Now there are a lot of things that can go wrong if you are trying to bake a gluten-free cake at home for the first time. It is not only the taste that can get ruined but the texture and the fluffiness of the cake as well. What are you going to do?
Just relax and keep your eyes here for a few very useful tips that can help you bake a gluten-free birthday cake, cupcakes, and several other delicacies at home easily.
1. Choose The Best Flour
The first trick to baking the perfect gluten-free cake is to choose the right dry ingredients. The baking flour that you choose must be gluten-free obviously. You can go with rice flour, almond flour, arrowroot, sorghum, and oats, and may also blend some of them together for a different consistency. There are several brands of all-purpose gluten-free flour as well that you can choose from. Also, make sure that you buy a little bit of xanthan gum which is going to help you bind your gluten-free baked items.
2. Prevent The Cake From Sinking
This is one of the biggest problems that homegrown chefs face these days. This is because it is very difficult to prevent a gluten-free cake from sinking in. Either they end up overmixing the batter or add too much leavening agent. Some just end up adding too many liquid ingredients. The trick is to keep the consistency a little dry as compared to any other cake that you are making.
3. Storing The Gluten-Free Cake Properly
Remember that gluten-free cakes are usually moist the moment they come out of the oven. But this is only when you bake them properly. And as compared to other cakes, they are usually a little moisture so this is why you will have to keep them in airtight containers for as long as you intend to consume them.
4. Choose The Right Size
It is very important to choose the right size, especially if you are making it for the first time. Usually, an 8-inch cake pan should be enough. If you want to go for a bigger size, you will have to increase the ingredients in the right proportion. But this is where it can all get messy. So it is advised to start with a small size and even smaller than the regular 8-inch pan if you can find one.
Gluten Trivia
The popularity of flourless cakes is growing by leaps and bounds practically every day. It is a trend started by Western culinary experts and people who have been allergic to gluten products and all ingredients that contain it. There is a very popular trend of gluten-free desserts and it seems to be making waves in India as well. Right now, there is a very large market for gluten-free cakes and puddings, especially in the metro cities. The recipes are easy to prep and the results are absolutely wonderful. The only trick is to use non-traditional flours like coconut, sweet rice, almond, and the like.
Dreaming Of A Flawless Gluten-Free Birthday Cake? 5 Troubleshooting Tips Are Next
1. Curdled Cake Mixture
If you notice that the cake mixture is curdling, the reason for that could be that the fat was too soft or the eggs you used were too cold. It also happens when you fail to beat the eggs to the right consistency.
Solution
- Use eggs at room temperature
- Mix in a bit of the flour before adding eggs
2. Crack In Your Cake
This is also a very common problem and the probable cause for it could be that you have overheated the oven. If you use too much raising agent or the cake was too dry or too wet, it could result in cracks too. Cooking the cake for too long can do that as well.
Solution
- Use your oven at a lower temperature the next time
- You can disguise the crack of the upper surface with a meringue topping or icing sugar
- Check the amount of raising agent you are using for your cake and stick to the measurement mentioned in the recipe
3. Cake Sunk In The Middle
A few reasons that your cake is sunk in the middle is that you have overcooked it or you probably opened the door of the oven when it was still cooking. It can also happen if the mixture of the cake is too wet.
Solution
- Make sure that you do not disturb the oven when it is cooking the cake reduce the liquid in the cake batter
- Increase the cooking time slightly to make sure that the cake comes out fluffy
4. Crumbly Texture
The biggest letdown that anyone can experience when baking a gluten-free birthday cake at home is when the texture does not come out right. It could be because you did not add enough water. If you cook the cake for too long or if the gluten-free flour is not elastic enough, it could result in a crumbly cake.
Solution
- Add a little more liquid the next time you bake
- Use a bit of xanthan gum to bind the ingredients
5. Dried Fruit Separated
You will notice many times that the dried fruit that you have put in your cake has separated. This can happen due to several reasons. Either you have used a syrup on the fruit or perhaps the cake batter was too liquidy.
Solution
- Make sure not to use wet or moist dry fruit
- They should not be covered in syrup the next time
- Wash and dry out all the dry fruit pieces before you use them in the cake batter
- You can also dust the dried fruit with a little bit of flour before you put them in the batter
Final Thought
Baking your first gluten-free cake at home is going to be a lot of fun. With these tips, it could turn out to be a totally new adventure in its own right. What are you waiting for? Let’s start baking!
