Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

gluten-free Birthday Cake

zus888

Recommended Posts

zus888 Contributor
zus888
Posted

My son is turning 2 this weekend, and I'm in need of a good cake recipe for it. I want it to be gluten-free so that I can also partake in the festivities. What's your favorite cake? I need something kid-friendly, so something like a simple chocolate or yellow cake would be best. It's my "thing" to make a cake from scratch, but this year I won't be able to do so since I don't have all the necessary flours. I'll have to make it from one of the mixes. I plan to tweak them into something yummy. Any ideas?

I *could* do the strawberry cake from The Cake Doctor using BC yellow cake mix. I might also have a chocolate cake mix on hand as well. I also have Pamela's pancake mix here too. Do any of those make great cakes. Just need the cake recipe. I can find a decent frosting for them. :)

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Coleslawcat Contributor
Coleslawcat
Posted

My son is turning 2 this weekend, and I'm in need of a good cake recipe for it. I want it to be gluten-free so that I can also partake in the festivities. What's your favorite cake? I need something kid-friendly, so something like a simple chocolate or yellow cake would be best. It's my "thing" to make a cake from scratch, but this year I won't be able to do so since I don't have all the necessary flours. I'll have to make it from one of the mixes. I plan to tweak them into something yummy. Any ideas?

I *could* do the strawberry cake from The Cake Doctor using BC yellow cake mix. I might also have a chocolate cake mix on hand as well. I also have Pamela's pancake mix here too. Do any of those make great cakes. Just need the cake recipe. I can find a decent frosting for them. :)

Do you have access to Tom Sawyer or Better Batter flours? If so, you can just substitute those 1:1 in your old recipes. I use Tom Sawyer all the time and love it. For chocolate cake I usually use the Perfectly Chocolate Cake recipe on the back of the Hershey's can of cocoa and use Tom Sawyer in place of all purpose flour.

kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted

one of my kids and the kid next door were never big on cakes. You could try the frozen donuts (somebody help me I can't remember the brand - Kinninick maybe). the other popular "cake" in our neighborhood is brownies. We love the gluten-free Pantry mix. You could get the Betty Crocker white icing and dye it a pretty color. Or leave it white and decorate with M&Ms. (Every kid at that party wanted M&Ms on thier next birthday cake, cookie or brownie.) My 15 yr old likes the icing flavored peppermint with crushed candy canes or red & white candies.

I haven't tried it but have heard the Betty Crocker gluten-free cake mixes are extra good with a pack of instant jello added.

Mizzo Enthusiast
Mizzo
Posted

We always use King Arthur gluten-free chocolate cake or Pamela's choc cake mix. Everyone (even non gluten-free choc. lovers ) in my family likes them. I add 2 tbsp instant choc pudding mix for added creaminess but it's not necessary. I find these 2 brands have NO grittiness in their texture.

KA will give you a 2 layer 9" inch cakes. Pamela's will give you a 2 layer 8" inch . KA is my first choice, but Pamela's is more readily available.

In addition (same brands ) have fabulous brownie mixes for sundae's . You can also make the cakes or brownies and turn them into pops. Home made or Pillsbury frosting both work for the pops.

IMO You might want to stick with a mix for the party and experiment with substitutes another time.

Roda Rising Star
Roda
Posted

For my 6 year olds birthday I did two boxes of the gluten free Betty Crocker yellow cake mix and added in 4 oz of softened cream cheese in the batter to make it more moist. I baked it in a 13 x 9 pan and took it out of the oven when there were still a few fudgy crumbs on the tooth pick. I ended up removing the whole cake from the pan, cut it in half lenghwise and arranged it to look like two light sabers. I frosted the whole thing. It was so good and moist that my gluten eating husband could not get enough of it.

zus888 Contributor
zus888
Posted
  • Author

I did the strawberry cake (The Cake Doctor) one Sunday at the party and am doing the Hershey's chocolate cake today. So far, the cake looks delicious!! One of the 9-in rounds sunk a bit in the middle. I'm really excited to see how the Better Batter does in this recipe. I went to a local natural foods place, and they told me that they heard great things about Better Batter, so I went with that instead of the King Arthur's.

