Glossy Vegan Cakes Stockholm

I was on a hunt for a kid's birthday cake! The bakery I had originally planned to get the cake from, unfortunately, no longer carried that seasonal vegan cake :(

Having a little one with various allergies, we wanted a vegan cake but also one that was nut and soy free and I had about a week to order it. 

We were so happy to find Glossy Vegan Cakes, a bakery that started in January 2023. They specialize in creating custom cakes for peope with various allergies or dietary restrictions!

When I contacted them for questions about a cake, they replied quickly and answered all of my questions. They even sent photos of other Customers' birthday cakes as suggestions to help us decide which design we wanted.

Glossy Vegan Cakes is located in Märsta, about about hour from Stockholm, Sweden. You can pickup your order or get the cake delivered. We chose the delivery option and they even notified me when the cake was on the way!

We were very pleased with the birthday cake! It was a vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream and the cake moist and delicious. The design we chose was so cute and everything was edible. Party guests couldn't believe it was Vegan! It was definitely one of the highlights of our kid's birthday 🎉 

Great service, beautiful custom designs and delicious Vegan cake! If you're in Stockholm and looking for a custom cake, definitely check out Glossy Cakes to add something special to your upcoming celebration. It's always great to support small business as well. 

Glossy Cakes 

Vikingavägen 5, 195 51 Märsta

Check out their website for more info and ordering information. 

Purdy's Chocolatier Vancouver

 

A Canadian chocolatier, Purdy's Chocolatier has been around since 1907! Their popular chocolate shops can be found in a number of locations around the city and country!

Our favorite items at Purdy's aside from their chocolates have been the hedgehog truffles and the vanilla dipped ice cream bars! You can choose to dip it in white chocolate or dark chocolate or both?

Whether it's some mixed bars or a box of chocolates, when you receive chocolate from Purdy's you know it's something special!

Canadian Chocolates in special Canada souvenir tins make for great gifts.

Are you Dairy-free but still enjoy chocolate? Purdy's chocolates now offers more than a few Vegan options!

We have previously tried the Vegan caramels and chocolate bars and they were delish!

At Purdy's there is always a lot to choose from to satisfy everyone's chocolate cravings. 

If you're in Vancouver, looking for some delicious chocolate, for you or as a Canadian gift, check out a Purdy's Chocolate shop! 

Don't forget your snacks!

If Purdy's sounds familiar, I have previously mentioned Purdy's in earlier blog posts like one on Vegan treats for Mama.

Purdy's Chocolatier 

2196 W 4th Ave, Vancouver, BC V6K 1N7

Check out the Purdy's website for more info

Purebread Vancouver

 

From Savory breakfast items like the Fritatta and Egg Brioche to sweet treats like blueberry scones, and cakes, Purebread is a great bakery to visit for breakfast or a snack.

Originally a family bakery established in Whistler, BC, Canada, Purebread now a few locations in Whistler and Vancouver! 

Our favorite items besides the coffee (free refills with drip coffee) is the lemon bar!

We were happy to find a delicious lemon loaf which is also vegan and nut free! They had one with frosting and one without and toddler preferred it frosting free!

If kids aren't interested in the pastries or breads, they also have Kids Only cookies ;)

There's a lot to choose from and the staff were super friendly and helpful when asking about different items and pointing out which items were vegan. The bakery changes certain items every month (like their scone of the month). Their ginger rhubarb scone was so delish!

They also have cakes for special occasions that can be ordered in advance. Vegan options are available and quite delicious!

If you're visiting Vancouver or Whistler in Canada and looking for a bakery for breakfast or snacks, drop by a Purebread location!

Don't forget your snacks!

Purebread Vancouver (a couple of locations)

159 W Hastings St, Vancouver, BC V6B 1H5

2887 W Broadway, Vancouver, BC V6K 2G6

Purebread Whistler 

4338 Main St #122, Whistler, BC V0N 1B4

Check out the Purebread website for more info.

