Hello!  So I make wheat flour free cake and I though my recipe for the cake was pretty good - actually my chocolate is divine but my white cake base is passable.  I make a custom GF flour blend that I got from a book.  Well, I just had a GF vanilla cupcake that just made my mind explode.  The cake was really, really good.  Had a very delicate crumb and not gritty at all.  It was pretty dry though.  Comparing it to my vanilla WF cake, mine is very moist but has a really open crumb and has a bit of a gritty aftertaste.  I want to make what I just ate but make it better.  But obviously the flour must be completely different then what I've been using.

My flour has brown rice flour, tapioca flour, sorghum flour, corn starch, and xantham gum.  I've been using it from this book:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1615190368/?tag=cakecentral-20

So, who here makes GF, can give pointers on flour blends and can suggest GF cake baking books that they love?  

I know this is a topic that people guard like crazy, I was hoping for a bit of sharing!

So...

Brown rice flour vs. white?

Sorghum or no?

Tapioca or potato?

Thoughts?

PS - for anyone that shares their awesome flour blend recipe to me via PM that can make a cake like I just ate, I will gladly share one of my super guarded secrets of your choice (privately).  This can be a sugar flower tutorial, one of my regular recipes, or a specific decorating technique.  

Also, we all know about disclaimers of baking gluten free for customers.  Lets not get sideways with that!

I wish I had something to share but I've been using the same book - your suggestion.  I had to make my cupcakes corn free also so I subbed guar gum for the xanthan gum and arrowroot for the cornstarch.

Been using Potato but just bought Tapioca flour but haven't had a chance to experiment.

I could taste a light after taste but nobody did.  My choc. cupcakes came out very nice but I can see how the white is a challenge.

This isn't an exclusively cake decorating book, but it does have cake recipes and a really good flour mixture. I love love love the lemon bars! Here it is on B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/simply-gluten-free-desserts-carol-kicinski/1100259129?ean=9780312643478
 

AI use recipes with almond meal to make up for the flour omission. My sister is coeliac and loves my moist orange and almond cake. I can send you that I'd you like? It's no great secret!

I'd prefer to not use almond flour - the texture is not the same, but thanks!

I totally just bought the book mentioned up a bit and will test some recipes tomorrow!  Thanks!

Anyone else have any comments/suggestions?

And if anyone can get me a vanilla GF recipe that is wonderful, I'll kiss you on the mouth. hahaha Just kidding. 

My chcolate is wonderful, and tastes just like Hershey's chocolate off the cocoa powder box. White is barely passable. 

Have you tried "the gluten free gourmet does dessert? or something like that? I have tried about 5-6 of her cookies, and everyone is wonderful. There is cake in there too, but I haven't tried it. 

There is a great recipe for white cake on bob's red mill also Betty Hagmen books are very good. 

AOur GF mix includes white rice flour, sorghum flour, tapioca starch, and xanthan gum. Brown rice flour results in a denser product than white rice flour. Sorghum is a must, but there is a delicate balance between not enough (resulting in a gritty texture) and too much (resulting in a bitter flavor). Tapioca starch (not tapioca flour) is lighter than potato starch and less gritty. Also avoid bean flours since they add an off flavor.

We didn't rely on any single source when doing the R&D for our GF/DF recipes. We started with experimental baking based on several highly rated GF baking books and online recipes, then did research on the ingredients and applied chemistry to fine-tune the best ones and create a set of master recipes.

We participated in a vendor fair at a gluten-free event a while ago, the owner of another custom bakery in the area (they did mostly GF pastries instead of cakes) was just about floored by our GF vanilla cake sample and didn't believe that it was GF until we showed her the ingredient list. I agree with the other posters that vanilla is the toughest flavor to get right GF, but it can be done.

AOkey dokey. In way over my head on this one:D

AI really wish I had this talent. My sister suffers. I've been trying all kinds of things, but they are all disasters.

I have no interest in baking gluten free for the masses. If anyone would be willing to share any of their GF cake recipes, I will offer the choice of a kiss on the mouth or my very guarded perfect carrot cake or triple chocolate espresso cookies.

Anna, I want that chocolate! I'm seeing you at ICES if you pick the kiss!

I bake exclusively GF and have an excellent white cake recipe.  I might be willing to share under certain conditions.  I made it myself after much trial and error and out of sheer desperation.  I don't like chocolate.   But I will not share with everyone.  Sorry, I worked too hard at it for too long.  My customers and I love it.

Sharing recipes is always tricky anyway.  My recipes aren't for the faint of heart, they require 2 stand mixers, a lot of separated ingredients mixed separately and then folded together. If not done correctly it will not work out.

Almost all of my recipes are like like that but the end result is yummy!

Gemma McFarlene has a good recipe book out.  I ordered it from the UK and have been going through all the Gluten Free Recipes with much success. So far everything I've tried has turned out good. 

Here is a good chocolate cake recipe I use it sometimes too.

Enjoy.

http://www.thebakingbeauties.com/2012/06/gluten-free-devils-food-cake-with-mocha-buttercream.html

For a vanilla or white cake.  You want to stay away from brown rice flour.  Stick with white and make sure use choose a finely ground brand.  That will help with the mouth feel.  

