Any Ideas On An Amazing Cake?

[zus888]

FIL is having his 70th birthday this weekend and I'm sure there will be cake I cannot have. I'd like to try my hand at making one myself. Are there any EASY recipes that create a great MOIST cake? I am new to gluten-free baking (this would be my first project) and would like to make something really great. And, did I mention EASY?

Anyway, I don't have all those flours they call for. I could only find potato starch, brown rice flour, and Bob's Red Mill All Purpose flour at our grocery store. I do have a Betty Crocker yellow cake mix on hand. And if worse comes to worse, I might be able to try my hand at my cheesecake with an alternative crust.

I did see the coconut cake recipe, but I'm not a fan of coconut and don't have a lot of the required flours.

Thanks for any help you can provide!!!

[Melstar23]

This one ticks the box in my opinion

Chocolate Almond Cake

Grease and line a 20cm round cake tin

Melt 200g chopped dark chocolate, 150g butter, 150g caster sugar i a bowl, over simmering water. Cool slightly.

Mix in 5 egg yolks 1 at a time. Fold in 100g almond meal.

Beat 5 egg whites ito stiff peaks

Mix a few spoons of the egg whites into the chocolate mix, the fold the rest of the egg whites in.

Pour it into the cake tin, bake for 45min at 180 degrees C.

[Mizzo]

What I will say is NO vanilla gluten-free cake can rival any Chocolate gluten-free cake mix. I have tried nearly every brand of gluten-free vanilla cake mix and they just aren't that good. On the other hand Pamela's chocolate and King Arthurs choc cake mixes are really good. The KA brand is harder to make with lots of instruction but is a bit moister and makes a slightly larger cake.

You can add sliced strawberries into middle of layers and decorate with more on top, or make homemade choc buttercream frosting and shave choc on top .

[sa1937]

This Flourless Chocolate Cake is really good:

Open Original Shared Link

[GFinDC]

When I was still eating nightshades I used to make the Betty Crocker yellow cakes mix with a banana mashed in to make it moister. You can add lots of things to the yellow cake mix to dress it up. Spice cake for instance, or make a dump cake.

[bbuster]

Two weeks ago I made a pineapple upside down cake (my first ever, gluten free or not). I found the recipe online, and it actually called for a Betty Crocker cake mix, but I had a scratch cake recipe that I had been wanting to try for ages and substituted that. It was so good - the butter/brown sugar/pineapple goo seeps down into the cake when you flip it over, so it is extremely moist. Everyone loved it, and it was really easy.

[GlutenFreeManna]

Pamela's white cake mix makes the most moist cake I've ever had--gluten-free and non gluten-free. If you can't get that though try adding a can of pumpkin to the Betty Crocker yellow cake mix and don't cook it as long OR make cupcakes with it. The yellow BC mixes seem to make better cupcakes than full size cakes. Before they added soy to the mixes I made a bunch of cupcakes and froze them (without frosting) to have for times when I want cake but don't want to have to bake.

[zus888]

Pamela's white cake mix makes the most moist cake I've ever had--gluten-free and non gluten-free. If you can't get that though try adding a can of pumpkin to the Betty Crocker yellow cake mix and don't cook it as long OR make cupcakes with it. The yellow BC mixes seem to make better cupcakes than full size cakes. Before they added soy to the mixes I made a bunch of cupcakes and froze them (without frosting) to have for times when I want cake but don't want to have to bake.

Has anyone tried adding cream cheese to the BC yellow cake mix to make it more moist?

I'm leaning toward trying that flourless chocolate cake. I would have gone with the first recipe, but I don't have some of the ingredients (like almond meal) on hand. Otherwise, I think I saw a strawberry cake recipe that uses the BC yellow cake mix and might try that as well. But that flourless chocolate cake looks fairly easy compared to other recipes I've seen.

[jerseyangel]

In my opinion, the best cake mixes are Cause Your're Special.

[sa1937]

Here's a recipe for the strawberry cake from The Cake Mix Doctor, which uses a gluten-free yellow cake mix. I haven't made it but can swear by the flourless chocolate cake, which I'm going to make again for Easter.

