Birthday Cake Recipe?

[AKcollegestudent]

I turn 21 in less than a week; one of my friends has agreed to make the dessert (using my ingredients, my cookware, and my kitchen under my supervision) so that for once I don't have to be actively cooking. I have a couple recipes (from Karina at glutenfreegoddess) that will work, but to be honest?

I don't want a flourless chocolate torte or something similar if I can have something similar to a double chocolate cake, cheesecake or carrot cake. (I mean, the recipes I already have are good, they're relatively easy, and with a little coaching, I don't think the boy in question will screw them up.) But I'm asking for a good tasting easy recipe not just because I don't want him to screw up my birthday cake. Sometimes, I just want something that I can make easily that doesn't have sweet potato in it to make it the right texture. Sure, it comes out fine in the wash, but it's a bit complicated to explain that yes, sometimes I add the weirdest things to make things taste decent.

I'm completely soy and gluten free; I'm mostly dairy free, but if push comes to shove and the recipe relies on it, then I can take two benedryl and be fine.

Help a girl (and her awesome friends) out?

[RiceGuy]

I don't bake with eggs or dairy, and I find that fat (including oils) tends to make cake prone to falling and/or turning out gummy. Whether or not those two ingredients would make the inclusion of fats work better I don't know. But I generally get good results with the right blend of flours, binders, and water.

Last I knew, chocolate has fat in it (often dairy too), but not plain cocoa powder, so I'd be inclined to think the powder would be a safer bet.

Gluten is sticky enough to hold things together even with a notable amount of fat in it, and in fact it usually requires fat to get cake-like textures when using wheat flour. This is because the gluten must be partially defeated, or it'd turn out more like bread than cake. This is one major reason why eggs and dairy are standard ingredients in cake. Since gluten-free flour doesn't hold together so much on it's own to begin with, it makes that cake texture far easier to achieve. So IMHO, forget what you know about baking with wheat flour. Much of it simply doesn't apply to gluten-free baking.

I should also point out that I don't use sugar either, which might also make quite a difference. I use pure Stevia powder, which is so sweet that I only need about a teaspoon of it to replace up to a cup a sugar. Surely this has an impact on the results too.

So, although I don't have a specific recipe to recommend, I would suggest one which is designed with gluten-free ingredients from the start, rather than a wheat-based recipe with a flour substitution.

HTH

[purple]

Karina's pumpkin cake is wonderful. I used the maple frosted pumpkin cake recipe but just used a white frosting.

I have made this one layer, One Bowl Chocolate Cake many times. Its dairy/soy free too. If you want a 2 layer, double the recipe and pour into 2 round pans:

Open Original Shared Link

I like to put 3/4 cup chocolate chips in it (single recipe) or peanut butter chips. I use sorghum flour mix but I have used white rice flour mix also. Very easy to make. Sometimes I make jumbo size "muffins" and then freeze the cupcakes. Makes a great individual cake if you need a chocolate fix or need to take a treat somewhere just for you.

Last year I made my dd a 2 layer cake and frosted it with 7 minute frosting and the year before frosted it with chocolate cream cheese frosting with cherry pie filling in the middle and on the top for a black forest cake.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

[Coleslawcat]

Karina's pumpkin cake is wonderful. I used the maple frosted pumpkin cake recipe but just used a white frosting.

I have made this one layer, One Bowl Chocolate Cake many times. Its dairy/soy free too. If you want a 2 layer, double the recipe and pour into 2 round pans:

Open Original Shared Link

I like to put 3/4 cup chocolate chips in it (single recipe) or peanut butter chips. I use sorghum flour mix but I have used white rice flour mix also. Very easy to make. Sometimes I make jumbo size "muffins" and then freeze the cupcakes. Makes a great individual cake if you need a chocolate fix or need to take a treat somewhere just for you.

Last year I made my dd a 2 layer cake and frosted it with 7 minute frosting and the year before frosted it with chocolate cream cheese frosting with cherry pie filling in the middle and on the top for a black forest cake.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

This cake is wonderful and easy. It has a wonderful "real cake" texture.

Open Original Shared Link

[hannahp57]

Easy Chocolate Cheesecake: (Carol Fenster gets credit for this)

1/4 C crushed cookies (for crust)

2- 8oz package nonfat cream cheese

1 C cottage cheese (1% is recommended)

1 C packed light brown sugar

1/3 C +1tbsp cocoa powder

1/2 C tapioca flour

1/4 C skim milk (i use 2% and its fine)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp chocolate extract (opt)

1/4 tsp salt

1 lg egg

2 tbsp gluten free chocolate chips (i use slightly more )

garnish w/ fresh fruit if desired.

