AHello everyone!

*Not even sure if this is the right term to call a recipe-testing challenge*

I've been searching the threads to see if I find any community bake alongs but no luck yet. I know there was a Great White Cake Scratch Off a long time ago, but nothing more recent.

I'm wondering if there is an interest in this? I have never participated in something like it, it would be very motivating to do so. - Also, if you know of any other bake alongs or scratch offs outside of CC, please let me know!

Thanks for any info! Cheers, Cinthia

i might join in a gluten free bake-along thing--

just today i am doing a 'german chocolate cake' and there's no eggs in the recipe--wth--plus the flour blend i have mixed up has coconut flour in it and this sucks up the liquids so maybe tossing in an egg is a good idea after all--or maybe i should do a new flour mix...decisons decisons

but i try to bake sugar light also with stevia  and truvia so there's just so many choices and pathways to take--because i could make it along with a sugar version and my husband could eat that one--

would be nice to narrow it down to a good gluten 'free' white or yellow cake?

and i usually make two servings at at time too--so that saves everyone on the investment part of it? then when we got a good one we could try it in a full version?

idk -- i'd probably join a gf bake off thread --

AThose are good ideas! I've never tried my hand at Gluten Free.

Do you know if I can use the same oven I use for conventional baking?... I know I must use every tool super clean to avoid cross-contamination, but I was wondering about the oven.

let's say gluten light then--no gluten added--i mean i'm not gonna do all the deep cleaning and all -- l.a.z.y. ;)

i'm doing chocolate today ;)

AI hope it turns out yummy :D

this is the eggless recipe i saw that intrigued me--check out the icing!!

http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2012/11/28/german-chocolate-cake-for-one/

i got my dates and pecans all soaked up (for 8 hours) but this calls for cocoa not german's choco--but close enough--

so then when i noticed the egg thing i re-composed this next recipe from my "Favorite Name Brands Gluten Free 3 Books In One" page 136 to compare and see what it looked like--

first combine:

• 1.5 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

^^^that is for making 18  cupcakes so mix it up really well and measure out 1/3 of a teaspoon of that mixture to use in the following to make 2 cakes--then reserve the rest for another batch--

• 4.5 T flour gluten free all purpose
• 1 T cocoa powder
• 1/3 teaspoon leavening mixture
• 2.5 T sugar
• 1 and 1/3 T egg give or take*
• 1 T oil
• a bit of vanilla
• 2.25 T milk--i'm using buttermilk

350 degrees 12 mins or so--place into two small buttered ramekins

this is my first draft--i haven't vigilantly checked my math or my typos--

in process of making it now....

*beat an egg and measure as best you can--reserve the remainder for another day

AYep, that is vegan & gluten free, looks dense, a bit like a brownie. I think the egg would give it a bit more fluffiness. Browsing the comments, the ones that tried it liked it - And I agree...that frosting :3 I could spoon a whole bowl.

I will have to get my hands on Xanthan Gum; I once went to "the only" GF restaurant in my city and the chef was commenting on it and how it made the difference in an empanada dough he was working on.

i mean you are told to soak the dates & pecans and discard that soaking water then get new water to make the icing--why discard all the flavor in the soak water? i think i need to put the icing in a food processor because  it is way not coming together--but the smell is to d.i.e. for--mmmmm

i have a lotta hope for this if i can get a nice cake somehow--it came together with a tablespoon of gf flour in the food processor

goal and cake to go...

so i got them all together and --the flavor was there but it was not pronounced enough--

so i souped them up with vanilla sugar, saigon cinnamon and a generous glaze

oh btw--coffee filters make the best mise en place containers for dry ingredients and no dishes to wash!

the eggless one was flatter than my phone

but i split them all and piled them high with the icing--i have more than half the icing left--they look much more appetizing anyhow--

thank you for letting me takeover your post here-- i guess i got carried away --

i finally got to get these underway (was under the weather) and just started talking my face off--let me know what's next on the agenda ;)

ALol :D, don't worry! When I read the "flatter than my phone" I cracked up, but you were right! I love the way you write, and you even added pics!

I'll find a GF recipe I can make (provided I can find the ingredients) and post it too.

So people, yes, if any of you is interested in a Gluten Free/Vegan/Special Diet bake off, and share your experiences, we can leave ideas here and maybe organize it for next month? It's a good niche (although sometimes difficult) to explore.

I have celiac and I use xanthan gum very sparingly. It makes food slimey and can cause a "code brown" in people sensitive to it.

my ramekins were twice as big as hers though so that makes a big difference--next time i will bake in a coffee mug to get the better depth--

over the last 6 months i collected ingredients and a coupla gf magazines & a book--like the little bags of bob's red mill flour & starches etc.--if you can find them in stock some of them are shockingly more than ten bucks for that little bag, the coconut, almond flour and the xanthan gum  --- and sure there are better prices but that's what was easiest for me to gather up--so i  have a coupla hundred dollars invested if you add in the truvia, stevia and various sugar substitutes --

the blend of flour i used today has so many different things in there -- sorghum, white rice, tapioca, coconut flour, cornstarch and potato starch plus the xanthan gum --and sure you can buy gf flour already blended up but you pay $7 and can make one or two things---it's more economical to make your own blend but a greater investment too-- then there's bean flours and wow--then you wanna do a flour blend with brown rice flour for breads & stuff-- geez --

i want a cake that turns out like this--http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/11/06/one-minute-chocolate-cake/

gonna have to try it in the microwave next time--i sure have enough icing leftover -- 

maybe on the weekend unless my sweet tooth starts acting up before then ;)

I'm not good at cooking but i want to learn and i come here to look for some recipes.I'm studying restyle the short hair wigs to make changeable hairstyles for myself and it seems interesting in my spare time.
 

so you mean let's work on one without xanthan gum? takes me a minute -- i'm on it!

AWilliams Sonoma sells a gluten-free flour blend that can be substituted in any regular recipe. Does not require gluten-free recipe. It costs a fortune, but it was developed by Thomas Keller's chefs. I haven't tried it, but I bought some for my sister and she gave it rave reviews.

ASo, I went to uncle Google and asked him about "Spelt". Wikipedia has info, and it said this: "Nutrition: Spelt, without and with husks

Spelt contains about 57.9 percent carbohydrates (excluding 9.2 percent fibre), 17.0 percent protein and 3.0 percent fat, as well as dietary minerals and vitamins.[9] As it contains a moderate amount of gluten, it is suitable for some baking. However, because spelt contains gluten it is not suitable for people with celiac disease.[10] In comparison to hard red winter wheat, spelt has a more soluble protein matrix characterized by a higher gliadin:glutenin ratio."

So maybe it would be best not to spend in yet another flour and try the recipe with your blend first, this time in a mug so you get similar size results :D

just an aside though --here is thomas keller's product on wms sonoma

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/cup4cup-gluten-free-flour/?pkey=cfood-gluten-free&cm_src=food-gluten-free||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_--_-

it's called "cup 4 cup" (sic) with a picture of one measuring cup that has four major markings on it as if to indicate 4 cups in it--but it's three pounds of expensive flour--that looks like you're getting four cups--c'mon thomas--at least have two measuring cups on there--

great chef-- great product-- C minus on the packaging--