Clean Made Bakes

02/04/2024

Ok, let's get this party started! New year, new name, same delish feel good cakes and bakes and more! Why salty? Because sea salt is always the secret ingredient to my sweets and because, let's be honest, I'm a little salty.:)

Valentine's / Galentine's / Love Yourself Day Menu

🗃️ Bento Cake Boxes $45
1 Snack Cake + 2 Mini Cakes / Feeds 2-4
* Pick Your Flavor or Mix & Match

🌫️ London Fog
- earl grey, lavender and vanilla bean cake
- topped with lavender vanilla glaze
- finished with earl grey sprinkle, fresh lavender and edible glitter

🥨 Strawberry Pretzel
- strawberry yellow cake
- topped with pink strawberry glaze
- finished with salty pretzel crumb, pretzels, fresh flowers and edible glitter
..

🖤 Black Cocoa Heart Cake $75
6" cake / Feeds 8+

- rich black cocoa cake
- layered with fresh strawberry buttercream
- finished with chocolate dipped strawberries, oreo crumb and fresh flowers
- a fave cake in a heart shape with some nostalgic flavors and vibes

❣️Pick Up Friday 2/9 or Tuesday 2/13
❣️Email hello@saltybakes.com to order
❣️Orders close on Wednesday 2/7

💫 all cakes are gluten free, dairy free and produced in a dedicated gf kitchen and as always made with the finest local, seasonal and organic ingredients

💫 no substitutions; custom cakes available

02/04/2024

Time for a new chapter! Find all things gluten free baking, recipes, finds and recommendations, and small biz tips galore over at ! Valentine's cake orders open now. Site and Substack coming soon! For orders contact us at hello@saltybakes.com

08/29/2023

Looking for a special treat to send off summer this Labor Day weekend?

It's been a while since I've done any real Clean Made Bakes baking (since we've been doing work at home most of the year) but we've got a little break in things and I'm doing a limited run of a special cake this week.

🍰 This is my "Ding D**g" Cake --> two layers of rich black cocoa cake sandwiching a layer of vanilla bean buttercream, a layer of chocolate buttercream, and a thin layer of chocolate, enrobed in rich chocolate ganache.

🍰 Cakes are gluten and dairy free and made with only the best ingredients money can buy

🍰 Each 6" cake serves at least 8 and as many as 12 depending on slice size -- this one's very rich. The cakes are $75 each

🍰 Pickup will be this Friday, September 1 here in Altadena and the cakes will keep well in the refrigerator all weekend long. This one is actually one of the few cakes I think is as delicious cold as it is room temp. The chocolate in the middle has a little crunch when it's chilled and it's so good. I don't even like chocolate and I crave this cake lol

🍰 If you'd like to place an order email hi@cleanmade.com *no later than this Wednesday, 8/30 please

Happy last days of August!

*sorry, no sexy photos of this one until later this week but as always, presentation will be on point 👌🏼

** no custom orders available

CLEAN MADE | BAKES
www.cleanmade.com
Permit Issued in LA County ·
Registration

08/28/2023

Looking for a special treat to send off summer this weekend?

It's been a while since I've done any real Clean Made baking (since we've been doing work at home most of the year) but we've got a little break in things and I'm doing a limited run of a special cake this week.

This is my "Ding D**g" cake --> two layers of rich black cocoa cake sandwiching a layer of vanilla bean buttercream, a layer of chocolate buttercream, and a thin layer of chocolate, enrobed in rich chocolate ganache. *Ganache can be made with or without dairy depending on preference

These cakes are gluten and dairy free and made with only the best ingredients money can buy.

Each 6" cake serves at least 8 and as many as 12 depending on slice size -- this one's very rich. The cakes are $75 each.

Pickup will be this Friday, September 1 here in Altadena and the cakes will keep well in the refrigerator all weekend long. This one is actually one of the few cakes I think is as delicious cold as it is room temp. The chocolate in the middle has a little crunch when it's chilled and it's so good. I don't even like chocolate and I crave this cake lol

If you'd like to place an order email hi@cleanmade.com (no later than this Wednesday, 8/30 please).

Happy last days of August!

*sorry, no sexy photos of this one until later this week but as always, presentation will be on point 👌🏼

CLEAN MADE | BAKES
www.cleanmade.com
Permit Issued in LA County ·
Registration

07/02/2023

Quickie GF Air Fryer Donuts

I haven't been baking many cakes as of late, kitchen constriction and all, but that hasn't stopped me from doing some dabbling in the kitchen. I've been craving donuts big time (why is it so hard to find good gf donuts?!) and have come across quite a few GF air fryer donut recipes so I thought I'd give one a whirl. This recipe needs some more tinkering (next time I'll take the time to add some yeast and let it rise because I think that's the key to a good donut) but it's definitely worth making there when you need a donut. Now. Like, right now. I think this dough would also be perfect for pretzels so next time I'll add a little more salt and vinegar along with that yeast rise and give that a go. If you try these out let me know what you think. 🍩

