I have a simple recipe for a gluten free loaf cake, but despite usually having no problems, I did recently have a bit of a disaster.
The recipe is quite simple and is based on the weight of two eggs
Ingredients
3 standard eggs
Take the same weight of two of the eggs of soft butter
Take the same weight of two of the eggs in caster sugar
Take the same weight of two of the eggs in self-raising gluten-free flour
Vanilla essence
Cream the sugar and butter until you have a smooth consistency.
Beat the eggs, add some vanilla essence.
Stir the eggs into the creamed butter and sugar with some of the flour, until the mixture is smooth and consistent.
Then fold in the remaining flour until it is combined with the rest of the mixture.
Spoon into a loaf tin and bake in a 180º normal oven or 160º fan oven for 35 minutes or until a metal skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
The main issue I had was I thought it was cooked. I used a metal skewer to see if it was cooked and after inserting into the cake it came out clean. I think that was because it was only about 25 minutes into the cooking time.
However, alas the entire middle of the cake was uncooked, so though it looked okay after coming out of the oven, as it cooled it completely collapsed in on itself.
There was no way to salvage the cake, so I started over and this time cooked it for the right amount of time, so this time it worked.
Though I do make my own cakes I sometimes use mixes, both for convenience, but also sometimes to try something new.
One pack we recently used, and really enjoyed was Betty Crocker Gluten Free Devil’s Food Chocolate Cake Mix.
Despite what you see on the box, you don’t get the icing, so you need to buy that as an extra.
As well as the mix you also need:
125ml vegetable oil
250ml water
4 medium free range eggs
There are three steps:
Mix the eggs, oil, water and cake mix gently together and whisk (by hand or electric mixer) for 2-3 minutes until smooth and creamy.
Pour the cake mixture evenly into two greased cake tins.
Bake in the centre of the oven for between 23-28 minutes or until a rounded knife inserted fully into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
Once cool you can smother the cake with chocolate fudge icing.
It was rather good, and to be honest you wouldn’t know it was gluten free as it had the taste, texture and smell of a chocolate fudge cake even without the icing.
Take the same weight of two of the eggs of soft butter
Take the same weight of two of the eggs in caster sugar
Take the same weight of two of the eggs in self-raising gluten-free flour
Vanilla essence
Yellow food colouring
Red food colouring
Green food colouring
Cream the sugar and butter until you have a smooth consistency.
Beat the eggs, add some vanilla essence. I then added a little yellow food colouring to brighten the cake mixture.
Stir the eggs into the creamed butter and sugar with some of the flour, until the mixture is smooth and consistent.
Then fold in the remaining flour until it is combined with the rest of the mixture.
Spoon a third the mixture into one side of a loaf tin. Then separate the remaining mixture into two portions.
With one of the portions, add some red food colouring to the mixture and stir it carefully until you have a nice consistent coloured mixture. With the other portion use green food colouring.
You can of course use whatever colours you like.
Spoon these cake mixture portions into the loaf tin.
I then used a knife to gently swirl the three coloured mixtures together, you’re trying to achieve a swirly effect, not to combine the mix.
The bake the cake in a 180º normal oven or 160º fan oven for 30-35 minutes or until a metal skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
Take the same weight of two of the eggs of soft butter
Take the same weight of two of the eggs in caster sugar
Take the same weight of two of the eggs in self-raising gluten-free flour
Vanilla essence
Yellow food colouring
Red food colouring
Cream the sugar and butter until you have a smooth consistency.
Beat the eggs, add some vanilla essence. I then added a little yellow food colouring to brighten the cake mixture.
Stir the eggs into the creamed butter and sugar with some of the flour, until the mixture is smooth and consistent.
Then fold in the remaining flour until it is combined with the rest of the mixture.
Spoon half the mixture into one side of a loaf tin. Then in the mixing bowl add some red food colouring to the remaining mixture and stir it carefully until you have a nice consistent coloured mixture. Spoon the rest of the cake mixture into the loaf tin.
I do use loaf tin liners in my loaf tin. Makes getting the cake out of the tin much easier.
I then used a knife to gently swirl the two coloured mixtures together, you’re trying to achieve a swirly effect, not to combine the mix.
The bake the cake in a 180º normal oven or 160º fan oven for 30-35 minutes or until a metal skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
Take the same weight of two of the eggs of soft butter
Take the same weight of two of the eggs in caster sugar
Take the same weight of two of the eggs in self-raising gluten-free flour
Vanilla essence
Cream the sugar and butter until you have a smooth consistency.
Beat the eggs, add some vanilla essence.
Stir the eggs into the creamed butter and sugar with some of the flour, until the mixture is smooth and consistent.
Then fold in the remaining flour until it is combined with the rest of the mixture.
Spoon into a loaf tin and bake in a 180º normal oven or 160º fan oven for 35 minutes or until a metal skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
I do use loaf tin liners in my loaf tin. Makes getting the cake out of the tin much easier.
Cool and then serve in slices.
I used some yellow food colouring in the recipe, as we like to eat bright cakes….
To make a Maderia Cake version of this recipe, add the grated zest of one lemon to the egg mixture as you add the vanilla essence. Add 50g of ground almonds when you add the flour.
3 standard eggs
Take the same weight of two of the eggs of soft butter.
Take the same weight of two of the eggs in caster sugar
Take the same weight of two of the eggs in self-raising gluten-free flour.
Two large spoons of cocoa powder.
Vanilla essence.
Cream the sugar and butter until you have a smooth consistency.
Beat the eggs, add some vanilla essence.
Stir the eggs into the creamed butter and sugar with some of the flour and the cocoa, until the mixture is smooth and consistent.
Then fold in the remaining flour until it is combined with the rest of the mixture.
Spoon into a loaf tin and bake in a 180º normal oven or 160º fan oven for 35 minutes or until a metal skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
I do use loaf tin liners in my loaf tin. Makes getting the cake out of the tin much easier.
No I did not make this cake, but I saw it in the window at Patisserie La Reine in Broadmead in Bristol. I like the book form they have used, and have not gone for a simple closed book, it actually looks like an open book too. They have managed to catch the character of the sorting hat, though does a hat even have character? My only thought was why did they choose that colour?