Goodstore Vegan Stockholm

 

It's not always easy finding Vegan alternatives at the regular grocery stores. They do have a few options thankfully but I am also glad to have found Goodstore, which carries even more Vegan and nut free options. 

The cafe and grocery store is located in the neighborhood of Södermalm in Stockholm, Sweden and you can even order online (delivery fee applies)!

I finally had an opportunity to check out the store and when I first walked in, I was surprised that it was much bigger than I had expected! From Vegan lipbalm and soap, to Vegan pastas, pancake mix and even seasonal treats, there is a pretty good selection.

Many snacks to choose from at Goodstore! 

Of course, with every new snack I am interested in, I read the ingredients list carefully. Being a parent to a very allergic toddler, there's no avoiding this extra check. We have gotten quite used to it by now and easy to read labels on the item and the allergens marked in bold helps a lot.

During this visit, I found some cereal bars, vegan candy, their favorite marshmallows and some chocolate.

Will have to try the cafe snacks next time I visit! 

Toddler was very happy with the snacks I found that day, especially the marshmallows 😋 I will definitely be going back for another shopping trip. Glad to have a Vegan store like this in the city!

Don't forget your snacks!

Goodstore Vegan Cafe and Grocery

Åsögatan 116, 116 24 Stockholm, Sweden

Check out their website for ordering online 

Ideas for Dairy Free Easter Treats

Easter is almost here. One of our favorite Easter activities is an Easter egg hunt! Kids (and adults) enjoy hunting for eggs and getting some treats.

Sweden has paper eggs which you can fill with bulk candy/or anything really. These paper eggs can be reused each year as well so it's a fun idea.

If you have kids with allergies or don't like chocolate, you can opt to avoid the chocolate eggs and just fill the eggs with other candy.

You can also find some Dairy free chocolate, eggs or bunnies like those at MooFree, Plamil SoFree and Purdy's Chocolatier!

Purdy's Chocolatier offers some delicious Vegan chocolate bars. They don't fit in the smaller paper eggs but can still be hidden in the Easter egg hunt ;)

The MooFree brand also has Easter eggs and chocolate animals. 

We have found a chocolate oatmilk egg from Plamil at Goodstore in Stockholm! 

Check out my blog on the vegan store, Goodstore! 

My toddler is allergic to dairy but loves to have whatever their older sibling has. So it's really nice to have some Dairy free options. 

Moo Free Hamster 

A Dairy free Hamster instead of a Chocolate bunny for kids to find during the egg hunt/scavenger hunt!!

Some other alternative dessert/candy options, are mini oreo cookies, ginger snaps (Pepparkakor in Swedish), dairy free mini cinnamon buns, gummy candies and lollipops.

Happy Easter egg hunting and remember don't forget your snacks (non-dairy ones too)!

Happy Vegan Store in Gothenburg

Once I became Dairy and Egg Free, I was on the hunt for Dairy and Egg alternatives.  I always made sure to check at the grocery stores for snacks and treats for myself. That's why I was really glad to find Happy Vegan, a Vegan grocery store in the city. 

Some of our favorite items are the Pancake mix, Tiramisu, Marshmellows, and Vegan Cheese.

They have a freezer section that stocks things like Vegan pizza, egg rolls and desserts like cake and various Ice Creams.

In their baking section you can find items like almond flour, chocolate chips and egg substitutes. 

We have also found baby food like kids porridge and smoothie Pouches that are Vegan! It's great for kids who are Vegan or have allergies like my little one.

Happy Vegan doesn't just have food, the store even has a household section with items like toothpaste and bamboo toothbrushes for kids.

This great little Vegan shop also stocks seasonal goods like Easter eggs and Advent Calendars, but this needs to be reserved, so contact them for more information.

If you're in Gothenburg, Sweden, Happy Vegan is a great place to stock up on Vegan snacks. You can also order online!

Have a great week and remember don't forget your snacks!! 

Happy Vegan AB
Olivedalsgatan 2, 413 10 Göteborg

Can order online for pickup or delivery. 

