Gluten Free Birthday Cake

This year I broke my one rule about birthday cake. Normally, I refuse to bake my own cake and we go to the fancy bakery to buy one. Since I am trying a very reduced gluten diet, I didn't want a normal cake sitting around for a few days, so I decided to try making a gluten-free one with Hazel. Hazel really wanted to make strawberry cake. I found this recipe on Gluten-Free Makeovers.

Since I had planned on making a yellow cake recipe I found that used all purpose gluten-free flour, that is what I had, so I used that. This is the first time I did gluten-free baking, but with a bit of research it was not a problem. Here is how I adjusted the recipe from Gluten-Free Makeovers.

1 12 ounce bag of frozen unsweetened organic whole strawberries
1 3/4 cups all purpose gluten-free flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons xanthan gum (needed whenever baking gluten-free)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), at room temperature
1 1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 tablespoons soy milk, at room temperature

Since I did not plan ahead, my frozen strawberries were not very defrosted. I put them in the food processor and let Hazel push the button until they ground up. I did not drain them or strain them.

Next we mixed the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, xanthan gum, salt and baking soda together in a bowl and set it aside.

Then we creamed the butter and sugar together in the mixer. Then we added the three eggs and vanilla and beat it some more. We then added the milk since I had not read the recipe again. Next we added the dry ingredients and mixed them in. Then we mixed in 3/4 of a cup of the strawberries. (Save the rest for the frosting). 

We spooned it into two 9-inch cake pans that had been sprayed with non-stick spray and had some of the all purpose gluten-free flour spread in them. Then we baked at 350 for 30 minutes. We kept them in the pans for 10 more minutes out of the oven and then cooled them on wire racks.

The next day we made the frosting. I tried to follow the recipe, but found the frosting was too watery, so here is how I would adjust it. This recipe was with the cake recipe at Gluten-Free Makeovers.

1 8 ounce package of light cream cheese
1 stick of butter softened
Leftover strawberries from above
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 to 5 cups of confectioners sugar

We creamed the cream cheese and butter together. Next we added the sugar one cup at a time until we got the consistency we wanted. Then we added the strawberries and vanilla and beat it. Again, I checked the consistency and added more sugar if necessary. You can add milk if it is too thick as well.

Hazel loved helping frost the cake and then she went to town decorating. I think I need to restock our sprinkle supply. I wrote the words for her.

At this point the plumber came to fix our leaking garbage disposal. He told Hazel to stop making it so well or might take it. (The best gift was finally getting this fixed since it had been almost a week of dealing with it and trying to find a plumber.)

After she finished it, we put it in the refrigerator. This was a mistake as it made the Skittles very hard and chewy. We will not be decorating with them again if we want to refrigerate the cake. Then my mother-in-law came and we went out to the Wenham Tea House and the Wenham Museum. 

We enjoyed the cake at dinner with Daddy! Hazel called my sister to get her to sing "Happy Birthday" with her since Steve doesn't like to sing. We lit the two candles. Hazel told me I didn't need too many candles--just two or three. Here is a view of the inside of the cake. We all loved it (except the extra hard and chewy Skittles).

It was a lovely birthday!