Completely Disappointed

[newgfcali]

I've got a dinner party to go to tonight and offered to bring dessert. I bought a new gluten-free baking book and it has so many yummy-looking recipes in it, that I thought I'd take it out for a test-drive.

I think of myself as a pretty good baker, but haven't done a lot of baking since going gluten-free 6 months ago. I must say, it's like starting over. This upside down cake was what I would call a fairly complex recipe, lots of ingredients, lots of steps. But since I enjoy baking so much I took it on as a challenge.

To say the end result was a disappointment is an understatement. The recipe called for a garbanzo bean flour mix, but the author said that Bob's Red Mill baking mix could be substituted, as it was basically the same as her custom mix. Either way, the basic flour was garbanzo bean. All I can say is YUCK. I'd read on here that the raw garbanzo bean flour batter is awful tasting, so I was prepared. But what I was not prepared for was the smell of it and the taste of the finished cake. It hardly tastes edible. Both the taste and the aftertaste are bitter to me. I certainly wouldn't serve it to company. For that matter, I wouldn't give it to the cat. It's in the garbage now.

Has anyone else had this experience? I don't think the Bob's baking mix has gone "bad" or rancid. I think it's the taste of the flour itself.

The other gluten-free baking I've tried were based on either rice or sorghum flours, and the end products were quite palatable, although different from their wheat flour counterparts.

I'm tempted to try the recipe again, but with a different cake recipe based on a different flour. Does anyone have a favorite cake recipe they'd like to share? Our dinner isn't until 6 tonight, so there's time to try again.

I feel like crying right now, but I know there's no crying in baking. It's been a tough week and I didn't need this extra reminder of how things have changed.

[kareng]

I've got a dinner party to go to tonight and offered to bring dessert. I bought a new gluten-free baking book and it has so many yummy-looking recipes in it, that I thought I'd take it out for a test-drive.

I think of myself as a pretty good baker, but haven't done a lot of baking since going gluten-free 6 months ago. I must say, it's like starting over. This upside down cake was what I would call a fairly complex recipe, lots of ingredients, lots of steps. But since I enjoy baking so much I took it on as a challenge.

To say the end result was a disappointment is an understatement. The recipe called for a garbanzo bean flour mix, but the author said that Bob's Red Mill baking mix could be substituted, as it was basically the same as her custom mix. Either way, the basic flour was garbanzo bean. All I can say is YUCK. I'd read on here that the raw garbanzo bean flour batter is awful tasting, so I was prepared. But what I was not prepared for was the smell of it and the taste of the finished cake. It hardly tastes edible. Both the taste and the aftertaste are bitter to me. I certainly wouldn't serve it to company. For that matter, I wouldn't give it to the cat. It's in the garbage now.

Has anyone else had this experience? I don't think the Bob's baking mix has gone "bad" or rancid. I think it's the taste of the flour itself.

The other gluten-free baking I've tried were based on either rice or sorghum flours, and the end products were quite palatable, although different from their wheat flour counterparts.

I'm tempted to try the recipe again, but with a different cake recipe based on a different flour. Does anyone have a favorite cake recipe they'd like to share? Our dinner isn't until 6 tonight, so there's time to try again.

I feel like crying right now, but I know there's no crying in baking. It's been a tough week and I didn't need this extra reminder of how things have changed.

I haven't tried any baking from scratch yet but the Glutin free pantry choc cake was good. I will cook it at least 3 less minutes next time as it was a touch dry. Put a good icing on it. Or cut it up & layer with fruit & whipped cream in a pretty bowl. Is that called a trifle? Layer cake with coffee ice cream. The Betty Crocker brownies are good - throw in choc chips or peppermints & ice real pretty.

Good luck!

[newgfcali]

I haven't tried any baking from scratch yet but the Glutin free pantry choc cake was good. I will cook it at least 3 less minutes next time as it was a touch dry. Put a good icing on it. Or cut it up & layer with fruit & whipped cream in a pretty bowl. Is that called a trifle? Layer cake with coffee ice cream. The Betty Crocker brownies are good - throw in choc chips or peppermints & ice real pretty.

Good luck!

