Celebrations… Allergy Free

Gluten, Dairy, Nut free Celebration Cake filled with Trader Joes Super Fruit Jam!

Happy Easter! It has been a beautiful weekend after such a long winter to celebrate the resurrection of Christ.  Recently, we have enjoyed several celebrations with family and friends.  Milestones at the end of sports seasons, achievements in school, family holiday celebrations… they all matter and it is important to celebrate them.  What’s a great celebration without food… dare I say, without dessert?!  Is not dessert the crown on any achievement?  For those with gluten intolerance or allergy restrictions, navigating the offerings at any celebration can be daunting.  A long time ago, I made the decision to always show up with cake everyone can eat.  Tall order, I know.  Well, a few years back I came across the most versatile cake recipe that just about everyone can enjoy!  With a little creativity, this gluten free, allergy free white cake is adaptable and goes with just about any frosting you can think of… chocolate, plain white, jam with “butter”cream, marshmallow, coconut, fresh fruit with whipped cream (even non-dairy if you need it!), even caramel to name a few.

Gluten Free, Allergy Free White Cake

• 2 cups Gluten Free flour mix (click the link for my flour blend or use a GF flour mix without xanthan gum)
• 1/2 cup Arrowroot
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbls baking powder
• 1 tsp xanthan gum
• 1 1/2 cup sugar (you can substitute coconut sugar but the cake will be darker in color like a yellow cake, not white)
• 3/4 cup melted shortening (palm oil shortening or coconut oil work well, you can also use butter if dairy is an option)
• 3 large eggs (for egg free: use egg replacer for 2 eggs, you may need to add a few more tablespoons of milk if batter is too thick, OR 1/3 cup of applesauce and 2 tsp of additional baking powder)
• 1 tsp pure, gluten free vanilla extract
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (or milk of choice)

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Make sure the rack in positioned in the center or lower third of the oven.  Line two 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper and spray lightly with cooking spray, or spread a thin layer of coconut oil over the sides of the pans.  Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine the first 5 ingredients. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the sugar and melted shortening for 1 minute.
4. Add one egg at a time, beating each egg in well, then beat until pale yellow.  Add the vanilla extract.
5. Turn the mixer off and scrape down the sides. Then add the dry flour mix and the coconut milk, beat on low speed until combined.
6. Turn the mixer off again and scrape down the sides.  Beat for 1 minute at medium speed.
7. Pour batter evenly into prepared pans.  Place in center of pre-heated oven and bake about 40 minutes (20 minutes for cupcakes) or until the center springs back when touched and cake has pulled away from sides of the pan.
8. Remove from oven and cool slightly for 5 minutes. Invert cake layers onto a rack to remove from the pan, remove parchment paper and cool completely.
9. Prepare your favorite frosting, place one cooled layer on a cake round or serving platter, spread 1 cup of frosting over top and sides of the cake.  Place your second cake layer on top and continue frosting the entire cake.

Note: If filling the center of your layer cake with jam, frost the top of the first layer lightly. Then, use a piping bag to pipe a thick layer of frosting around the edge of the first layer, spread your jam in the center of the first layer and up to the piped frosting (works best with jam or jelly that does not have seeds). Make sure to lightly frost the top of the second layer before inverting it onto the jam. Continue with frosting the rest of the cake. You will need to refrigerate your cake so the jam does not soak into the cake layers completely. You can see the jam in my layers started to soak into the cake as I left it out of the refrigerator for an hour.  If you want perfection (say for a wedding or bridal shower), keep it cold up until you serve the cake!

The next time you are invited to a celebration, show up with cake that you and the rest of the crowd can enjoy. Never miss out on dessert again!