Help
) I do have to increase the size of the cake from 8" x 2" to 9" x 3" deep to feed everyone.My test run worked out nicely although I used only one mix package, meaning a third of the final cake size. So far my adaptation is substituting dried cherries soaked in gluten-free Kirschwasser for 'Xmas fruits and lemon zest for candied peel, with a dash of vanilla added to the wet batter. This was baked at 28 minutes and came out golden and fine - bit dense but still a cake and not a cricket ball!
My question is:
If I am using 3 x gluten-free Cake mixes, each meant to be baked at 30 to 35 minutes each at 180˚ in an 8" cake tin. Would increasing my time to between one hour to one hour and fifteen minutes sound about the correct timing for this sort of adaptation for a 9" x 3"? (This does match my original Simnel cake instructions dating from the 1890's for volume and cake size.)
I'm planning on measuring the mixes out into to two separate batches. Rolling out the gluten free marzipan to an 8 inch circle, set aside. Adding the water, eggs and butter per batch which makes for a nominal increase ratio to one batch of mix, pouring that into my prepared cake tin. Refrigerating the cake pan with batter and moving swiftly into mixing up the second batch of batter. Topping the chilled batter in the pan with the marzipan. Pouring the second batch of batter over the marzipan for the top of the cake and popping it into the oven to bake.
My test run was fairly sweet because of the marzipan which I'm hoping will balance out with double the volume of batter. Because of the cloying sweet factor, am seriously considering other options for topping the cake simply. These have been my thoughts:
1. Glaze of warmed gluten-free cherry jam, arrowroot for shine and some thickening mixed with a TBS or so of gluten-free Kirsch, thickly brushed over the top of the cake.
2. Adapting a cream cheese frosting. (Small amounts of cream cheese apparently can be tolerated by my guest.) I only want to mix up sufficient for the top of the cake again flavouring with Kirsch, gluten-free vanilla and some sugar.
3. An old fashioned water glaze, but my recollection of these is that a great deal of icing sugar went into water glazes and actually, I'm not trying to cut down the richness of the frosting but rather the sweetness.
Coeliac cakes are rather dense and dry but the layer of cooked marzipan does a marvellous job of adding moisture to the cake once baked and cooled, then put in a cake tin and sealed over night. That's a huge help in getting a more normal cake! However, I've been toying with the idea of whipping up a couple of egg whites per batter batch and folding those into the batter to lighten it. Does anyone have any alternate suggestions, notice anything wrong in my planning and thinking, have better ways of doing things, think that I'm utterly crazy or my flavour combinations are dire?
Sincere thanks!
Marcus