All wonderful and yummy sounding! Unfortunately I'm dairy-free and one of my dinner mates is allergic (IgE type allergy - yipes!!!) to chocolate. The trifle idea is terrific... I'll file that away in my tiny mind until the day I can reintroduce dairy. It would be perfect for company -- very pretty.

Maybe I'll just throw in the towel and buy some fresh pineapple and put a scoop of non-dairy coconut ice cream on top. That's what I did for Easter and it seemed to go over pretty well. But darn it!!! I want to bake something that tastes halfway decent!

[gary'sgirl]

Oh! I know your pain! gluten-free baking is so totally different than baking with gluten and there is so much trial and error. I have had quite a bit of disasters myself. I haven't tried too many cake recipes, but I just made the Vanilla Cupcake recipe off of glutenfreegoddess.blogspot Here is the link: Open Original Shared Link

You should be able to find it easily just by going to the blog and typing "vanilla cupcakes" in the search if the link doesn't work (I've never posted a link before ). I put a cream cheese frosting on them instead of the mocha icing, but I think any icing that you like would be good on them.

As far as the bob's flour mix, I wonder if yours was bad, because I have used it in quite a few different thing and it was always okay - if not good. But I usually like to use my own flours most of the time.

I hope you have a baking success before your dinner tonight.

~Sarah

[Mskedi]

I used Betty Crocker's mix for pineapple upside-down cake and maybe two pieces were edible. There's definitely a learning curve to gluten-free baking, even when using mixes and tested recipes! Don't be totally discouraged, though -- I just made banana bread from a normal recipe just substituting a gluten-free all purpose flour mix for the regular flour, and it was delicious and well textured. There's hope!

[sa1937]

I've made this and everyone liked it...

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Glaze

Open Original Shared Link

I don't know if you'd have time to make it or not but it is flourless. It is very rich and would serve 10 to 12 (or 16) so it should be cut in very small wedges.

The glaze is cloyingly sweet and makes too much

[gary'sgirl]

The glutenfreegoddess site has mostly diary and egg free recipes and everything I have tried has turned out great.

~Sarah

[sa1937]

Ooops...I need to learn to read. Didn't see that one of your dinnermates is allergic to chocolate.

[missy'smom]

I make pineapple upsidedown cake with the Namaste yellow cake mix-Namaste is free of many things! Works great-I've made individual upsidedown cakes in muffin tins-freeze and warm up at your whim.

[AlysounRI]

I have two really good gluten-free books that I use for cupcakes and cookies.

They are both printed by Enjoy Life.

They are:

Enjoy Life's Cupcakes and sweet treats for everyone! / by Betsy Laasko

and

Enjoy Life's Cookies for everyone! / by Leslie Hammond and Betsy Laasko

All of the recipes are gluten-free but most contain no dairy, or they give substitution values for rice milk, and for people with allergies to corn, in which case you can substitute

arrowroot.

There are 150 recipes in each and they are very easy to follow and come out great

Most of the recipes use white or brown rice flour and tapioca flour.

I brought in the lemon honey bars to work on Friday and people liked them.

[Wenmin]

These are some good gluten free deserts and don't require a lot of gluten free flours and the like....

Gluten Free Cookie Delight

Ingredients:

1 stick butter (softened)

8 ounces cream cheese (softened)

12 ounces cool whip (softened)

1 cup powdered sugar

3

[nicolebeth]

These are vegan, not what you're looking for, but I've made them when we've had company with serious gluten and egg allergies. And, no one else complained! The Vanilla Gluten Freedom Cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero. I've seen the recipe online here and there--just search for the name under Google, if interested. (I was going to write up the recipe, but realized that the directions would be helpful, too!)

I would also look at www.elanaspantry.com. She has great recipes with almond flour that aren't vegan.

[newgfcali]

Thanks, all! I knew I could come here and get some help (and sympathy, which I sorely needed).

I have to confess that I panicked and ran to the store to get a backup dessert. But now, with a backup solidly in the "bag", I'll try again.

