Introduction
Hi! Welcome to the Down the Cake Hole: The Blog!!
I'm Maxine, the owner of Down the Cake Hole. I really wanted to write a blog about baking, giving advice & getting to try out different recipes that I could recommend, but I also wanted to share my experience of parenting a child with ADHD & give people an insight to how that looks alongside running my own cake business plus a part-time job (and all the other life things)!
So, I had a random thought one day to merge the two together!!
I bake a lot with my children at home so I thought this would be perfect.
This also gives my daughter a chance to be involved in Down the Cake Hole, as she is always telling me how much she loves baking with me and that she wants to be a caker when she grows up!
I wanted to do something to help us put a positive spin on her diagnosis, it has been (and still is) an extremely tough ride for us all, we have a long road ahead of us but I think this will be a really great way to focus our energies on something fun as a family and hopefully inspire and support other families along the way.
As a Mum of a neuro-diverse child, I have found it quite hard to find support groups for parents. It is really dis-heartening when all you want is to talk to someone who understands what you are going through, (don't get me wrong, our friends & family are great but sometimes you just need that person who 'gets it') so by starting this blog hopefully I can create a community where everyone feels welcome and understood, give a little bit of baking inspiration and support along the way too!
Over to Phoebe...
Phoebe
Hi, I am Phoebe and I have ADHD, I am 6 years old and I am in year 2. I am good at swimming and riding my bike. I love baking cakes with Mummy. I am kind and I am very clever with numbers, I can write up to 191!
Hope you like our blog!
A little bit about ADHD
ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. It is a medical condition. A person with ADHD has differences in brain development and brain activity that affect attention, the ability to sit still, and self-control. ADHD can affect a child at school, at home and in friendships.
There are three different types of ADHD, they are:
• Combined type. This, the most common type of ADHD, is characterized by impulsive and hyperactive behaviours as well as inattention and distractibility.
• Impulsive/hyperactive type. This, the least common type of ADHD, is characterized by impulsive and hyperactive behaviours without inattention and distractibility.
• Inattentive and distractible type. This type of ADHD is characterized predominately by inattention and distractibility without hyperactivity.
Phoebe has the combined type. She is ALWAYS on the move, can't ever sit still, is constantly talking, finds it very hard to concentrate and focus, is very easily distracted and loses interest in things REALLY quickly.
I have learned the hard way that Phoebe needs short, fun and a variety of different activities to keep her ADHD brain stimulated.
Baking is great for her as each recipe is different and she gets to use and learn different techniques each time.
About The Blog
We will be sharing tips, advice & recipes that we think are suitable for children with ADHD. Obviously, all our recipes are suitable for all parents & children (we bake with our neuro-typical toddler too) but we will specifically have the ADHD brain in mind when putting them together!
All our tips and advice are from our own experiences and what works for us as a family. All children are different; you know your child best so if you think of another way to do things that work better for you and your child then go for it! And please share with us too! We are constantly learning new things and love to hear of others experiences!
We are both very excited about this blog and hope you are too!
Tips & advice for baking with your ADHD child!
Make sure you have ALL the ingredients you need for your recipe before you start, if you need to rush out to the shop your child will not be happy and most likely will not be bothered about the activity by the time you get back! You can also weigh out the ingredients beforehand if that works well for you.
Give your child the choice of recipes they want to try out. I find 2 options is perfect, because a) the ADHD brain gets overwhelmed with too many decisions & b) in my experience, ADHD brains DO NOT like being told what to do, they like to feel they have made the decision themselves!
Choose simple, quick & easy recipes with few ingredients if possible. Ideally ones where you don't need to prove, chill or let things rest (I know this is hard as most baking involves cooling time but the less time the better!) As your child will get BORED!!!
Make sure you have a clean, tidy & clear work space with nothing in sight that will be distracting for your child. Ensure all of the equipment you need for the bake is out and ready to use in advance.
It's a good idea to ensure you have lots of time to do the activity, if you are rushing this will become very stressful.
MOST IMPORTANTLY - HAVE FUN!!!!!
The Recipe
And with that, here is the first recipe... Phoebe chose a classic Easter-inspired bake (although there isn't actually any baking involved!) Great for using up any leftover Easter eggs!
Chocolate Cornflake Cakes
200g milk chocolate (broken up into pieces)
75g butter
4 tbsp golden syrup
200g cornflakes
Chocolates or sweets of your choice for toppings (optional)
Equipment needed: large mixing bowl, small saucepan, wooden spoon, cupcake tins, cupcake cases, tablespoon, spoons for scooping mixture into cupcake cases, weighing scales.
Makes - 24
Prep time- 5 mins
Cooking time- 10 mins
Chilling time- 20 mins
1) Line 2 cupcake tins with cupcake cases.
2) Put the cornflakes into a large mixing bowl.
3) Melt the chocolate, butter & golden syrup in a small saucepan on a very low heat until melted, using a wooden spoon to stir. This won't take long. (Please ask a grown-up to help.)
4) Pour the melted chocolate over the top of the cornflakes and stir in thoroughly with a wooden spoon (don't be afraid to crush some of the cornflakes!) Keep mixing until all the cornflakes are coated with chocolate. It may seem like there isn't enough chocolate mixture but you just need to trust the process & keep mixing!
5) Spoon the chocolate cornflake mixture into the cupcake cases, top with your choice of sweets or chocolates and then pop in the fridge to set for about 20 minutes.
Notes-
- Try mixing in some mini marshmallows for a delicious chewy texture.
- You can also try using rice krispies or crushed up Shredded Wheat instead of cornflakes.
- Phoebe used mini eggs to decorate but please remember these are not safe for children under the age of 4 to eat. Lucy used chocolate buttons instead!
We hope you have enjoyed our first blog post!
Let us know if you try out the recipe and what you think of it. If you have any bakes you would like us to create just pop us a message :)
Happy Baking!!
Maxine & Phoebe xxx
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