GF Air Fryer Donuts

175g self raising gf flour*
25g tapioca starch
200g Greek yogurt**
1t vanilla bean paste
1/4t sea salt
butter (melted)
cinnamon sugar or chocolate (melted)

Method

- Mix all of your ingredients adding more flour as needed to get to a consistency you can easily roll out on a lightly floured surface
- Measure your dough out into 50-60g balls
- Roll each ball into a little log and then pinch into a ring
- Spray your air fryer with oil of choice (avocado works well) and carefully arrange your donuts in the air fryer (fry half at a time), giving them one more spritz of oil on top
- Fry your donuts at 375F for about 8 minutes flipping them over after about 5 minutes
- Dip your donuts in melted butter and cinnamon sugar (I used some vanilla bean granulated monkfruit on these) or skip the butter and dip into some melted chocolate (I used about 2T of Lily's baking chips here)
- Eat hot and enjoy!

Notes

*Recipe should make 8 donuts

*Store uneaten donuts plain and reheat in the air fryer for about a minute before dipping or glazing

*I really like Dove's Free From gluten free flour blend if you can get your hands on some, but this would likely work with King Arthur's or Cup for Cup's GF blends

** I use Stonyfield's grass fed Greek yogurt

12/22/2022

Update - SOLD!

It looks like I'm going to have a couple of extra Clean Made boozy gluten free British Christmas Cakes available for purchase -- one 6" and one 4" -- ready for pick up tomorrow. Drop a comment and DM if you'd like to snag one!

This year's were made with tons of beautiful dried fruit (raisins, sultanas, currants, tart cherries) and nuts (walnuts, almonds), ground almond flour, gluten free flour, Kerrygold butter, pastured eggs, backyard lemon and orange, my own British mixed spice blend, and no shortage of booze (Grand Cru champagne cognac, calvados and Welsh Penhoos rum) and are wrapped in homemade marzipan and homemade marshmallow fondant. They're especially delicious with a glass of champagne or port. 🥂

More info on the cakes here -- https://www.cleanmade.com/blog/tis-the-season-nbspholiday-cakes-amp-bakes

* Photos are of last year's cakes (and 8" and 6") for reference. Cakes are gluten free but not dairy free, nut free or vegan. These cakes are very rich. A 6" will serve 12+ and the 4" will serve 4-6.

* Ribbon tied Mini 4" cakes are $35. Ribbon tied 6" cakes are $80, decorated 6" cakes start at $95, 8" cakes start at $130.

12/14/2022

Somehow I managed to forget after the last two unusual (to put it mildly!) years how challenging it is to enjoy the holidays while juggling work and new clients and social commitments and all of life's other responsibilities this time of year, and I've been terrible about posting. So terrible, I almost forgot to share this – my 25 favorite holiday cookie recipes!

Some of the recipes are already gluten and dairy free, many are my adaptations of popular recipes, and a few are my own recipes and variations. Many have nut free and vegan options. One is keto. They're all delicious. Plus, there are some bonus Mince Pie recipes, including my tips for how to make the tastiest little pies even if you use a mince out of the jar.
..

This week I finally made time to bake and I'm working on four cakes. Two are adaptions of Ruth Reichl recipes and two are original – a Banoffee Cake: Brown Sugar Banana Cake + Caramelized Bananas + Salted Caramel Swiss Meringue Buttercream + Toffee Drip and an After Eights inspired Chocolate Peppermint Cake: Black Cocoa Cake + Peppermint Swiss Meringue Buttercream + Crushed Peppermint Meringues. Last week I made my husband a Black Cocoa + Notella Cake to celebrate his birthday and I need to share that one too!

Until then, happy baking. Go try some of these cookies!

As much as I love a great cake I really, really love a great cookie. And the holidays always make me want to bake all the cookies and share them with anyone who’ll take them. Read on for my favorite recipes and gluten free, dairy free and vegan adaptations.

11/25/2022

Hope everyone had a happy Thanksfeasting day however you chose to enjoy it.

I made this cake to take to Friendsgiving. It's a Chai Cake + Persimmon Compote + Salted Maple Italian Buttercream inspired by these ridiculously cute fondant pumpkins I came across on Etsy (yes, you can make them, but no, I didn't) -- and then we couldn't make it. Now who's gonna eat this cake?! Not me, because I'm still chowing on a Dark Chocolate Pecan Pie I made when I realized we'd be staying home. Sometimes you've gotta have pie!

What's the best thing you made or ate this week?

11/24/2022

Pumpkin spice can get a bad rap - for good reason, especially when it drops in September! - but these Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Italian Buttercream were anything but basic. These are dairy free with avocado oil and fresh pumpkin purée making up the fats; maple sugar for sweetness; and the spice is a mix of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, mace, allspice and clove. Christmas will be here in a flash, so get those fall vibes in while you can! 🍁🍂

11/19/2022

Step away from the pumpkin spice! Looking for something other than pumpkin or pecan pie for the Thanksgiving / Friendsgiving table? This is it. All of the warm fall flavor of a moist apple cider donut in an easy to make showstopper of a bundt cake finished with a rich dairy free brown butter and cinnamon sugar topping. This recipe is gluten free, dairy free and nut free and can easily be made vegan.