The strawberry cake turned out well, and everyone enjoyed it! I'll let you know how the chocolate cake turns out. I hope this can be my new flour for all things dessert. I just substituted the flour 1:1.

zus888 Contributor
zus888
Posted
  • Author

I made the Hershey's Chocolate Cake with the Better Batter and it tasted GREAT, but the texture wasn't quite right. It was a cross between a cake and brownie. Sort of mushy and not cake-like. Not sure how to improve that. It is very moist - just not the texture I particularly wanted.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


sa1937 Community Regular
sa1937
Posted

I made the Hershey's Chocolate Cake with the Better Batter and it tasted GREAT, but the texture wasn't quite right. It was a cross between a cake and brownie. Sort of mushy and not cake-like. Not sure how to improve that. It is very moist - just not the texture I particularly wanted.

What a bummer...baking sure is a huge experiment, isn't it! Does Better Batter have xanthan gum in it?

zus888 Contributor
zus888
Posted
  • Author

Yes, it does. It's a bummer because that flour is really expensive!! I can't afford to make baking mistakes, or learn by trial and error. :(

Coleslawcat Contributor
Coleslawcat
Posted

I made the Hershey's Chocolate Cake with the Better Batter and it tasted GREAT, but the texture wasn't quite right. It was a cross between a cake and brownie. Sort of mushy and not cake-like. Not sure how to improve that. It is very moist - just not the texture I particularly wanted.

Hmm, what a bummer. I haven't tried Better Batter yet, but I've heard really good things about it. I have it sitting in my pantry waiting to try. I use the Tom Sawyer and I didn't have that result. I read a lot of reviews and they said the Better Batter was just as good if not better than the Tom Sawyer, who knows.

How do you measure out your flour? The most accurate way to measure it is to spoon small amounts of flour into the measuring cup and then level off the cup. When you scoop it tends to compact the flour too much and end up using more than you need. I wonder if that might have contributed? Just a guess.

zus888 Contributor
zus888
Posted
  • Author

I definitely spoon it in. I wonder if I should have baked it longer. The toothpick came out clean, but one of the 9-inch rounds collapsed a bit in the middle. That leaves me to think that maybe it's not fully baked because that's exactly what the texture is like - a not fully baked cake-brownie.

jackay Enthusiast
jackay
Posted

one of my kids and the kid next door were never big on cakes. You could try the frozen donuts (somebody help me I can't remember the brand - Kinninick maybe). the other popular "cake" in our neighborhood is brownies. We love the gluten-free Pantry mix. You could get the Betty Crocker white icing and dye it a pretty color. Or leave it white and decorate with M&Ms. (Every kid at that party wanted M&Ms on thier next birthday cake, cookie or brownie.) My 15 yr old likes the icing flavored peppermint with crushed candy canes or red & white candies.

I haven't tried it but have heard the Betty Crocker gluten-free cake mixes are extra good with a pack of instant jello added.

Are M&Ms safe now that they manufacture pretzel M&Ms? I'm wondering if they are made in the safe facility and there could be cc issues.

zus888 Contributor
zus888
Posted
  • Author

Just to follow up: I contacted Better Batter and they think that the oven temp was too high (causing the outside to cook faster than the inside and making it seem like it was baked through when it wasn't). One of the signs of this was the fact that one of the cake rounds collapsed a bit in the center. So, next time I try this, I'll set the oven a bit lower and bake it a tad longer. They said that this cake is usually a hit and comes out perfect in their kitchen tests.

Great customer service, by the way!