Open Original Shared Link

[c-lyn]

this is my go-to flourless chocolate cake recipe:

Open Original Shared Link

delicious when you substitute irish cream for the kahlua. i made this as the base for a german chocolate cake for my office... chocolate cake on the bottom, coconut/pecan filling on top, chocolate ganache over everything. *drool*

[Roda]

Has anyone tried adding cream cheese to the BC yellow cake mix to make it more moist?

I'm leaning toward trying that flourless chocolate cake. I would have gone with the first recipe, but I don't have some of the ingredients (like almond meal) on hand. Otherwise, I think I saw a strawberry cake recipe that uses the BC yellow cake mix and might try that as well. But that flourless chocolate cake looks fairly easy compared to other recipes I've seen.

Yes, I add 2 oz of softened cream cheese to the BC yellow cake mix. I do not bake it as long either. I will pull it out when it is "almost done" with a few crumbs still sticking on the tooth pic.

[Takala]

If you can find almonds at a decent price that haven't been run thru a wheat factory and have a blender to grind them in, you will never lack for almond meal.

Works for pecans, walnuts, etc.

I have successfully made little, moist cakes in the microwave in a bowl with almond meal, an egg, oil, sweetener, flavorings, and vinegar and baking soda, and maybe a bit of the other types of flours. (amaranth and sorghum. amaranth is another flour that is sticky enough that a small baked item may not require gum.) That way I don't have to use xanthan gum. ( I fear if I made a full sized cake we'd eat the entire thing. This regulates it to 2 servings.) The key to moisture seems to be adding fat in the form of oil, butter, egg, or coconut oil or palm shortening, and not overbaking. It's really good with fresh citrus peel and the juice added as the liquid. I can tell you sort of how to do it, but I don't have a set recipe written down where I can swear it will come out the same, because I am varying the amount of dry and wet ingredients and mixing it until the batter looks thick. Too thin a batter and it won't bake in the microwave in the middle. Other problem is that I vary the sweeteners a lot from honey to agave to molasses to splenda, and now I heard that bulk splenda might be bothering some people, I use the packets. Anyway, for those who want cake but are despairing because they are not doing flour, and don't want a big cake, this will work.

Micro Cake of Gluten Free options

take olive or other oil, and pour small spoonful into a microwaveable safe cereal bowl, about a teasp. to a tablespoon, depending on your flour or nut meal. Nuts take less.

(melted butter could be used instead of oil, or other shortening.)

add little puddle of pure apple cider vinegar. the measure is not crucial, just at least a half teasp.

add little dollop of molasses (flavor)

add as much agave or honey as you want

extra sweetener, if desired. (totals should be about 2 to 4 tablesp equiv. of sugar/honey/agave)

now, crack an egg into the bowl, and mix it up.

wash your hands of raw egg residue, if you are going to go and grate some citrus peel into this. Then slice the lemon or mandarin in half, and juice it and put the juice in the bowl. This is why I vary the sweetener amounts. Lemon needs more, orange less, others, like cocoa, will take a lot of sugar or sweetener.

Now, add to the bowl roughly 3/4 to 1 and a 1/4 cups of gluten free nut meal, nut meal flour mixture, or gluten free flour. (Heavier, less. Lighter, more.)

I use about half ground almonds and half other stuff, but all almonds will work.

I don't see why an all purpose type gluten-free flour wouldn't work.

(note: If using rice/potato starch mixture, you may want to add either some xanthan gum or some buckwheat flour to the mix, or some gelled flax or chia seed,soaked in hot water, because rice flours can be crumbly. Will not take much gum at all. Careful. may get rubbery. I/3 each rice/pot/buckwheat kasha didn't need any gum, neither does almond or almond amaranth) Each gluten free flour behaves a little differently.

add in also:

1/4 teas salt

baking soda, about a quarter to a half teaspoon

your preferred spice, such as cinnamon, etc

poppyseeds if using lemon

anise seeds are good with mandarin orange

If you are not making citrus, you can add a dash of vanilla extract, or other, even cocoa powder. Note: if using cocoa, you may want to use about a cup of flour and the rest cocoa powder, 2- 4 tablespoons.