I think I'll try your suggestion, Sarah, and go with the glutenfreegoddess' vanilla cupcakes. They're gluten-free, dairy-free, chocolate-free and GARBANZO-FREE!!! What more could a girl want? Besides, I love the way she writes, so how could her cupcakes be anything other than wonderful?

I did check the Bob's mix and it doesn't smell like it's rancid. Just yucky. (I noticed the goddess calls the taste "tinny", which definitely fits.)

I'm going to print out this thread so I can hang on to the recipes, Wenmin, and the book suggestions, AlysounRI, and your link, sa1937. I don't know when I'll be able to have dairy again, but there WILL be a day. I'm determined! And missy'smom... cool idea on the individual upside down cakes. Never thought of that. Do you use pineapple chunks?

Mskedi... I'm curious... why did the betty crocker cake not work? That was going to be my next move. Did it get soggy?

Again, thank you all. I'll report back on the cupcakes. Egads! Is that the time? Must go BAKE!!!!

[opus88]

I highly recommend Bruce Fife's cookbook "Cooking with Coconut Flour."

You mentioned you were dairy-free. Many recipes call for coconut milk. What about eggs? These recipes do use a lot of eggs. Some require butter but many others use coconut oil. Many recipes include low-sugar variations.

I do not like to bake or cook, but almost all of these recipes are easy and well worth the minimal effort. Everything we've tried so far has tasted delicious. Sweet breads, muffins, cakes, pies, pancakes, etc., and even some main courses - the chicken & dumplings is an absolute favorite!

Best wishes!

[newgfcali]

I highly recommend Bruce Fife's cookbook "Cooking with Coconut Flour."

You mentioned you were dairy-free. Many recipes call for coconut milk. What about eggs? These recipes do use a lot of eggs. Some require butter but many others use coconut oil. Many recipes include low-sugar variations.

I do not like to bake or cook, but almost all of these recipes are easy and well worth the minimal effort. Everything we've tried so far has tasted delicious. Sweet breads, muffins, cakes, pies, pancakes, etc., and even some main courses - the chicken & dumplings is an absolute favorite!

Best wishes!

Thanks, opus. I'll look up that book on (the a-word big online book seller). Eggs are borderline for me, but I still use them sometimes. In my allergy-free cookbooks I go ahead and use the ground flaxseed & water combo instead, but where a recipe calls for eggs, I use eggs. At this point I don't want to stray from any recipe ingredient. Yet.

I use Earth Balance everything-free butter substitute. There's one that's even soy-free (red label) that's outstanding.

OK, reporting back on the cupcakes. They came out pretty good, but I may have overfilled the papers, because they kind of exploded. They look like mutants, bulging out to one side. But they taste fine. Made some frosting from powdered sugar, the Earth Balance "butter", a little almond milk and 1/2 teaspoon of orange extract. Colored it with red & yellow food coloring to make orange. Presto! Suitable for Halloween.

So disaster averted. On to the party. Of course I'm bringing my own dinner.

[kareng]

OK, reporting back on the cupcakes. They came out pretty good, but I may have overfilled the papers, because they kind of exploded. They look like mutants, bulging out to one side. But they taste fine. Made some frosting from powdered sugar, the Earth Balance "butter", a little almond milk and 1/2 teaspoon of orange extract. Colored it with red & yellow food coloring to make orange. Presto! Suitable for Halloween.

So disaster averted. On to the party. Of course I'm bringing my own dinner.

When your cupcakes runneth over, you must gently cut off the excess & eat it before frosting. Frosting will cover the fresh cut. This is one of the benefits of being the cook.

[missy'smom]

I like using well drained crushed pineapple.

Sometimes if we overbeat things they turn out funny shaped or explode.

I've also used the Betty Crocker yellow cake mix for the upsidedown cake and it worked fine. Sometims gluten-free baked goods need to be baked past the time when we feel they are ready.

[newgfcali]

When your cupcakes runneth over, you must gently cut off the excess & eat it before frosting. Frosting will cover the fresh cut. This is one of the benefits of being the cook.

LOL! Good tip.

Sometimes if we overbeat things they turn out funny shaped or explode.

Well, that makes perfect sense. I never know when to stop beating. The batter was so gooey and sticky that when I was putting it in the muffin cups I had a tough time getting it to let go of the spoon!

