White Birthday Cake, Gluten Free Style

This is a repost of a recipe I created nearly a year ago, that was previously published on LiveJournal. I have received many wonderful comments on this recipe on the other blog, so I want to share it here too. I am going to repost the entry in its entirety along with the comments I have received on it to date.


May. 8th, 2008 at 9:00 AM (original post date)

I have finally gotten a lot more comfortable in the kitchen again. I have a stack of handwritten recipes and other printouts with scribbles edits on them-about 70 so far. I have hundreds that are just not printed/written out yet, still stuck in the electronic stage. My standard Betty Crocker cookbook has post-its stuck to the pages of it with the proper GF edits throughout the book.

So today, Samuel is 7 years old. It is his birthday, and he can have whatever he wants as his cake. He wants a Lego-cake. Le sigh. A white cake with white frosting and sprinkles Lego cake. As of 10 o'clock last night, I still hadn't figured out a *good* GF white cake. I have made a really dense, pound-cake type Chocolate chip cake, and figured out a deep chocolate cake (also very dense), but not the light, airy white birthday cake that Sam wanted. It's a good thing I perform well under pressure.

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So, without further ado, my Gluten-free White Birthday cake recipe.

1/2 c. White Rice Flour
1/2 c. Sorghum Flour
2/3 c. Tapioca Flour
1/3 c. Potato Starch
1 c. White Cane Sugar
2 teas. Baking Powder
1/2 t. salt
1 t. xanthan gum
3/4 c. (1 1/2 sticks) softened butter or margarine
3 eggs
1 1/2 t. vanilla
1/2 c. milk-any type

Pre-heat oven to 350. Grease pans-this recipe makes 16-18 cupcakes, 2 6-inch round layers, 9-inch square, or a 10-inch round.

Throughly combine the first 8 dry ingredients in a separate bowl.

Place softened butter in mixer bowl and beat until fluffy. Add flour mix to butter, blending on lowest setting until combined, then changing to setting "2" on the mixer until mixture is crumbly, about 1 minute.

In small bowl, lightly whisk eggs and vanilla together. Add eggs to mixer and mix until smooth and thick, about 1 minute. Add milk and mix for 1 more minute.

Pour into prepared pan and bake until toothpick is clean. Time will depend on the shape of your pan, but should be about 24 minutes for cupcakes, 45 minutes for a loaf pan.

Allow to cool in pans for about 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack. Frost when cool. I am using Pillsbury French Vanilla Frosting, which is now GF.

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Comments I have received on the other blog post...

Jan. 4th, 2009 09:12 pm (local)
I made these tonight. They're awesome. Found you via google. :)http://www.flickr.com/photos/jocelyndale/3169415558/

Jan. 10th, 2009 11:29 am (local)
Thank you!
I'm going to test this recipe out today for my oldest's 6-yr party in a couple of weeks. I'll let you know how it turns out. Hubby was dxed celiac in Sept. and both dd's have tested gluten sensitive so we are completely gf now and I am a baker and love to cook. Cooking not so hard but baking is a challenge. I've been researching cake recipes for hours now, lol! So far only about half of my own baked goods recipes have been succesfully modified and I just don't have the time to try to keep testing recipes for a cake at the moment. Thank you!

Feb. 8th, 2009 02:30 pm (local)
Thank you!!
It's not without some trepidation that I try a new GF recipe from the 'web. There have been disasters aplenty, and I do not have the saintly patience of Amanda! But this cake is GREAT - even the batter was edible (no small feat for a GF product, though I didn't eat much, of course). Beautiful recipe - thanks for all the hours of hard work getting it right - you totally DID! love and peace and good digestion to you and your family!!

Feb. 28th, 2009 07:19 am (local)
Thanks!
I'm going to practice this cake today. My son's 2yr. party is next weekend and my husband, his mom, and half of her 7 siblings are GF. Whew, this has been quite an educational experience.

Mar. 1st, 2009 03:41 pm (local)
Re: Thanks!
This cake is perfectly fantastic!!!!! Our test run went beautifully and I could even make it look like a train. No more cross-contamination or "I can't have that" worries! Thanks!

Apr. 23rd, 2009 12:44 pm (local)
Thanks AGAIN
If I haven't left this comment before, I have been remiss. This is a GREAT recipe, and I am making it right now for about the fourth or fifth time. EVERYONE loves it, even the wheat- and Costco cake-eaters. I've been using a buttercream icing, but am considering going with a Boiled Icing tonight to avoid the butter (though I will be crashing into the sugar...). I've told your beautiful story about staying up all night perfecting this recipe for your little boy, and it only makes the cake MORE delicious in the telling. Blessings to you and your family! Vita
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Please leave me a comment and let me know how it turned out for your family, or with any variations that you may have made to the recipe. I love hearing other people's stories!