If you are not adding the citrus juice, you will need to add water to make a thick cake batter. NOTE: if you use a regular sized orange instead of a small mandarin, use half the juice of the fruit, or you may have a lot of liquid that you may have to add more flour to. Conversely, if the egg was small and you didn't use juice, this is when you add water or other liquid to get the mixture to resemble very thick cake batter.

Stir it up well.

Put bowl in microwave.

I have no idea what your microwave does, so start out at a minute on high and watch it. This takes about a minute 40 seconds in my microwave, to 2 minutes for a larger amount of flours and liquids, then I'll tip it out on to a plate and finish baking it upside down, for about 10 to 20 more seconds, if the middle is being slow. If I used too much liquid, I may have to slice it in half and finish it that way - depends on the shape of the cereal bowl. A 6" pyrex bowl baked more evenly. Test by touching, it should be springy, then by sticking a table knife into it to see if it comes out clean. Continue baking otherwise in short intervals. Do not overbake. The first time I did this, the recipe I used called for a long time, and it turned into a hockey puck. They must have had a really slow microwave.

Makes one micro wave cakelet of 2 servings.

The fun part is you can slice them sideways and spread a filling in the middle, such as cream cheese. Or put some chocolate into it. Sigh. Rather calorie dense.

Leave out the extra sugar and tweak it a little, and it's a micro bowl- bread of two servings.

[Teri Lou]

If you like carrot cake the Namaste Spice Cake mix is GREAT- just add shredded carrots, nuts, and raisins. Cream cheese frosting and you are set! Very easy!

[freeatlast]

I'm going to try this cake. It has great reviews.I copied and pasted some of them. From: Open Original Shared Link

Gluten-Free Yellow Cake

By: Amy

"Basic and easy, and very versatile. Layer with white or chocolate frosting, strawberries and whipped cream, etc. Make sure your baking powder is gluten-free."

Rate/Review | Read Reviews (120)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups white rice flour

• 3/4 cup tapioca flour

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 3 teaspoons baking powder

• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum

• 4 eggs

• 1 1/4 cups white sugar

• 2/3 cup mayonnaise

• 1 cup milk

• 2 teaspoons gluten-free vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and rice flour two 8 or 9 inch round cake pans.

2. Mix the white rice flour, tapioca flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and xanthan gum together and set aside.

3. Mix the eggs, sugar, and mayonnaise until fluffy. Add the flour mixture, milk and vanilla and mix well. Spread batter into the prepared pans.

4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 minutes. Cakes are done when they spring back when lightly touched or when a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Let cool completely then frost, if desired.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 154 | Total Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 38mg Powered by ESHA Nutrient Database

READER'S REVIEWS AND SUGGESTIONS:

This is an excellent recipe, as long as you use superfine rice flour. (I've started using the superfine rice flour for all baked goods, and it makes a HUGE difference.)------------------------------------------------------------ Also, try adjusting the flours to 1 3/4 cup Thai rice flour and 1/2 tapioca flour.

I also add a bowl of water to my oven while cooking gluten free as it adds moisture and baked goods tend to be less dry. great success with this one.

I took another reviewers suggestion and added the milk to the rice flour while I combined the other ingredients. It lost 90% of it's graininess. Great suggestion.

This recipe works out great. I decrease the amount of sugar by 1/2 cup and substitute a box of Jello powder. My daughter loves it and she gets to choose which "flavour" of cake we will have every time (lemon, strawberry etc). I only use the Jello powder that calls for boiling water.

We did alter the flour a bit -- 1/2 c brown rice flour, 3/4 cup white rice flour, 1/2 cup sorghum flour, and 1/2 c tapioca flour. Thank you for such a great recipe.

I followed the suggestions of previous reviewers and added 1/3 cup more sugar and 1/2 cup unsweetened coco powder to make chocolate cupcakes. I cooked them for about 19 minutes. Perfect!

Rather than xanthan gum (way too expensive!), can use guar gum (runs $4.99/lb in my area and can usually buy small packages for under $2 at health food stores). Cake turned out fine, except my batter was thin and I had to pour it rather than spread it!

[sa1937]

I'm going to try this cake. It has great reviews.I copied and pasted some of them. From: Open Original Shared Link

Sounds yummy! I bet the mayo would keep it moist. Let us know how it turns out.