Want to give this one a try? My recipe and notes here:

https://www.cleanmade.com/blog/make-it-apple-cider-donut-cake-with-brown-butter-cinnamon-sugar

11/08/2022

Don't forget to get out there and VOTE TODAY if you haven't already. Our fragile democracy is counting on you! 🗳 🗳 🗳

11/07/2022

What a sweet cake memory I'd almost forgotten. Hard to believe it's been a decade since he passed. Happy birthday, wherever you are, Grandpa JB! I think I need to make this cake again soon in your honor!

11/06/2022

Happy Bonfire Night! It's Guy Fawkes Day in the UK and a night celebrating the failure of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 to blow up the Houses of Parliament and assassinate King James I. The night is commemorated by lighting bonfires and fireworks and making roasted sausages and other foods over open fire, so I decided to make my chocolate loving expat some Bonfire Cupcakes. 🔥 🪵

These are gluten and dairy free Chocolate Chili Cupcakes with dairy free White Chocolate Hybrid Swiss Buttercream. The "logs" are a UK chocolate staple - Cadbury's Flake*. I garnished each with a "mini" marshmallow (cut from regular marshmallows) roasted with a kitchen torch on a toothpick. No kitchen torch? You could also do this over a low flame on the stove.

This is a classic moist chocolate cupcake with just a little chili and chipotle added to amplify the chocolate flavor, the same way a little espresso would. A little goes a long way but if you like 'em hot, you can increase the chipotle for some after burn. I used black cocoa here because I like the rich Oreo chocolate flavor but Dutch Processed would work well. I also made these with super fine maple sugar which is very neutral in this recipe but some organic cane sugar would work too. The recipe also includes a couple of eggs and avocado oil.

These cupcakes would work well as camping or campfire cupcakes and would be fun for any outdoor lovers, for Father's Day, for grilling themes or as spin on S'Mores. Gluten free mini pretzels also work well for the "logs" (especially if you need to avoid the Flake).

If you'd like to make these, this is tip 1D aka a large drop flower tip used for a simple swirl. The colors are created by striping red, yellow and orange buttercream in your piping bag so that when you pipe you get a stripe of all three colors in your swirl. Beet and turmeric are perfect colorants to get this effect. You could also use a gel colorant for ease. When I'm not using my own entirely plant based colors, I like Colour Mill. They're an Australian company, so a lot of the scary ingredients found in US products aren't in theirs because, surprise, they're illegal there!

Happy weekend! Hope you're enjoying the cooler weather and baking some good. xx

*I used Flake for nostalgia's sake, but it does contain dairy and refined sugar and can easily be subbed out

11/01/2022

November 1st! Anyone else thinking about the next big meal to plan? Personally cannot wait for gluten free stuffing - at least two ways - and the pecan pumpkin chocolate tart I make every other year or so. There are some great practical tips here. Especially for those who don't have food allergies but may be entertaining someone who does. 🦃 🥧

Thanksgiving is a feast, but it can also be tricky for food allergies. To learn about the best allergy-friendly Thanksgiving meals, read on.

11/01/2022

Well played, Capello's. Well played. 😂

Happy Halloween! 💀🎃👻⚰️🕷💀

10/29/2022

There are so many fall flavors out there to enjoy (pumpkin spice, anyone) but apple cider and classic cider doughnuts are always one of my annual faves.

Here is one of my recipes for Apple Cider Doughnuts. This is one of the "cleanest" of the Clean Made recipes and it's vegan, gluten free, dairy free, paleo and AIP - yes, egg free too.

For some reason apple cider doughnuts don't seem to be as popular here on this coast as they are on the east coast – and forget finding any good gluten free ones out in the wild – but luckily they're pretty easy to make at home. Bonus, your place will be permeated with the sweet scents of fall.

Somehow these manage to be incredibly wholesome (dare we say, healthy) but still incredibly delicious and satisfying.

Give these a try and let me know what you think! 🍩🍩🍩

*Bonus, this post includes some local SoCal spots for apple picking and a great mulled cider recipe too.

Is there anything more Fall than apple picking? Maybe that fundamental moment of coming home and realizing that a 1/2 bushel is in fact a lot of apples, and digging in to make some spectacular dishes with that incredible autumn bounty. This year, we put our apple

10/24/2022

When you had a chunky fall sweater in mind but you couldn't find the piping tip you were looking for and you ended up with something decidedly more vintage basket weave. Oh well, it was still a delicious cake! 😆

PS, if you've got any Kanye shoes or clothes at home, go throw that s**t in the trash where it belongs right now. 🙂

10/24/2022

How is this the best (only) photo I got of this wedding cake?! 😂

Tall Two Tier Royal Wedding Cake - Lemon Victoria Sponge, Lemon Curd, and Elderflower Swiss Meringue Buttercream- finished with candied blood orange, lemon and kumquats, and a few of the wedding florals, in a tall six layer 6" barrel cake stacked atop a four layer 8" round