Hey guys, was wondering if anyone can give me tips or recipes for this. I have a client who's requesting for a gluten free and refined sugar free cake for her son's first birthday. However, the cake design she wants involves covering the cake with fondant. Does anyone here know of a gluten free and refined sugar free cake and frosting stable enough to hold fondant and decorations?

Thanks!

For the cake, you can you use any recipe free of rye, wheat, bran, and barley.I'd suggest using almond flour, it will be tasty as well but expensive. You can use brown sugar as it's not refined.

If he's asking for fondant cake, it seems impossible not to use refined sugar.. Think about something else to cover the cake..

Good luck 

gluten free baking requires an education not just a recipe -- i like to bake wheat free and it has taken me over a year to simply arrive at my flour blend -- so if someone's health hangs in the balance you need to ramp it up considerably or pass on it -- but some people just think they want gluten/refined sugar free --

btw -- almond flour is gf but alone it will not make a cake as cakey as a blend of almond plus other flours -- bob's red mill brand has some nice already mixed gf flours -- 

i tell yah right now 'refined sugar free' is as bogus as it comes -- all sugar is refined -- if you made a successful fondant out of date sugar for example which is merely ground dates it would taste like poo and be a funny color -- and take you some time to test/perfect and probably be grainy --

no it's not just simple substitution -- now can you make a wonderful cake within those parameters of gf and with sugar that is less refined -- oh for sure 

for any client's first b-day i'd recommend a nice glazed  pound cake with a crunchy crust, no food color or additives but just if they insisted on cake -- ideally i'd bake a nice teethng biscuit maybe in the shape of a birthday cake -- designed by texture --

then a big blow out no holds barred cake for the older crowd --

but i agree one year olds don't need all that mess huh

"it would taste like poo and be a funny colour"  - cracked me up K8!

I agree about the flour blend, took me quite a bit of test baking to come up with a blend I was happy with and different brands react differently so it's not a simple matter of just substituting.

I'm at a loss what to do about the fondant, sometimes you just have to tell the customer, what you want is not possible but I can do "this" for you.

810whitechochoc -- heheheh-- i was so happy to find date sugar -- and while it makes an accent boost lke you can't imagine -- it is purely dismal as the main/only sweetenener -- I was on a banana beignet kick for a while and the added date sugar in there was pure magic -- but anyway...

Just tell her that it can't be done, because it can't based on what she's asking you to do.

It most certainly is possible to make an absolutely delicious Gluten-Free, Refined Sugar-Free Cake  that can stand up to fondant.  I do it all the time.  They are favorites among my clients and super yummy.

The issue is making icing/frosting and fondant that also fits into this category.  That is where the trouble lies.  Fondant is full of refined sugars and other interesting ingredients.  Making a decent frosting that can survive room temperature is no easy task. There are many frosting recipes out there but most need to kept in the fridge until serving.  And cold fondant covered cake isn't yummy  :(

These are things that "require an education" as said by K8memphis.  You can't just pull this off in a day.  I would pass on the order.  Especially if the Gluten-Free requirement is for medical reasons.  

Sorry that isn't what you wanted to hear but it's probably the best idea. 

Also with Gluten Free - as I am gluten free - You have to be extremely careful of cross contamination. If the client has celiac disease, any trace will make the client sick. People with celiac are advised to throw out all equipment that have previously been used with gluten and get new pans. I don't have celiac, just gluten intolerant, so I didn't have to go to that extreme, but it can be dangerous. I have also tried making gluten free cakes, using GF recipes on the net, but they have not turned out. (my husband and neighbors have become my test tasters with new recipes..LOL) It's been a year and I am still trying - changing flours, changing recipes and no luck. I agree it is not easy, so if you are not familiar with it, I would pass.

Thanks everyone! I passed on this one. I figured this type of cake is something I need to try out first before I start accepting orders. And I didn't have enough time to do a test run as I only bake on my free time from juggling work and running after a toddler. :D

I don't think it was for health reasons, more of wanting a "healthier" cake for her baby.

Good call MadieBakes.   

For anyone interested, there is a class on Craftsy.com that gives recipes for Gluten Free cakes.  It is taught by Catherine Ruchle.  She gives recipes for the cakes and the frostings.  I believe that she uses cane sugar.  Just thought this information could be useful.

Can you just use marzipan which i's almost paste (I think) and honey? I mean, can marzipan do the same as fondont? If so, then 

http://www.thepaleomom.com/2012/09/paleo-marzipan.html

I'm not sure if it would work. I'm new to this stuff.

interesting idea blueEyedbonnie -- i don't know how honey made marzipan would perform but it's a definite maybe and thank you to yellowdog too

Honeyed marzipan is an interesting idea. I've made a modeling chocolate with unsweetened chocolate and honey to cover a gluten free/ refined sugar free cake in the past. It was tough working with the modeling chocolate to cover the tiers because it's more delicate than fondant, but if you roll it big enough to account for the fact that it can't stretch then it works out fine.