Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free » Cakes

Lemon Pudding Cakes

Amy — Thu, 02 May 2013 10:00:20 +0000

I’ve been obsessed with lemon lately. Maybe it’s because it’s nearly summer. Or, maybe it’s because I’m pregnant. Regardless, lemon just hits the spot.

Since Nate was born, and especially since he started walking, I have less and less time for baking. There’s always something else that HAS to be done. Washing diapers, picking up toys, folding clothes, scrubbing the high chair. You get it, right? The list is never ending.

When I do have time to be creative in the kitchen, it’s usually when I’m making dinner. And, dinner isn’t my favorite thing to make. Joe looked at me one night and said, “Honey, I know you’d rather be baking but you’ve got Nate to feed and we’ve got another one on the way. You’re a great cook. Just enjoy it.”

I’ve been working on that. And, I do enjoy it much more than I used to.

But, gosh, it doesn’t compare to the joy I get from whipping up dessert, or even a fresh loaf of bread.

So, I stayed up way too late getting these lemon pudding cakes just right. I wanted something sweet-tart, creamy, and light. In my mind, I’d envisioned something you could eat at the end of a summer cookout that would fit the dessert bill without leaving you weighed down. You know, the kind of dessert that has you begging for just one more bite.
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Vegan Chocolate Pudding Cake

Amy — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 14:00:57 +0000

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, I couldn’t help but make something chocolately. I’ve been toying with this dish for the last few weeks. I found the original recipe in Better Homes and Gardens. It was first published in the 1940′s, during The Great Depression. When the cake bakes, it separates into two layers, a cake layer which rests on a pudding layer. No wonder this dish was such a hit. They’ve been sharing ever since.

I’ve got an interesting collection of vintage cookbooks, from names you wouldn’t recognize today to Bon Appetit special publications. Whenever I see a copy of Better Homes and Gardens, I snag it. There’s something so American about their recipes. I marvel at how cooking has changed so much, and still not at all.

Needless to say, I had to transform this recipe into a gluten-free, refined sugar-free delight.
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Bridal Shower Cupcake Cake

Amy — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 00:00:36 +0000

Don’t you love this gluten-free bridal shower cake? I used simple recipes for the cake and frosting. And, since I used cupcakes, it was so much easier to put together than a regular cake.

My little sister, Marcia, got married in September. On the beach. The wedding was gorgeous! Breathtaking, really.

Nate in his wedding gear on the beach with a family friend! He wasn’t in the mood for a pic.

To celebrate before her big day, I flew home with Nate to Ohio. My other sis, Lorie, and I threw her a bridal shower. We called in our favorite recruits, my Mom and my Aunt Sonnie, to help out. Of course, I insisted on making the cake.

While I was busy making some of the other food, my Aunt Sonnie stood in the kitchen and puzzled out the dress. She was a saint. It took about 30 minutes to get the cupcakes just right. We were both stunned because it looks so simple. In the end, we decided the trick was to ‘over ice’ the cupcakes so you can’t see any little spaces between them.
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Nate’s Gluten-Free 1/2 Birthday Cake! (and how to make a cake like this one)

Amy — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 15:25:21 +0000

Nate’s half birthday was August 23rd – and of course we had to celebrate! A gluten-free cake was in order – and not just any gluten-free cake recipe but a buggy half birthday cake.

I loved every minute I spent making this cake! The little bugs made me giggle and the grass border put a smile on my face.

The recipe for the cake was from my book – yep, my gluten-free Chocolate Teff Cake again. Teff is one of my favorite flours and this particular recipe works so well for layered cakes. I didn’t have time to develop a new cake recipe and gosh, there’s no reason to reinvent the wheel when you have something that preforms well.

The frosting is agave buttercream. Yes, lots of butter. The recipe is almost ready to share. I just have a few more tweaks to make.

The bugs – they’re gluten-free, made from Wilton Candy Melts. Not sugar-free at all. The only sugar-free white candy I could find was made with malitol. I didn’t plan on eating the chocolate candy anyway so it didn’t matter to me at all. And, you’ve got to admit – those bugs are cute!

Note: It’s not real chocolate, which makes it so much easier because there is no tempering involved.

Let’s talk food coloring – normally I use all-natural India Tree Decorating Colors. The issue with using them on a cake like this is that they’re liquid which makes the frosting too soft to hold any precise detail. It’s true of all buttercream and food coloring. You need to use gel colors or candy colors.

Here’s How I Made The Cake

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Starry Night Cake (how to make a two-layer gluten-free cake)

Amy — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 13:00:38 +0000

I love making cakes. Especially gluten-free, refined sugar-free cakes that are beautiful and delicious.

Someday I will have a cake shop. It’s one of those desires that’s been deep in my heart for a long, long time. Today, I fit cake-making in when I can. And I’m grateful when I have time to do it. It feeds my soul.

This is a cake I made for 4th of July. I took it to a cookout and no one there was gluten-free. In fact, no one was even on a special diet.

It didn’t matter. They loved the cake.

Gluten-free is delicious.

The inspiration for the cake came from a book I fell in love with – The Whimsical Bakehouse. I’ve read it cover to cover at least three times. The cake recipe is Chocolate Teff Cake from my cookbook. And, the frosting is a variation of the Chocolate Date Frosting in The Spunky Coconut Cookbook.

First, I leveled the cake. I use a long, very sharp serrated knife. I keep the crumbs for cake balls, cake pops, and for a quick sweet fix. (Just being honest.)

Next, I filled the cake. Raspberries are one of my favorite fruits to use for cake fillings, especially in a chocolate cake.

Once the cake was filled, I added the second layer. Note that I put the bottom of the cake facing up. This helps keep the crumbs from poking through the icing. Some people crumb coat a cake. I usually skip this step.(...)
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