It's all a learning experience. Thanks everyone! I'll do better next time. (And next time no whining!)

[sa1937]

When I've made muffins in the past (prior to being gluten free), I used an springy ice cream scoop that let's go of the batter. Don't know what the thingie is called. lol I would think that would also work well for cupcakes...no spoons involved

[gary'sgirl]

Glad they turned out okay. I hope you have a fabulous time at your dinner party!

~Sarah

[JNBunnie1]

LOL! Good tip.

Well, that makes perfect sense. I never know when to stop beating. The batter was so gooey and sticky that when I was putting it in the muffin cups I had a tough time getting it to let go of the spoon!

It's all a learning experience. Thanks everyone! I'll do better next time. (And next time no whining!)

A few pieces of advice for you.

If your cupcakes all 'exploded' to one side, try turning the pan around halfway through baking time. May come out more even, your oven may be hotter on one side.

Bean flour can really only be used with strong flavors. Garlic bread, chocolate cake. Otherwise, it tastes quite metallic to me. You can't use it unless there's something much stronger to cover it. But bean flour really does lend a wonderful texture, so I try to use it sometimes for savory stuff. Then there's the other problem with bean flour... I don't eat a lot of beans....

[Black Sheep]

I agree with the other, the G.F. Goddess is a great site....I was reading that site even before my diagnosis! Another couple of good recipe sites are:

Open Original Shared Link

So far, I've made the g.f. beer bread, the millet bread, and the pizza crust. All were amazingly good! Better than reg. bread and pizza crust, I think because they're so so much more flavorful. Even my finicky hubby loves them!

The other site I'm really interested in, but haven't had a chance to try recipes from, is:

Open Original Shared Link

This woman has a recipe for artisan bread that sound fabulous, and I can't wait to try it.

[gary'sgirl]

I agree with the other, the G.F. Goddess is a great site....I was reading that site even before my diagnosis! Another couple of good recipe sites are:

Open Original Shared Link

So far, I've made the g.f. beer bread, the millet bread, and the pizza crust. All were amazingly good! Better than reg. bread and pizza crust, I think because they're so so much more flavorful. Even my finicky hubby loves them!

The other site I'm really interested in, but haven't had a chance to try recipes from, is:

Open Original Shared Link

This woman has a recipe for artisan bread that sound fabulous, and I can't wait to try it.

I have tried a couple of the recipes off of glutenfreegirl and they have been wonderful! I just tried her "blueberry muffins with lemon zest" recipe and they are the best I have ever made - regardless of gluten. You all should try them. I also read her book recently and she is a wonderful writer - very engaging.

[JNBunnie1]

I have tried a couple of the recipes off of glutenfreegirl and they have been wonderful! I just tried her "blueberry muffins with lemon zest" recipe and they are the best I have ever made - regardless of gluten. You all should try them. I also read her book recently and she is a wonderful writer - very engaging.

That's definitely the big drawing point for Shawna (the glutenfreegirl)- she's an amazing writer.

Also try the Gluten free Bay website/blog, he has a version of Lorka's bread from this forum on there, along with a lot of other wonderful baking recipes, and is a very funny writer.

[lonewolf]

ITo say the end result was a disappointment is an understatement. The recipe called for a garbanzo bean flour mix, but the author said that Bob's Red Mill baking mix could be substituted, as it was basically the same as her custom mix. Either way, the basic flour was garbanzo bean. All I can say is YUCK. I'd read on here that the raw garbanzo bean flour batter is awful tasting, so I was prepared. But what I was not prepared for was the smell of it and the taste of the finished cake. It hardly tastes edible. Both the taste and the aftertaste are bitter to me. I certainly wouldn't serve it to company. For that matter, I wouldn't give it to the cat. It's in the garbage now.

So sorry this happened to you. It reminds me of when I was newly gluten free and my sister bought me a bag of Bob's Red Mill Baking Mix. I tried making biscuits out of it. The smell in the house was nauseating. I tried a small taste anyway, but it was absolutely disgusting. We tried giving one to the dog and he ate it and then THREW UP! That was the last time I tried a Bob's product.