Adventures in Gluten Free

I have been making cakes for my friend's little boy since his baby shower. Since he is only 2 that makes three cakes now. For the shower, since his name would be Jonah, a whale was requested. I did the whale topper in chocolate modeling clay with an isomalt spout. The parents liked it so much they froze the topper and used it for his first birthday cake. Making the spout was fun and challenging since I had never worked with isomalt before. I followed directions on the package and, after couple of near burns to my hand, poured the isomalt into a shape I had made in cornstarch. I think it was a success.  

An organic cake was requested. Around here  it is not hard to find organic ingredients. The frosting was made with organic food colors but they are not the vibrant colors that come with the Wilton fondant and melts. The paneling was the fake stuff, easily removed for the faint of heart. 

For his first birthday he got a smash cake in vanilla and it was gluten free. It got good reviews from the grown ups. King Arthur makes a good gluten free flour blend  and a great baking mix and I used their recipe for his smash cake. 

King Arthur Gluten Free Vanilla Cake 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons, 113g) unsalted butter, at room temperature, at least 65°F
• 1 cup (198g) sugar
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (113g) milk, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons gluten-free vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups (206g) Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Mix*

*Make sure you use their Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Mix, not their Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour.

NUTRITION INFORMATION

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8" square or 9" round pan; or line 12 muffin cups with cupcake papers, and spray the insides of the papers.

2. To make the batter, beat the soft butter and sugar until thoroughly combined and somewhat lightened in color.

3. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until just incorporated.

4. Combine the milk and vanilla.

5. Stir one-third of the baking mix into the mixture; stir in half the milk, another third of the baking mix, the remaining milk, then the remaining mix. Scrape the bowl occasionally throughout this process.

6. Spread the batter into the prepared pan. For cupcakes, scoop the batter by level 1/4-cupfuls into the prepared muffin tins; a muffin scoop works well here.

7. Bake the cake until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, and the middle springs back when pressed lightly — 30 to 35 minutes for a layer, or 20 to 22 minutes for cupcakes.

8. Remove from the oven. Serve warm; or cool completely, then spread with the frosting of your choice

The recipe refers to gluten free vanilla extract! That surprised me and upon further research I found out vanilla extract has always been gluten free. Some brands have gotten on the gluten free bandwagon and started labeling their vanilla as "gluten free". 

This was his first birthday cake (organic chocolate) with the little gluten free smash cake behind it. As you can see the whale survived but the spout emerged slightly diminished. The colors were not the organic kind this time around.