Checkout their website for full item list.

**Updated Feb 2022, unfortunately, the Happy Vegan grocery store has been closed :( both the physical store and webshop.**

Celebrate Cinnamon Bun Day Oct 4th!

Monday, October 4th is when Swedes celebrate "Cinnamon Bun Day" or  Kanelbullens dag in Swedish ! 

Yes, Sweden has a more than a few "Food holidays" and one of them is coming up! Cinnamon bun or Kanelbulle in Swedish, is a tradtional pastry eaten during a Coffee Break or "Fika". Although it has the same name, the Swedish Cinnamon bun is different from the North American one and not everyone likes them!

A Swedish cinnamon bun is made with a popular spice called, Cardamon. The cardamom flavor is pretty strong, so if Cardamom is not your thing, than this is one pastry you wouldn't enjoy.

Another difference between the Swedish Cinnamon bun and the North American Cinnamon bun is, a Swedish Cinnamon bun does not have any icing or glaze on top. Instead, they sprinkle it with hard sugar bits similar to pretzels and how pretzels are topped with hard salt. So, unfortunately, they aren't as gooey or soft. However, these Swedish pastries are still delicious for those that enjoy the flavors of Cinnamon and Cardamon. And there's no denying that they are one of the most popular traditional Swedish pastry to enjoy! 

A tip, for those who enjoy a Swedish cinnamon bun or kannelbulle, if you heat it up for 10 seconds it'll be even better. If you are ordering this in a cafe, you can even ask them to heat it up for you (My MIL did this when she ordered a Cardamom bun, which is a similar pastry but minus the sugar on top and uses more cardamom).

These were delicious buns from Alvar & Ivar, a local bakery in Gothenburg where we often buy Fika bread from.

In Stockholm, there are many cafes and bakeries to get a good Swedish Cinnamon bun!

Bröd & Salt, Fabrique, Magnus Johansson Bageri & Konditori, and Skeppsbro bageri are just a few to choose from! 

Looking for a Vegan alternative? 

Kanelbullar can also be made Vegan! And actually, Vegan Cinnamon buns are even available at convenience stores like Pressbyrån and 7-eleven!! 

The Swedish 7-eleven has many fresh cookies, pastries and snacks to choose from. 

If you're in Stockholm, Vete-katten and Hagabageri also do some good Vegan cinnamon buns!

Check out my Vete-Katten post!

And if you are in Gothenburg, don't forget about the Extra Large Cinnamon bun in Haga!

The Hagabullen is available in Haga from Cafe Husaren. Check out my blog post about The Hagabullen! They are also Vegan!

So don't forget to enjoy a Cinnamon bun on Oct 4th. Whether it be the Swedish version or the North American version, enjoy your treat! They make great snacks. Happy Cinnamon Bun Day!

Don't forget your snacks!

Blog post on Bröd & Salt

Blog post on Fabrique 

Blog post on Magnus Johansson Bageri & Konditori 

Blog post on Skeppsbro Bageri 

My Favorite Vegan Ice Cream

 

When I started being Dairy-free, I made sure to keep my eye out for snacks that I could eat. Pastries, cookies, ice cream - I missed being able to eat them. It was more difficult at the very beginning when I had to give up some of my favorite snacks. So, I was pleasantly surprised to see that there were more Dairy-free or Vegan snacks popping up in stores and cafes in the city. More and more people were interested in non-Dairy options and of course, I had to try them all :)

Vegan Ice Cream!

I was amazed by all of the different Vegan Ice Creams available! There are a few different brands that you can even get at the regular grocery store (3 Vänners, Lily & Hanna's, and even a GB Glace). I like a couple more than what is featured in the photo above... like Ben & Jerry's chocolate brownie. 

Also, Oatly brand Vanilla, toddler likes this one, although I found it a bit too sweet.

Dairy-free Sorbets are great too! 

My Favorite Ice Cream Bars:

• Magnum Vegan Almond
• 3 Vänners Mint bar

Those are definitely in my freezer snack area these days. The Magnum Vegan Almond actually doesn't taste Vegan!! I always enjoyed a regular Magnum ice cream, so this was a nice surprise to find.

