Mary’s Gluten Free Yellow Gold Layer Cake

This is a cooking lesson after all, so let’s try an experiment. First make this recipe with the Dissolved Sugar method and use 8 oz. of oil, then try it with same method using 8 oz. of butter. You don’t have to do this all immediately, but take good notes about the finished cake so that you’ll be able to compare and contrast the results later. Then try making the cake with all butter using the creaming method (directions included below. I’ve included baking instructions for both below.

Mary’s Gluten Free Yellow Gold Layer Cake

4.6 oz (1 cup) brown rice flour
3.45 oz (3/4 cup) tapioca starch
3.45 oz (3/4 cup) sorghum flour
1 tsp. xanthan gum
2.5 tsp baking powder

10.5 oz (1.5 cups) sugar
8.5 oz (1 1/16 cup) water
8.0 oz (1 cup) oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
5.2 oz egg yolks (8 yolks from large eggs)

Cake with Oil – Dissolved Sugar Method

1. Place an oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Place a baking stone on it and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Start by mixing the flour, xanthan gum and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Whisk by hand with a fork for 1 minute or at medium speed on a hand mixer for 30 seconds. Set the flour aside.

3. Put the sugar into a large mixing bowl. Heat 6 oz. of water (3/4 cup) to a simmer. Add the hot water to the sugar and mix to dissolve the sugar. Beat in the oil, vanilla, and salt at medium speed.

4. Add a third of the flour mixture to the sugar mixture. Mix at low speed just until incorporated and then add in remaining flour a third at a time. Total mixing time for this step should be approximately 5 minutes.

5. Add the last 2.5 oz of water, the egg yolks to the batter and mix until just combined.

6. Pour the batter into one 9″ x 13″ cake pan or two 9″ cake pans. Be sure to grease and flour the pans first; or grease the pans and then line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper. Drop the pan onto the counter from a height of 4″ to remove any large air bubbles.

7. Place the cake in the oven on the stone and bake until the cake reaches an internal temperature of 209 degrees Fahrenheit. If you do not have a digital baking thermometer, the cake should spring back when touched and a toothpick inserted into the middle should come out clean, but moist. The cake should not pull away from the sides until after it is out of the oven.

Cake with Butter – Dissolved Sugar Method

1. Place an oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Place a baking stone on it and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Start by mixing the flour, xanthan gum and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Whisk by hand with a fork for 1 minute or at medium speed on a hand mixer for 30 seconds. Set the flour aside.

3. Put the sugar into a large mixing bowl. Heat 6 oz. of water (3/4 cup) to a simmer. Add the hot water to the sugar and mix to dissolve the sugar. Beat in the butter, vanilla, and salt at medium speed.

4. Add a third of the flour mixture to the sugar mixture. Mix at low speed just until incorporated and then add in remaining flour a third at a time. Total mixing time for this step should be approximately 5 minutes.

5. Add the last 4.5 oz of water, the egg yolks to the batter and mix until just combined.

6. Pour the batter into one 9″ x 13″ cake pan or two 9″ cake pans. Be sure to grease and flour the pans first; or grease the pans and then line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper. Drop the pan onto the counter from a height of 4″ to remove any large air bubbles.

7. Place the cake in the oven on the stone and bake until the cake reaches an internal temperature of 209 degrees Fahrenheit. If you do not have a digital baking thermometer, the cake should spring back when touched and a toothpick inserted into the middle should come out clean, but moist. The cake should not pull away from the sides until after it is out of the oven.

Cake with Butter – Creaming Method

1. Place an oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Place a baking stone on it and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Start by mixing the flour, xanthan gum, salt and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Whisk by hand with a fork for 1 minute or at medium speed on a hand mixer for 30 seconds. Set the flour aside.

3. Place the butter into the mixing bowl and cream at medium speed until lightened in color (3 minutes). Add the sugar and continue to beat the mixture until the total elapsed mixing time is 6 – 10 minutes. (Stand mixers take less time than hand mixers). Feel the bowl while you are mixing. It it’s not cool to the touch, then chill it in the freezer for 5 minutes before continuing creaming.

4. Beat in the oil and vanilla at medium speed.

5. Beat in the eggs one at a time at the lowest speed, or by hand. Mix as little as possible at this step – just get the eggs blended in.

6. Add half of the flour to the butter/sugar mixture and blend it in at low speed. Add half of the water, followed by the remaining flour, and then the remaining water, blending each in before adding the next.

7. Pour the batter into one 9″ x 13″ cake pan or two 9″ cake pans. Be sure to grease and flour the pans first; or grease the pans and then line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper. Drop the pan onto the counter from a height of 4″ to remove any large air bubbles.

8. Place the cake in the oven on the stone and bake until the cake reaches an internal temperature of 209 degrees Fahrenheit. If you do not have a digital baking thermometer, the cake should spring back when touched and a toothpick inserted into the middle should come out clean, but moist. The cake should not pull away from the sides until after it is out of the oven.

Back to Cooking Class: A Beginning Class in Gluten Free Cakes.