1.) Preheat oven to 300* and grease bottom of spring form pan. press cookies into bottom of pan

2.) In a food processor, cream the cream cheese and cottage cheese until very smooth. Add brown sugar, cocoa flour, milk, vanilla, chocolate extract, and salt. process until smooth, then add the egg and process just until blended. Stir in chocolate chips. slowly pour over cookie crumbs in the pan.

3.) Bake for 1 hour or until it is set. let it cool in the pan on a wire rack, cover and chill for at least 8 hours or overnight

sidenote from me: i use a regular hand mixer because I dont have a large food processor and it works just fine. good luck finding the right recipe! and happy birthday

[bbuster]

Carrot cake is pretty easy:

Carrot cake recipe #2

cream together

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cup vegetable oil

blend dry ingredients

2 1/4 cups gluten-free flour

2 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp cinnamon

3 cups shredded carrots

Blend dry ingredients with the rest

Stir in 3 cups shredded carrots

Bake in 9 X 13 pan for about 45-55 minutes (toothpick should come out clean)

or you can use 3 rounds and bake 45 minutes or so

I usually just buy fake cream cheese icing

Or you can make your own as follows:

cream together

1 lb powdered sugar

1 stick margarine or butter

8 oz cream cheese

2 tsp vanilla

Can top with nuts if desired.

Here's what I would use for the gluten-free flour:

1/2 cup white rice flour

1/2 cup tapioca starch

1/2 cup corn starch

3/4 cup sorghum flour

2 tsp Xanthan gum

But I'm sure other blends would work fine.

[AKcollegestudent]

Thanks to everyone who has replied--I've gathered up all the responses and forwarded them on to he-who-volunteered. He's going to make a decision and let me know which I get for a birthday cake when we go shopping for ingredients. They all sound fabulous, though several would definitely require at least benedryl. (Which means they'll get used as "yes, I know I didn't make you dessert for the past six months" dishes for my family members when I get back on their side of the country.)

So thanks so much!

[RiceGuy]

Coconut milk or rice milk can typically work in place of cow's milk in baking.

[AKcollegestudent]

Coconut milk or rice milk can typically work in place of cow's milk in baking.

However, when the ingredient is sour cream, things become a bit more complicated. (I keep both coconut and rice milk in my pantry and use them when necessary. I have for many more years than I've been gluten free.)

[Naturalist]

Happy Birthday! Here is a good recipe, and it's pretty easy. I got it from www.glutenfreestate.com.

Yellow Butter Cake

This cake has a rich buttery flavor and light texture. This is a classic in our house.

½ cup (1 stick) Butter, softened

1 cup Sugar

5 Eggs, separated (room temperature)

1 ½ cup Water, cold

3 tsp. Vanilla extract

2 tsp. Butter flavoring

Dry ingredients:

2 cups gluten free Flour Mix

1 tsp. unflavored Gelatin powder

½ tsp. Salt

1 Tb. + 1 ½ tsp. Baking Powder

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

Place a medium sized metal bowl and electric mixer beaters in the freezer. These will be used to form peaks in the egg whites.

Grease and sugar pan. (Sugar works even better than flour to ensure that the

cake will not stick to the pan.)

2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and ¾ cup of sugar about 4 min, until pale

and fluffy.

3. Add egg yolks and water. Mix well.

4. Stir in vanilla and butter flavoring.

5. In medium bowl, stir together dry ingredients. Slowly pour this into butter

mixture. Mix well to form batter.

6. Pour the egg whites into the chilled bowl. Using the chilled beaters - beat

the egg whites for 2 minutes or until soft peaks form. Slowly add ¼ cup

sugar. Beat on high speed until stiff peaks form (When the beaters are lifted

from the bowl, the peaks hold their shape.)

7. Gently fold egg whites into cake batter.

8. Pour into prepared pan. Bake in center of oven for 20-30 minutes, until

toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.

[MaryM54]

Happy Birthday! Here is a good recipe, and it's pretty easy. I got it from www.glutenfreestate.com.

Yellow Butter Cake

This cake has a rich buttery flavor and light texture. This is a classic in our house.