The 3 Vänners Mint bar is also pretty tasty but maybe its because I love mint chocolate? 

There are a few milk-free Sorbet that we have found like:
Triumf Glass brand Mango Passionfruit, and
Strawberry Sorbet from Picard. 

The kids have enjoyed these flavors during the summer. It's nice to be able to have ice cream on a summer day or an after dinner treat any season.

While visiting Canada, we found some dairy-free, nut-free and soy-free ice cream sandwiches. They're small so great for a little dessert.

Hope this gave you some ideas for Vegan Ice creams to try! Thanks for reading and remember, don't forget your snacks!

Forida's Bubble Tea on Linnégatan

There are a couple of Bubble tea or "Boba" places that I know exist in Gothenburg, Sweden. When we first moved here, I would go to Saigon Food Bubble Tea. But recently, since we don't go indoors, we have tried the Bubble tea place located in an Asian shop on Linnégatan, called Forida's. 

Forida's has become quite popular especially now that it's summertime. Ordering is done with a ticket system. When you arrive, you print your ticket out and wait until your number is called.

There are many different flavors available and different types of Tapioca pearls or Boba that you can select. You can even choose to have your Bubble tea with or without milk.  Lactose free milk is available for those who can't have Lactose. All the toppings and drinks without milk are Vegan.

The shop sells different Asian trinkets like fans and 'Lucky Cats', and even some clothing.

If you're in Gothenburg, or plan to visit (post-Pandemic) and get a craving for Bubble Tea, be sure to visit the Linnegatan shop!

Forida's

Linnégatan 1 41304, Gothenburg, Sweden

For more information checkout their website

Just Your Kid-friendly Neighbourhood Diner, Egg & Milk!

An American-style diner that's been around in Gothenburg, Sweden for 15 years, Egg & Milk, is a great place for breakfast or brunch. Sit on the Patio or pickup a Takeaway (especially during the Pandemic), our favorite items to order are the American-style Pancakes and Mushroom & Cheese omelette. They offer Vegan Pancakes too!!

Not Canadian Maple Syrup but the Pancakes are still pretty delish!

Egg & Milk has a pretty great Patio to sit in the sunshine and let the sleeping baby sleep.

On nice, sunny days, we have sat on the Egg & Milk patio for lunch. It's a perfect spot to get some sun but if it's chilly, there are no outdoor heaters.

In addition to pancakes and omelettes, there are also bagels, sandwiches, yogurts, waffles, juices, smoothies and milkshakes. My kids enjoy the toasted bagels with cream cheese (it's possible to get Vegan cream cheese or regular) and we often buy a bunch of bagels to take home for later. Egg & Milk also sells Pancake mix, syrup and Marshmallows. 

Note: During the Pandemic, you must line-up outside until it's your turn to order. Once the cashier is empty, you can go inside.

On Thursdays, Egg & Milk offers All-U-Can-Eat Pancakes! You can top them with syrup, hershey's chocolate or caramel sauce. Butter is an extra charge. You can see who the current record holder is and how many pancakes they managed to eat, at the cashier counter. 

There are blueberry pancakes and chocolate chip pancakes too!

During a hot day, the inside of Egg & Milk can feel like a sauna, on really popular days we found a table inside but there was no ventilation. This was Pre-Pandemic, since we don't sit indoors at any restaurants these days. So try to find a patio table if it's a sunny day!

Pancake Takeway for a Picnic at the Park.

If you are in Gothenburg or visiting the city in the future (Post-Pandemic), be sure to stop by Egg & Milk for some delicious breakfast, brunch or lunch! 

Vegan Pancakes!

Enjoy your Thursday (or Ascension Day off if you're in Sweden) and remember, don't forget your snacks! 

Egg & Milk

Övre Husargatan 23, 413 19 Göteborg, Sweden

Check out their website for their full menu.
* Prices are pretty reasonable for the portion sizes!

