Gluten Free Cakes

For the person who has allergies associated with wheat, dessert recipes are a little more difficult to find. If you research cake recipes that are gluten free you will find a number of substitutes for wheat flour. Alternative flour listings include;

Potato Starch Flour. This is a thickening agent that is gluten free, and works well for sauces and fillings. It can be combined with other substitute flours in baking. Amount may vary and will need to be sifted in order to be lump free. Gluten free cakes work great with a combination using this with several other flours.

Tapioca Flour. This is light, very smooth flour that is from the cassava root. Baked goods have a nice chewy taste. In recipes where you want a little more chewy texture this works well. It can be purchased in most health food stores. Typical Christmas fruit cakes are a good type of gluten free cakes that this produces. Any type of fruit and nuts added to this works well.

Soy Flour. This flour has a nutty taste to it, and also a high protein and fat content. In a combination of several flours it has the best results. It works great in brownies and cakes that have fruit or nut combinations.

Cornstarch. This refined starch comes from corn, is mostly used to thicken puddings and fillings. It can be used in combination with the other flour substitutes. You will find this at your regular grocery store. Generally speaking, most gluten free cakes are a little on the heavy side, so if you split the layers and add a cornstarch filling it makes for a great dessert.

Corn Flour. This flour is milled from corn and can be blended with cornmeal. The outcome is a little coarser texture, but is great for muffins and quick breads.

Cornmeal. Can be either white or yellow, and is usually combined with other flours for baking. It makes a great tasting simple gluten free cake. This is easily found at most grocery stores.

White Rice Flour. A wonderful source for gluten free cake baking. Polished white rice is milled to get this flour. There are several textures of this product available, but a fine texture works best for baking.

Brown Rice Flour. This has more health benefits that the white rice flour. It works great in muffins and fruit breads. This flour contains the bran which boosts the food value. So not only is the outcome a gluten free cake, but very high in nutrition as well.

Substitutions in baking. When you are ready to try some baking you can start with small recipes like brownies or muffins. For each cup of flour make a combined mixture of for instance; 1/4 cup tapioca flour, 1/4 cup brown rice flour, and 1/4 cup of soy flour. Start out small and try the different combinations, some may be more to your liking than others. With practice you will find that gluten free flours work great for most baking experiences. Here's to your health, and great gluten free cakes.