products. A quick browse of their website reveals whole cakes, mini cakes, brownies, cake cards, wedding cakes and sharing cakes. What really impressed me was how vast the Free From range is (you are not restricted to a crumbly brownie and a token Victoria sponge cake), and that they are actually full-sized cakes! Finally, a company that doesn’t think that just because I’m gluten free, I have an appetite half the size of everyone else!
I absolutely love orange flavoured things, so for me it was almost a no-brainer to go for the Gluten Free Spiced Orange and Cranberry cake… my head was momentarily turned by the mince pie cake but for me it had to be the orange cake! The photo on the website looked fantastic and the thick orange sponge cake with cranberry pieces and orange buttercream, topped with little golden stars was just too tempting to turn down! It is available in 2 sizes: a small to feed 8 people and a large to feed 16 people. Once I had decided on my cake, all I had to do was wait for it to arrive. Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait too long as you can have your cake delivered next day if you order by 3pm, and delivery is free for orders over £29.50.
I honestly couldn’t believe it when my order arrived – the box was absolutely massive! I has been a bit worried about how the cake would survive the post but I needn’t have been – it was so incredibly well packed, it was literally ready to remove from the box and pop on a cake stand in the middle of the table. The inner packaging was really attractive and inviting, and I loved the design and how it proudly states that Sponge use British ingredients and that their cakes are baked in small batches using natural oils and flavours.
And I have to say that it shows – the cake was light, fluffy and bursting with flavour in a way that would be impossible to replicate in a mass production site or with artificial flavours. My daughter was kind enough to volunteer to help on the testing side (she’s not coeliac) and she said it was the best gluten free cake she’d ever tasted. She then had a bit of a think and declared it the best cake she’d ever tasted, full-stop! High praise indeed from someone who always goes for gooey chocolate cakes and normally complains about rubbish gluten free food!
Our cake was a large cake, so was supposed to feed 16 people. We think this is a pretty conservative estimate and that you could easily feed 20 with it. The cake is lovely and thick, so you don’t need a massive slice. For £26.50, it is honestly a total bargain. It can even be frozen if you can’t get through it all (I can promise that we will be getting through it!). My daughter has been enjoying hers at room temperature, whilst I have been popping mine in the microwave for 15 seconds and having it with single cream – it is absolutely delicious either way.
My birthday is that really awkward bit between Christmas and new year, and I am really tempted to treat myself to a birthday cake from the range too – I never normally bother because I’m not a fan of supermarket cakes, but these just seem like a fantastic excuse to eat cake!
I can absolutely recommend Sponge.co.uk – the delivery was perfect and on-time, the cake was just outstanding and the range of product types and flavours is huge! The festive range would be a super addition to any Christmas table, and would serve a party really generously or keep a family in cake for the whole Christmas period!
Rating: 5/5
Price: £17.50 (Serves 8) / £26.50 (Serves 16)
For more information or to buy, visit www.sponge.co.uk.
