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Holiday baking with the kids


Chocolate cocoa cola cake topped
with Chocolate Ganache


It's the start of the local school Easter holidays, which means 2 weeks of keeping the kids entertained.    Normally in April all you need to worry about is rain showers, however we've been getting a lot of unseasonal snow lately.  So it's always good to have a few back up plans, for when there stuck in the house.


Funny thing is I discovered this recipe a few years ago when I was on the weight watchers diet.  I never made it as diet soda is made with artificial sweeteners.  It isn't really great for my IBS, as there one of my triggers. 

Last time my niece and nephew had an in service day (Teachers training) we had a bake day at my house. I love teaching the kids to bake, talking them through the recipe and letting them do the work themselves.  The only thing off limits is the oven, that I take care off myself.

Strange fact: Supermarket brands own Chocolate sponge cake mix are usually dairy free.  It's the more expensive brands that have dairy products added.

We made a version of this cake using plain soda water. The kids loved the idea of taking a chocolate cake mix and adding fizzy water too it.  It was great watching there faces as they watch the cake rise in the oven. 

The recipe is dairy and egg free so perfect for little and big people who have to watch what they eat.  Just remember to check the ingredients list. 

TIP: - An easy way to do this is too go onto a major supermarkets website and check the recipes that way.  It's a lot easier to read that way. 



Ever since Iv been dying to make a chocolate and coca cola version, just to see if it works.  Only problem, I'm not really keen on Chocolate cake.  So I decided to use the guys at the Pantry as taste testers, to give myself an excuse. 

 If your going to bake a cake, and your not on a healthy eating plan to loose weight.  Buy the full fat variety, your baking with it not drinking it. 

Every thing in the USA seems to be larger than average.  The Morrison's chocolate Sponge cake mix I used is only 225g.  So I reduced the amount of coca cola and used a mixer sized tin instead. 

If you want to make one from scratch use a Wacky cake recipe, and replace the liquid used for your fizzy soda. 

Other idea's to use when making a wacky cake

Lemon soda cake - use Sprite or lemonade

Chocolate and cherry cake - Cherry coca cola or Barr's Cherryade

Cream soda Cake - Cream soda

Fruity cake - Pineapple, Raspberry, orangeade, ginger beer

(Check out the Barr's soft drink web site or more idea's.

They only limit the kids have is there imagination xx





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