Egg & Milk is also available for Food delivery on Foodora!

Satisfying My Pumpkin Pie Craving

With this wacky Spring weather, it's hard not to feel like it's Autumn all over again. Just the other day, I had a Pumpkin Pie craving. I searched for a recipe that was Vegan (and easy). This was so everyone could eat it. I was happy to find something I could try. The recipe I tried was from mindful avocado!

As always when baking with little ones, I made sure to take all the ingredients out and prepare the baking area before calling them over. One stood on the stool, the other I was carrying. Proof that this is a recipe one could do, even one-handed!

They helped Mama put everything in the blender. The younger one was a bit scared of the blender sounds, and he repeated how loud it was over and over that day and even the next day. Wow, do kids have a great memory.

I think the hardest part of the recipe for the kids was the waiting! Putting it in the fridge after baking and cooling before getting a chance to eat it haha.

The Pumpkin Pie turned out great! We topped it with Vegan whip cream, which was perfect. I didn't add as much sugar as the recipe called for, but I think that still worked. I'm looking forward to trying it out again soon.

Thanks Mindful Avocado for the easy and delish Vegan Pumpkin Pie recipe! Check out more recipes on their website.

Enjoy your baking (with or without kids) and remember, don't forget your snacks!

A Vegan Dinner Roll, the Perfect Comfort Food!

One of my favorite comfort foods is a Warm Dinner roll. Cut the bun in half and spread some butter and jam and it is so delish. Since I went Dairy and Egg free, my co-pilot found a recipe that makes some delicious and soft Vegan dinner rolls! They are perfect for the little ones as well and they love to eat them either plain or with butter.

During the Pandemic, like many others, we started baking dinner rolls (and baking in general) more often. We sometimes freeze the dough to easily pop them in the oven when we want some fresh bread.

The Bun marked with a 'V' above for Vegan.

The first time we made these buns was for a friend's Thanksgiving dinner a couple of years ago now. We were asked to bring Dinner rolls for the Turkey dinner, but there was just nothing like it at the Swedish Grocery stores or bakeries. Like all things we can't find and miss, we decided to try to bake our own!

                                                

My daughter loves to help bake. Her favorite part (aside from eating it) is to help with the dough and she rolls it and plays with it just like play-doh ;) She does a pretty good job kneading the dough and can focus on that for awhile on her own.

Baking with kids can be a great activity if you give them something clear and simple to help with.

The Vegan version of the buns are made with Flora milk free butter and oat milk. They are the perfect size, soft and delicious. They make great snacks too!

What's your comfort food? Is it something, you can buy or have you tried to make it yourself?

Thanks for reading and remember, don't forget your snacks.

What's a Hagabullen?

 

In Sweden, Cinnamon buns or "Kanelbullar" in Swedish, are a bit different than the North American Style Cinnamon buns. While the Cinnamon buns in North America are gooey and often topped with glaze and sometimes nuts, the Swedish version is not as sticky and has the added flavor of cardamom ("Kardemumma" in Swedish). The buns are also spinkled with hard sugar on top (like salt on Pretzels).

There are a various versions of the Swedish pastry depending on where you get it (or if you make it), of course. You can find Kanelbullar in cafes, bakeries, grocery stores, even 7eleven or Pressbyrån (the convenience stores in town). They are a perfect snack for Fika (Coffee break), breakfast, or dessert. The best is if they are slightly warm and enjoyed with a nice warm drink too.

So what's a Hagabullen??

The Hagabullen is basically the Extra Large version of a Swedish Cinnamon bun! Great for sharing or have one on your own! Delish!

"Authentic Hagabulle only at Cafe Husaren"

Swedes celebrate food holidays for different desserts. Ok, so you don't get a day off or anything, but on that day, people celebrate by eating that pastry. For example, recently on March 25, it was "Waffle day" in Sweden. Check out my Waffle day blog!

October 4 is "Cinnamon Bun Day" in Sweden. Cinnamon buns are ordered from bakeries and eaten all day long. My past post on Cinnamon bun day! 

