Gluten Free Recipes: Birthday Cake!

Since I went gluten-free four years ago, birthday cake has been one of the hardest foods to navigate. I can't just dive in whenever someone blows out the candles. One of my favorite solutions was the cake my roommate made for me senior year in undergrad. She knew I ate Reese's peanut butter cups, so she filled a cake pan with them and stuck candles in their centers. Perfect!

I've tried some GF cake mixes in my time, but this past weekend I successfully made my first from-scratch cake, in honor of my beau's birthday. Everyone agreed it was a success, and the leftovers tasted even better the next day. It was moist and spongey, unlike many a GF baked good.

GF Chocolate Cake

From Life Tastes Good Again by Kirtsti Kirkland and Betsy Thomas

1 3/4 cup GF flour (I used 1 cup brown rice, 1/2 cup sourghum, and 1/4 cup cornstarch)
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
2 c. sugar
3/4 c. cocoa
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. oil
2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. boiling water

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour baking pan(s).

Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
In a larger bowl, beat eggs well. Add sour cream, oil, and vanilla to eggs; mix.
Beat in dry ingredients.
Slowly stir in boiling water. Mix well, making sure to scrape down sides and bottom of bowl.
Pour into prepared pan.

I used two round cake pans that took 30-40 minutes to bake. The recipe also suggests
a 9x13 pan for 35-40 minutes
a 13x18 pan for 17-20 minutes.