Super Easy Gluten-Free Yellow Cake

 

Basic and easy, and very versatile. Layer with white or chocolate frosting, strawberries and whipped cream, etc. Nerver forget that your baking powder is gluten-free.
In today's article we are going to make a perfect gluten-free yellow cake.

                         [Photo Credit : glutenfreebaking.com ]

Before we start, I wan't to talk about the benefits of gluten free cakes and food in general.

The top recommendation I received from my Naturopathic Doctor was to experiment with a gluten-free diet to decrease my intense seasonal allergies. I ignored him at the time because I thought gluten-free was a fad diet or a fancy excuse to eat more meat.

My cousin has a gluten allergy, was miserably nauseous for years, and didn't know why. Since her diagnosis her health has improved greatly and she has become an expert at spotting gluten from a mile away. What I didn't realize was that my doctor and my cousin knew something I did not: going gluten-free has more perks than I would have ever imagined.

Many of you hear for the first time "The Gluten-Free" , so let's make it simple.
What is the Gluten ?
In simple terms, gluten is a type of protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. You see it most often in cereals, breads, and grains.

Gluten is great for keeping the elasticity in food intact while it is fermenting. Some companies also use gluten because it allows food products top stick together and become more chewy.

When you eat gluten-free it helps you to improve cholesterol levels in your body. When we say good cholesterol levels, we say a very good digestive health and high energy levels. It helps also to reduce risk of heart disease and certain cancers and diabetes.

You can't imagine how it helps ward off viruses and germs you eat in other foods.

Next time we will address the topic in a separate article on our site www.cookerrs.com

So, let's start.

There is a lot of time and place for multi-layer cake, usually for birthdays and celebretions, But a single-layer cake isn’t about celebration, it’s about  daily simplicity.

The yellow single-layer cake I bake tastes like to the ones I ate growing up. It’s just butter, sugar, eggs, and gluten-free flour. The funny thing is the method. It doesn’t require you to cream the butter and sugar together. You simply dump all the ingredients into a bowl and mix. That’s it. The only thing to watch out for is the butter. You want it soft. Not melty. Not microwaved where the ends are hard and it’s melted in the center. You want the butter soft.

What you Will Need :

For the Gluten-Free Yellow Cake

• Gluten-free non-stick cooking spray
• 1 1/4 cups white rice flour (5 ounces; 142 grams)
• 1 cup granulated sugar (8 ounces; 226 grams)
• 1/2 cup potato starch (2 ounces; 56 grams)
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened (4 ounces; 113 grams)
• 2/3 cup milk or water (5 1/3 ounces; 150 grams)
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For Chocolate Buttercream

• 2 cups powdered (confectioner's) sugar, sifted (8 ounces; 226 grams)
• 6 tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted (2 1/4 ounces; 65 grams)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened (4 ounces; 113 grams)
• 4 tablespoons milk (2 ounces; 56 grams)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

For the Cake

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8x8x2-inch square cake pan or a 9x2-inch round cake pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set pan aside.
2. In large mixing bowl, whisk together white rice flour, granulated sugar, potato starch, baking powder, salt, and xanthan gum. Add butter, milk (or water), eggs, and vanilla. Using a handheld mixer,mix until a thick batter forms, about one minute. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Bake until cake tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Place cake, in pan, on wire rack to cool. If desired, frost with buttercream icing when cool.

For the Chocolate Buttercream

1. Whisk together powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, beat butter until light. Add powdered sugar-cocoa mixture, milk, and vanilla extract. Cream until smooth. Adjust thickness, if needed, by adding more milk, one tablespoon at a time. Frosting should be thick and spreadable.