Celimix Chocolate Cake

[2Boys4Me]

Hi All,

Has anyone tried the Celimix chocolate cake mix? My gluten-free son is having a birthday next month. My test cake (from scratch) didn't turn out the greatest ever. It was a bit heavy and dense. Is that common with all gluten-free cakes?

Thanks

[Guest Viola]

I have found the Celimix cakes mixes a bit gritty, although the flavour was good. I would rather go with the Kinikinick cake mixes if you can get them.

[2Boys4Me]

I have found the Celimix cakes mixes a bit gritty, although the flavour was good. I would rather go with the Kinikinick cake mixes if you can get them.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Drat! There goes $4.69. I figured I'd try one from scratch and one from a mix and then I'd have a backup. Of course, my son says that I should make a gluten cake too, "in case the other kids don't like it".

I have to admit, I haven't eaten much gluten-free dessert stuff...the homemade cookies were pretty good, but I found the banana bread a bit gritty. Is that the rice flour?

[Guest Viola]

Yes, it's the rice flour that makes it gritty.

I tend to use 'sweet rice flour', also known as "glutenous rice flour" ... not because it has gluten in it ... it doesn't, ...but because it is less gritty and sticks together better than regular rice flour.

I find mixes that has 'rice flour' as the main ingredient, can be gritty ... how ever if there tends to be equal amounts of rice flour, tapioca flour, potato flour or starch in a mix, it is usually pretty good.

[Diosa]

Can your son have dairy? What about an ice cream cake? You can check the ingredients to see if the ice cream is all gluten free.

Don't know if this would work, but I experimented with a flourless chocolate cake recipe that came out like a fluffy mousse or "souffle" if you will with a fresh raspberry sauce. Can he have eggs? There was no dairy in it - I used DF chocolate and DF margarine.

[Felidae]

I eat Celimix all the time. I've had the brownies, muffins, pancakes, and bread mix. I just add nuts, fruit or chocolate to improve them slightly. I add molasses to the bread to give it a better colour. I think the Kinnickinnick bread is gross, so I've only been making Celimix bread. I will start baking completely from scratch hopefully soon, but I don't have all the ingredients yet, and I'm a student and wife so the mixes are quick.

[2Boys4Me]

I tend to use 'sweet rice flour', also known as "glutenous rice flour" ... not because it has gluten in it ... it doesn't, ...but because it is less gritty and sticks together better than regular rice flour.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Viola, does that mean that rice flour and sweet rice flour are interchangeable? If so, perhaps when I get white flour I'll stick with the sweet rice. What about brown? Does it have that same grittiness? The banana bread was equal amounts brown rice, white rice, and tapioca then half that of potato starch.

I'm going to try a test cake today, I think.

[Guest Viola]

Yes, the brown rice flour has the same grittyness, however if you change the white rice flour to sweet rice flour, you will have a much smaller amount of the gritty flour, and likely won't notice it much, if at all. Does that make sense? You can use sweet rice flour anywhere that calls for the white rice flour, and I've also used it in place of brown rice flour. The difference of course is, the brown rice flour is supposed t o have more nutrients ... although I'm not sure any rice has much in the way of nutrients. Does anyone have any scientific knowledge of this? It would be interesting.

[2Boys4Me]

Hmmm. Interesting about exchanging the flours, because after I posted I had a talk with Google. Google says they are NOT interchangeable, and if Google doesn't know, who would!? I've also heard that brown rice flour has more nutrients which I suppose makes sense in that white anything always seems to have to nutrients removed and enrichment added, and brown stuff is "purer" for lack of a better word, more natural and therefore healthier. No idea if that's true or not.

Meanwhile, I am making a test gluten-free "Wacky Cake". The batter was amazing. I really didn't want to bake it, just eat the batter, but so far it looks and smells great. I used the Hagman Featherlight mix and added some plain yogurt because I heard that keeps items a bit moister.

[Guest Viola]

Ignorance is bliss!

See ... no one ever told me they weren't interchangable and I've been doing it all along. Sweet rice flour is much nicer in Matrimonial cake (date squares) than the white rice flour, and I just automatically use it now when ever I do a recipe with white rice flour. I think I will just keep being ignorant to what google says

[Guest Viola]

And in case your interested in Date squares I use crushed almond slices in place of the oatmeal. It's very similiar in texture and gives a wonderful flavour.

[2Boys4Me]

Thanks for the date square tip, Viola.

Cake is out of the oven, looks and smells great! (just like a real cake )

Will have the fellas test it after school. I am not a big cake eater, 2x a year in the same week for my kid's birthdays.

If this works out, I may be well on my way to being a mediocre, or maybe even adequate baker!

[Guest Viola]

Good for you! Let us know what the guys verdict is when they get home I'll bet they will love it.