Gluten free Cake or Flour Mixes

Silver Member Joined: Sep 07 2011 Posts: 993

I want to bake some GF cake or cookies for myself but don't want to buy a bunch of diff things to mix my own flour. Does a/o have experience w/ the GF cake mixes or the GF flour mixes?
Bob's red mill says you can use it cup for cup the same as flour w/ some xanthan gum- did a/o try this?
Did it work out? Taste good- or have a bad after taste? I'm nervous bec. it has bean flour....
Thanks!

Silver Member Joined: Sep 07 2011 Posts: 993

Op here: also what about GF pasta? I tried some brown rice spaghetti and it bloated me horribly and gave me awful gas- what else can I try?

Platinum Member Joined: Feb 20 2009 Posts: 7583

I used one of those bean-based flours once and I couldn't stand it.

Have you tried quinoa pasta?

Gold Member Joined: Nov 11 2009 Posts: 1308

Why don't you make a Pesach cake? That is, if you have potato starch off hand. Those are GF.
Also, there's a great nut cake (we call it the freezer cake) that has no flour in it at all and we make year-round. It's a nut layer on the bottom and a choc layer on top. Let me know if you want the recipe.

Silver Member Joined: Sep 07 2011 Posts: 993

not sure about quinoa paste bec I couldn't digest the quinoa that I made for myself and family....
I know about pessach cakes but I want regular cakes and cookies as well so I wondered about the GF flour

I just made gluten free brownies with gluten free flour from king arthur flour. They look and smell good, but I havent tasted it yet.

Here is a link to it:

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/gluten-free-brownies-recipe

And to more of their recipes:

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/gluten-free/view-all?sort=2&page=all

Anybody know where to get xanthan gum? I have looked for it in the grocery stores, but havent seen it. What does the pkg look like?
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Platinum Member Joined: Feb 20 2009 Posts: 7583

I get xanthan gum at whole foods, or a health food store. It's a small bag with white powder in it. It lasts a long time, so don't stress about the price.

Btw, I tried the betty crocker gf cake mix and it was awful. Don't bother.

ds6099, I would like the "freezer cake" recipe please?

I find that in general the mixes that have chocolate in them are the best -- I guess because the taste and texture of chocolate is the same and always good. My favorite mixes are the Betty Crocker brownies and chocolate chip cookies.

I have also made apple crisp using gf oats, a gf flour (I don't remember which brand) and xanthan gum. Again since the oats are the same and it is mostly oats that gives the texture, it seems to work.
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Silver Member Joined: Sep 07 2011 Posts: 993

I saw the xanthan gum and various other gf items @ my local super stop n shop;
did u use the king aurthur the same way u'd use reg flour? in other words, can I take any recipe and just sub the gf four for the regular?

Active Poster Joined: Jan 20 2008 Posts: 58

I use a gluten free all purpose flour mix made by Orgran which works out nicely. Otherwise I substitute rice flour mixed with potato flour. Cakes come out ok, the rice flour has a different taste. I only use xantham gum when making bread or other yeast type cakes.
For nice cake and cookie recipes Tamar Ansch has a really nice gluten free Pesach recipe book with yum recipes (a taste of tradition). Otherwise just substitute gf glour like above into normal recipes.
Good luck!

Silver Member Joined: Sep 07 2011 Posts: 993

my problem is I'm nervous to use s/thing with rice flour since rice macaroni and rice itself really bloat me....
What hechsher does the Orgran come with? Do you use it like regular flour in cakes or only specifically in GF recipes? How about for bread?

try these cookies.. you wont believe they are GF! they only good hot out of the oven, u can freeze it or put in fridge and pop into microwave before eating.

http://www.texanerin.com/2012/04/grain-free-peanut-butter-chocolate-chip.html?m=1

Executive Member Joined: Dec 03 2011 Posts: 272

Active Poster Joined: Jan 20 2008 Posts: 58

Orgran comes with the Melbourne kashrut certification. I use it instead of flour in all dishes Smile

Active Poster Joined: Jan 20 2008 Posts: 58

I think Orgran may have rice flour in it.