Gluten/Dairy/Soy/Egg/Refined Sugar Free and Vegan White Cake

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Sweet Rice Flour
• 2/3 Cup Tapioca Flour
• 1/3 Cup Potato Starch Flour
• 1 tsp Xanthan Gum
• 1 Cup Sugar (see note on sugar)
• 2 Tsp Double Acting Baking Powder
• 1 1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
• 1 TBS King Arthur Gluten Free Cake Enhancer
• 1/2 Tsp Salt
• 1 1/2 TBS (dry) Ener-G Egg replacer (Do NOT add liquid called for on box)
• 1 Cup Heavy Coconut Milk (full fat) (Purchase the full fat cans and skim as much of the heavy cream off the top for this cup)
• 2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 Stick (8TBS) Softened Earth Balance Butter
• 3 1/2 TBS Applesauce
• 1 Tsp Apple Cider Vinegar

Directions

A Few weeks ago I put together a Recipe For Gluten Free/Dairy Free  Perfectly Fluffy White Cake. Its one that I’m fond of-  but the kicker is that it contains Eggs which I know are a problem for many. I’m able to eat them- but I wanted to spend some time figuring out a recipe that would cator to my friends unable to eat them due to allergies or just those choosing to follow a vegan lifestyle.

This recipe has been.. a challenge. . 5 tries it took me to get to this place. And to be honest If I wasn’t absolutely sick of making cupcakes I might try it one more time with just a few minor changes for the sake of my own curiosity. This will happen in the future- but for now- I’m pleased to share this triumph- and I’m confident you will be too Its a delicious cake!

a few things-

This photo is not mine. Have to replace a light tomorrow- and then I promise I will take some pictures. I pulled this image off of google as the texture looked quite similar to end result of my cupcakes.

You MUST use Sweet Rice Flour. There is no subbing. Changing the Sweet Rice WILL affect the texture of the cupcakes drastically. I started this recipe using a white rice flour/ Sorghum Mixture- it was ok. This is MUCH better. The sweet Rice flour will provide you with a soft fluffy texture. Using other flours will make your cupcakes taste more like muffins.

Do NOT up the liquid content. This was what I spent endless time trying to perfect.  Back before going Gluten Free I used to make exceptional cakes- I would load in the extra fats to add moisture such as Sour Cream and Pudding.  I tried doing this with my Gluten Free Cakes and found I ended up with gummy weird textured gross un-risen cake. With Gluten Free there is a VERY fine line between a cake that is gummy and one that is airy. Finding the line of moisture between those two is a challenge I battle and work endlessly until I discover  So- please if you want your cake to rise- follow the measurements I have called for exactly

Due to the fact that this cake does not contain Eggs- its not going to rise quite as veraciously as you might like. I’ll be honest and tell you that I have yet to try this in a cake pan- I experimented only with cupcake pans. I noticed that the batter rose about 2 inches in the cupcakes tins.  Another thing-  I’m still trying to figure out why this happens- but when these bake you will notice the tops of the cupcakes (or cake) are quick to turn a golden brown hue. My educated guess is that this happens due to the Fat and sugar content.  I assure you that this “crust” will not affect the flavor of the cake. If you are uneasy about your cake getting too dark feel free to throw a dome of tinfoil over the top the last 15-20 minutes of baking.

The batter for this is a little bit on the thick side. This is the way that is should be!

The sugar- To go the refined sugar free route I recommend doing a combo of Xylitol and Cane sugar or Coconut Sugar. Xylitol to me has a bit of an aftertaste that I do not enjoy- BUT I love the low glycemic benefits that it has so I have found that if I use in in part with another sugar that it provides me with fantastic results. SO for this recipe try 1/2 Cup Xylitol + 1/2 cup Cane sugar. You of course can also use Refined White sugar if you want to.  f you do this you may want to cut back and use only 3/4 cup . (This all depends on how sweet you like your cake) DO NO use a liquid sugar here such as Honey, Agave , Coconut Nectar etc. Liquid Sugars Create Moisture- as I stated above in this case you do not want any more than I have already called for in the recipe. So make sure to stick to the granulated sugars for this recipe.

I have called for King Arthur’s Gluten Free Cake Enhancer. Is it necessary? To be honest probably not. I have just found it has been a nice little added support to helping my cakes rise when I do use it.  (If you live in Rochester Ny- this product can be found at Cooks World in Pittsford)

This recipe made around 16 Cupcakes. I would safely say this would fill one 9 or 10 inch cake pan.

Make sure to bake this cake in the middle rack of your oven. Higher or lower will encourage burning.

I baked this cake recipe at 350 for 25-30 minutes (as cupcakes) making this as a cake will give you a longer cooking time- use the “clean” toothpick trick as your guide.

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 Degrees.
2. In a Large Bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer) Combine all the dry ingredients and mix well.
3. Add in the Coconut Milk, Softened Earth Balance, Vanilla Extract, Applesauce and Apple Cider Vinegar and mix well.
4. Spoon the batter into cupcakes tins or into a greased Cake pan.
5. Bake 25- 30 minutes for cupcakes or longer for a cake (I’m predicting 40 minutes or so)

Remove from the oven and allow to cool fully before cutting into or eating (as it will finish baking as it cools)