Looking forward to trying out some cookies with this flour! :)

Coleslawcat Contributor
Coleslawcat
Posted

Just to follow up: I contacted Better Batter and they think that the oven temp was too high (causing the outside to cook faster than the inside and making it seem like it was baked through when it wasn't). One of the signs of this was the fact that one of the cake rounds collapsed a bit in the center. So, next time I try this, I'll set the oven a bit lower and bake it a tad longer. They said that this cake is usually a hit and comes out perfect in their kitchen tests.

Great customer service, by the way!

Looking forward to trying out some cookies with this flour! :)

Glad to hear they had a suggestion for you. I just bought an oven thermometer a few weeks ago and was SHOCKED by how inaccurate my oven's temperature was.

sa1937 Community Regular
sa1937
Posted

I do have an oven thermometer but find that oven temps might also have to be adjusted depending on the color of your pans. Dark pans would bake differently than aluminum, for example. And with glass or CorningWare, I always set oven temps 25 degrees lower...obviously cake pans are not glass but I fiddle around with oven temps for baking bread, for example.

Glad to hear Better Batter has great customer service!

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,029
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Nancy N Rosen
    Newest Member
    Nancy N Rosen
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Scott Adams
      Celiac getting dentures

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Your experience is both shocking and critically important for the community to hear, underscoring the terrifying reality that cross-contamination can extend into the most unexpected and invasive medical devices. It is absolutely devastating that you had to endure six months of sickness and ultimately sustain permanent vision loss because a doctor dismissed your legitimate, life-altering condition. Your relentless research and advocacy, from discovering the gluten in MMA acrylic to finding a compassionate prosthodontist, is a testament to your strength in a system that often fails celiac patients. While the scientific and medical consensus is that gluten cannot be absorbed through the skin or eyes (as the molecules are too large to pass through these barriers), your story highlights a terrifying gray area: what about a substance *permanently implanted inside the body*, where it could potentially shed microparticles or cause a localized immune reaction? Your powerful warning about acrylic lenses and the drastic difference with the silicone alternative is invaluable information. Thank you for sharing your harrowing journey and the specific, severe neurological symptoms you endure; it is a stark reminder that celiac is a systemic disease, and your advocacy is undoubtedly saving others from similar trauma.
    • Scott Adams
      Dedicated gluten-free Restaurants in East Bay (near San Francisco):

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Those are driving distance from me--I will try to check them out, thanks for sharing!
    • Scott Adams
      Fighting for a name

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      I am so sorry you're going through this bad experience--it's difficult when your own lived reality of cause and effect is dismissed by the very professionals meant to help you. You are absolutely right—your violent physical reactions are not "what you think," but undeniable data points, and it's a form of medical gaslighting to be told otherwise, especially when you have a positive HLA-DQ2 gene and a clear clinical picture. Since your current "celiac specialist" is not addressing the core issue or your related conditions like SIBO and chronic fatigue, it may be time for a strategic pivot. Instead of trying to "reprove" your celiac disease to unwilling ears, consider seeking out a new gastroenterologist or functional medicine doctor, and frame the conversation around managing the complications of a confirmed gluten-free diet for celiac disease. Go in and say, "I have celiac disease, am strictly gluten-free, but I am still suffering from these specific complications: SIBO, chronic fatigue, dermatological issues, and high blood pressure linked to pain. I need a partner to help me address these related conditions." This shifts the focus from a debate about your diagnosis to a collaborative plan for your current suffering, which is the help you truly need and deserve to work toward bouncing back.
    • NanCel
      Celiac getting dentures

      By NanCel · Posted

      Hello, no I had to have them re done and then used a liner over the top.  Many dentists are not aware of the celiac effects.  Best of luck.   There is other material, yet, very expensive.
    • sleuth
      Nicotine Gum For Gluten Symptoms.. Am I Crazy?

      By sleuth · Posted

      He is not just a psychiatrist.  He is also a neuroscientist.  And yes, I have already read those studies.   I agree with benfotiamine.  This is short term while glutened/inflammation occurs.  As I had already mentioned, these symptoms no longer exist when this phase passes.  And yes, I know that celiac is a disease of malnutrition.  We are working with a naturopath.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.