I enjoy baking, as long as it isn't hot. Its rewarding when recipes turn out just right, and even more rewarding when your adaptations succeed. I am going to take a carrot cake recipe and turn it into a gluten free carrot cake recipe. I know, there are plenty of gluten free recipes out there, but I am ready to experiment, so here goes.
First I do a Google search to find some good advice on how to convert cake recipes to gluten-free. The first result is For Dummies, but it turns out to be exactly what I am looking for...go figure. There are many different suggestions, which I am pretty sure are not meant to all be used in one recipe. The following are the suggestions I will use:
- Include an additive such as guar gum, xanthan gum, flaxseed meal blended with a little water, whey, or gelatin to help hold it together.
- Add an extra egg.
- Increase flavorings, but don't go overboard.
- Replace some of the liquid in the recipe with buttermilk or yogurt.
- Replace sugar with brown sugar.
- Of course, I had to replace the regular flour with an all-purpose gluten-free baking mix that I make from combining flours. I got the general instructions for this mix from Gluten-Free Girl.
Okay, here is my recipe, which I have adapted from a recipe provided by The Pioneer Woman Cooks.
Gluten-Free Carrot Cake
Ingredients
1 c. white sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. buttermilk
5 eggs
2 c. all-purpose gluten free baking mix (homemade or pre-made)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1+1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
2 c. grated carrots
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Mix first 4 ingredients in large bowl.
- Mix remaining ingredients, except for carrots, in another bowl.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix well.
- Pour into a prepared pan (greased and floured).
- Bake about 30-35 minutes for 9 x 13 inch pan, about 50 minutes for a bundt pan.
- Cool completely, then frost if desired, preferably with cream cheese icing.
This turned out well, considering it was one of my first attempts at converting a recipe to gluten-free. I will try again soon, so expect to see a few more recipes interspersed through my blog!
Thanks for the recipe and you are so right about for warmth - heating the oven makes a big difference. I drink lots of hot tea in the winter, too.
ReplyDeleteAwesome...I love carrot cake!!! But I'm no good at cooking so if i hear in the future of anyone needing a recipe I will have them look at this. lol
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