I have a bridal consult tomorrow morning. Up til now I have only been dealing with the bridal consultant. Haven't spoken with the bride or her mom yet. Seems they want a gluten free wedding cake. The consultant can't get anyone to bake one. When first asked, I turned it down. But she begged me to help her out, cause the bride was going to move the wedding 3 hrs. away, and she'd lose the business.
So, I researched this as much as I can. I asked the consultant lots of questions. Turns out only 4 people need gluten free. So I am suggesting that the wedding cake be normal and a side cake be gluten free & served from the kitchen. Now to my question:
The consultant just mentioned to me on Monday, that not only are they allergic to gluten products, but that any cross contamination is harmful too. According to the research I've done, I would need a separate mixer, stencils, cake pans etc. Now I don't know whether I want to be involved in this. I don't want anyone getting sick and I can't afford to purchase all the equipment for a one time deal. How severe is this allergy?

that SOUNDS extreme, but honestly, i wouldnt worry if your equipment and pans are extremely well cleaned in between uses. do you have a recipe? my MIL is alergic to gluten, and last year i made a suprisingly yummy gluten free cake with rice flour and ground almond flour as the base of the carbs- let me know if you'd like for me to dig it out.

Wow. That is a lot to consider. I really don't know much about this, but here's a bump! Good luck.

My brother-in-law was diagnosed with celiac disease about a year ago...so I have had to "learn the rules" to cooking when he's around. I was asked to bake him a birthday cake this past year. This is when I learned a LOT about this stuff.

This disease isn't that bad where you have to have purchase new hardware. I think they've taken it a little far, personally. My brother-in-law didn't get sick with my cake, and I make "normal" cakes with my utensils all the time. It's probably been an issue for them because people that cook for them that don't take this allergy seriously.

I tried making a recipe with the gluten-free flours (tapioca, potato, and rice four). I personally thought it was nasty. If you're used to doctoring up a mix, then I would suggest using the cake mixes from Pamela's (it's a certain brand I found at a health food store). Each mix cost almost $5.00. I found that the chocolate mix was really tasty, and had a comparable taste to "normal" box mixes.

Another thing, McCormick's Clear Vanilla Extract is gluten-free. I called the hotline to double-check. Baking spray with flour is a no-no. So is making your own cake release (unless you use the flours listed above).

He told me that this was the best dessert he's had since he was diagnosed. Made me feel good...

tammieadam
Thank you for that information. I will look for that type of cake mix.
And I didn't know that about McCormacks vanilla. I did see that vanilla does have gluten.

There are some people who do have an allergy so severe that separate utensils,etc have to be used. It is very unsafe and irresponsible to assume that their allergy isn't severe. As with any allergy-go with worst case scenario to protect yourself. I'm not trying to jump on anyone but the last thing anyone wants to do is make someone sick. I have a family friend who's gluten allergy is that severe.

You can check with the bride as to the severity of the disease with these individuals but in reality she may not even know for sure.

Perhaps you can suggest an alternate dessert for them since it's only 4 people. Or you can look into buying a gluten free dessert or cake from a reputable source.

I found this:

http://www.shopbydiet.com/store/glutenfree/results.php

I entered cake in the search box and came up with these. Looks like you can buy pre-made cakes!

hi
i have an intolerance to gluten, you need to find out how severe the reaction is, with most people it is just that their gut can't digest it so eating normal cake would make them ill but i tiny bit of residue that might be on a pan after a good wash would be fine, good luck with making the cake gluten free flour is interesting to work with it never quite does what you expect! If you find a good recipe I would love to have a go myself. Hope this helps becky

I take care of a little girl who is allergic to gluten and dairy. We have made some really yummy cakes with out those two things in them. Let me know if you want a recipe. For her birthday I did a cakes that used coarse ground nuts and eggs and no flour. It was great tasting and the texture was a refreshing change from the normally heavy and gummy texture of gluten free baking.
I find that I do not have to use different utensils for her baking, but I make sure to wash them really well, seperate from any washing that has normal flour. Maybe you could buy a disposable pan from the grocery store for the gluten free dessert? PM me if you need any help with recipes and stuff.

I have a child who is deathly allergic to gluten, and mildly allergic to both eggs and dairy. It is very difficult to make a decent cake- as you can imagine. I would suggest you push for a side cake that is gluten free- perhaps one from a gluten free specialty bakery, and decorate it to match.
This is one bakery that I know of that (last time I checked) would sell and ship just the cake. You could order it from them, and then decorate it to match the wedding cake.

http://www.mrritts.com/

Making a gluten free cake can also be quite expensive as the flours are more costly than wheat flour, so doing a smaller GF cake is not only safe, but cost effective.

As far as cross contamination- it is SO easy to slip up. I've been baking GF for over 6 years, and I still occasionally find myself having to start over due to an "oops". I would really be careful about accepting the job- not everyone who needs GF is "just" Celiac- my son would end up in the emergency room (or worse) with just the tiniest amount of gluten. Even the Celiacs can have a very serious reaction- though typically not life threatening, so you wouldn't want to risk it.

Should you try it- you must clean everything very well. There is controversy about using nonstick pans that have been used for wheat cakes as some people are sensitive to the trace amounts of gluten left in them (even when washed repeatedly). I have had good luck with a couple of GF cake mixes- Glutino, Mrs. Robins (www.allergygrocer.com) and GF Pantry mixes are all ok. You can find many GF cake mixes at Whole Foods stores, or online (just google "gluten free"). Also, if you can get the flours seperately, I have used the recipe off the back of the Hershey's cocoa and subbed a combination of white rice flour, tapioca flour, and potato starch for the wheat flour. It comes out pretty good. The cakes tend to be denser, and can be difficult to handle, so I suggest a couple of practice runs. If you are baking from scratch- check with manufacturers about ingredient GF status. If, Heaven forbid, someone should have a reaction, you'll want to protect yourself from a lawsuit by having that information.

Good luck, and if you find a winning recipe- post it. I'm always on the lookout for new ideas.

Why not make a wedding cheesecake?
It's gluten free and something everyone can enjoy.

Or a dacquoise ?

please be responsible and not accept this job if you can't avoid cross contamination. Maybe check out your local organic/health food store like whole foods etc and simply purchase a cake for them to eat. There are different degrees of allergies and maybe 1 of the 4 has a severe allergy. You never know. This is why if you read a lot of labels they will state that they are made in a factory where peanuts, eggs, gluten, etc products are used.
I work with a doctor whose gluten allergy is so severe he can't eat out at most places because they cook things like chk nuggets in the same friers as they cook everything else. He has reactions. it is a crazy thing

I would say decline the job.....since you do not operate in a wheat free/gluten free environment, and obviously they require that, you cannot guarantee that the cake will be completely gluten free.
I offer both a gluten free vanilla and chocolate cake, however I do have stated in my contract that I am not a wheat free/gluten free kitchen and I cannot be held responsible should any issues occur.
Of course I take as many precautions as possible, but again there are traces everywhere, flour goes into the air, could be on the mixer etc...who knows.
I'm getting more and more weary about even offering it any longer as I would hate to have anything happen to anyone.
Gluten free cakes can be good....Analisse Roberts(sp??) has a great book you could look into.
Nielsen Massey Vanilla is gluten free as well.
You also will need a GF baking powder.
Thanks for posting, the comments above have made me think again about whether or not I should even offer this item any longer.