I also stay away from sorghum flour when making white/vanilla cakes.  

As for tapioca or potato, I use corn and potato.

Stick with flours & starches that are very light in flavor and finely ground.  You will probably not be able to use the same flour blend for both chocolate and white/vanilla cake.  Chocolate cake is very forgiving, but vanilla white cake is not forgiving at all.

In my opinion the books named in this thread are not great.  I own all the books and have tried them all.  From me they get the the .  I am very picky about my cake.

GF Angel food cake is very easy to make.  

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/gluten-free-angel-food-cake

Here is the same cake already converted.

I've made this one with success.

Here is a good list of substitutions for allergies.  Scroll down it is long.

http://www.livingwithout.com/resources/substitutions.html

Happy Allergy & Celiac Baking

A

Once we found the perfect flour blend for the GF vanilla cake, we used that blend for all other flavors without any issues.

AMsGF, Do you have any books you do recommend? I agree both books mentioned so far are geared towards the home cook. I would like something a little bit more professional in quality, especially something that measures not in cups that measures by weight. I hate measuring by cups!

That's good to know not to use brown rice flour, that's what I've been using. It's been working fantastic with my chocolate cake with vanilla is very heavy and dense, so is my red velvet. I'm on my way right now to go and get White rice and sweet rice flour to give it a try.

ASweet rice flour has a very high starch content, you might be able to sub it for a starch but it probably won't work well if you sub it for another flour. Unless you're making mochi.

The Culinary Institute of America GF Book has really good flour blends, measured by weight, that's how I do it to. Consistent results that way. Some of the recipes are good.

I have recently acquired the Gemma McFarlene GF book and it is good so far.  She is a professional baker too.  All done by weight. So far I like the book.  The book has a great selection for many different allergies.  IE:  GF Choc Cake Recipe, then changed for DF,NF ect.  

I do not love any book yet.  I pick and choose things from books and tweak them,  put them together, mix them up and come up with my own thing.

  http://www.icedgembakes.co.uk/

http://www.amazon.ca/dp/1598696130/?tag=cakecentral-20

Trial and error is best.  But I am liking the Gemma McFarlene book,  I've tried a few things so far with good results, gave out samples and they were enjoyed.  I've only tried the GF  recipes to date.

I attached to one post some substitutions, and in there are some flour blends, scroll down. The first one is very light in flavor and colour. Good for white/vanilla cake.

Good Luck

OK, another question about the method you make your GF cakes (for those that make GF cakes!).  In my research, I have read about how powerful xanthan gum is, and that one of the biggest mistakes people make when converting a regular recipe to GF, they use the same traditional mixing method like they were using regular flour:  cream butter/sugar/eggs, in another bowl add dry together, then add dry to wet alternating with milk/buttermilk etc.  I have read, but only in a few sources, that this overdevelops the xanthan gum much like overdeveloping gluten in a regular recipe, but it's x1000 worse, the xanthan prevents the cake from rising properly and can make it gummy.  I have dug and dug to cite a source for ya'all and can't find it, but I read that once xanthan is added, you shouldn't mix for more then 10 seconds or so.  I agree that the longer I allow my GF recipe to mix, the more gleatenous and gummy the batter gets, and the best results I've gotten are if I cream butter/sugar/eggs, add all buttermilk and any other wet ingredient, then add flour mix all at one time, mix for 10 seconds, scrape, mix another 10 then call it done.

Do any of you (I'm looking at YOU, MsGF!) agree with this?  I bought this Simply Gluten Free book and the methods for making the cakes in it are traditional creaming, not this dumping method, but the recipes in it do not call for any extra xanthan besides what is added to the initial flour mixture and the other recipes I have do call for extra xanthan to be added into the recipe along with what is initially added into the flour.

Thoughts? 

And bummer that the Culinary Institute book isn't available on Kindle.  That's how I buy all my books now :(

*edited for typos

I whip my chocolate GF recipe, I mix all my dry, together, then all the wet together, then mix them all together, then whip for 3 minutes. It is a bit slimey, but works great. 

A

I'm not sure how accurate that is, I've never heard of xanthan gum being overdeveloped by excessive mixing the same way gluten can be. We've never had that problem with our GF recipes.

The GF baking process is just as tricky (if not more so) than finding the right ingredients, the process is where the real trade secrets are.

FYI, if anyone wants to try these recipes out on me, I am willing, and you all know I am honest to a fault, lol. Just send me 1 from all your GF cupcake batches, and I'll be the judge! 

I have never heard of this either.  Most of the time I fold in my  flour mix not beat it in the mixer.  But once the ingredients are mixed together you don't want to mess around with it very much.  Just fill your pans, smooth the top and get that baby in the oven.  I don't grease my pans either, only parchment on the bottom, it holds it up better in my experience. And I never cool my cakes in the pan.  10 minutes max if at all.

The only thing about xanthan is that you don't want to use too much. That will cause issues.

I use xantham gum in my one whole GF recipe, lol, I mix mine for about 30 seconds after adding with no trouble. I was playing around with trying to develop a chocolate one, added it way earlier on in the recipe, and it came out like rubber. Never could figure out why, maybe that was it.. I know it can go over 10 seconds though.

There's my piddly contribution to this thread, haha.