Cafe Husaren

Cafe Husaren is in the neighbourhood of Haga in Gothenburg, Sweden. It's also where you can find this special Cinnamon bun called "Hagabullen". Cafe Husaren makes these cinnamon buns Vegan, along with many other Vegan and Non-Vegan snacks! It's a really great place for fika indoors and (especially during the Pandemic) outdoors as well.There is another cafe called Cafe Hebbe Lelle that is just down the street on Haga Nygatan. They also have a Hagabullen, but they sell the Hagabullen at a higher price and it's not Vegan. Cafe Husaren is featured on my Top 3 cafes of Haga.

Don't forget your snacks!

Cafe Husaren

Haga Nygata 28, 411 22 Göteborg, Sweden 

Read more about the cafe on their website

AweSum Cakes Bakery

We have been really lucky to live near a pretty amazing little bakery called AweSum Cakes.The first time I heard about this bakery was from a friend when I was planning my daughter's birthday.

For that birthday, we decided to just order some mini cupcakes to try the bakery out. We got a mix of chocolate cupcakes some with chocolate icing and some with butterscotch and then some vanilla cupcakes with pink icing. The chocolate icing with the chocolate cupcakes was so delicious and those went pretty quickly! The vanilla ones were the perfect size for the little kids hands. 

When the pandemic started last year, we started to self isolate. I saw an post about this bakery advertising they can make Vegan cupcakes. Just as many businesses had been struggling during the Pandemic, AweSum Cakes, needed some customers. I had been looking for some Vegan desserts for myself, so I had to try the Vegan cupcakes!

Coffee icing mmmmm...

I have never regretted it! Since then I've been ordering different cupcakes and even the cake-in-the-box whenever I felt like I needed a nice treat. We would also stop by the shop when we felt like a treat on the way home. Sumana knows my daughter loves pink cupcakes and several times she has even put icing on a cupcake just for her. 

Delicious flower icing! Couldn't wait till we got home. 

For their Pandemic birthdays in 2020, we ordered our kids' birthday cakes from AweSum Cakes. Having a delicious custom birthday cake, even if it was just for us, really made the Pandemic birthdays special. 

For my daughter's birthday, we ordered Unicorn cupcakes for the guests to keep it as safe as possible. We celebrated outdoors at our neighbourhood park with just a few kids from her preschool. We saved the cake just for us. 

The hornless unicorn cupcake above is Vegan :)

When I initially asked my daughter about her birthday cake theme, she said she wanted a unicorn and rainbow on her cake. Days later she said she wanted a pink bike on it too. Even with that update to our order, AweSum Cakes was flexible and said it wasn't a problem! The cake turned out AMAZING! And most importantly, my daughter loved it! 

The Birthday girl wanted the piece with the unicorn on it of course ;) The cake was vanilla with one layer of vanilla icing and one layer of mango. Soo tasty!

We decided to do a Mickey themed cake for our one-year old's birthday. We thought since our only trip in 2020 was to California for a wedding, it made sense. We had so many other trips planned but we stayed in Sweden due to the Pandemic. The Vegan birthday cake from AweSum Cakes was just perfect! We even ordered 2 cupcakes for each of the kidd since we just celebrated together. 

Such a cute (and delicious) birthday cake for my little one!

Remember to support your local businesses, especially during this Pandemic.

A huge thank you to AweSum Cakes!! If you're in Göteborg, definitely treat yourself to some cupcakes or a custom cake to help celebrate a birthday! If you're visiting Göteborg in the future, stop by and see what's available that day -  there are always cupcakes and treats to choose from. Plus, they make great snacks. Happy St. Patrick's Day and remember, don't forget your snacks!

AweSum Cakes 
Haga kyrkogata 22, 411 23 Göteborg

Read more about this Awesome bakery on  their website and
Check out their
Instagram or Facebook for more amazing Cupcakes and Cake Designs! Gluten free and Vegan options are available!