Help! Baking Disaster!

[olalisa]

Help! I just tried gluten free baking for the first time, for my son's Bday. I used gluten free pantry mix. Doubled it to make 2 layers. Used butter, not shortening. Greased the pan with butter as well. The layers looked GREAT.....IN the pan. When I tried to get them out they were STUCK. When I finally got them out they fell apart. I'm trying to salvage what I can....so....

What do I need to do differently? I followed the recipe and instructions exactly. I think.

Any suggestions for trying again??

THANKS!

[Guhlia]

I usually use a gluten free spray on my pans to keep things from sticking. I haven't had a problem with it yet. I have had a problem with butter though. It seems that the gluten free grains absorb the butter much more rapidly than they do cooking oil. That's just my own personal experience though. Maybe someone else will have a better idea.

[mamaw]

underbaking can also cause the mishap......

[eKatherine]

Go to your local paper supply store and get yourself a ream of baking parchment, a lifetime supply. Cut pieces to fit the bottom of the cakepan, brownie pan, or cookie sheet. Throw it away afterwards. Easy removal and minimal cleanup.

[Felidae]

You can get parchment paper at most grocery stores too. It is great for baking.

[olalisa]

Thanks for the suggestions, guys! Will definitley try them...

Also, the cake was VERY crumbly. Is that just the nature of gluten free baked goods, or is there a way to get the texture better?

[Guhlia]

Mostly that's just the nature of gluten free baking, but you can add a small amount of unflavored gelatin to make it more moist. I think it's up to 2 TBS, but I could be wrong.

You may be interested in looking at the Incredible Edible Gluten Free Food for Kids. It's an awesome cookbook with wonderful, moist gluten free foods and baked goods.

[gfp]

All baking is a bit like that I find.

The problem is its so fussy to temperature and stuff and looking inside to see how its doing is another recipee for disaster so it is just practice.

The gluten-free flours all react differently and you just need to get used to them, not somethoing easy to write because its a lot of feeling.

Loads of calories but something like gluten-free carrot cake is easier because of the high oil content which prevents it sticking ... but I think you will find its just practice and after a while you will automatically adjust.

[Guest nini]

with the Gluten Free Pantry cake mixes, I find it does better if I add some vanilla yogurt to the mix, also, I've found the cake comes out of the pan so much easier if you not only butter the pan but flour it as well, use whatever gluten-free flour you have on hand, I usually use rice flour. Yes they are more crumbly, but they are edible! LOL!

[jerseyangel]

I use Pam, and the GFP cake has come out of the pan fine each time. Parchment paper is a good idea, though--just to make sure.