Gluten Free Texas Sheet Cake Recipe

A special treat for a dear friend!

You've heard me mention from time to time about how we get our meat and eggs from a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm.  Let me tell you - there is NOTHING that is so good as far as quality and taste.  This is the way things are supposed to taste!

Well, over the past couple of years that we've belonged, I've developed such a fondness and friendship for Farmer Dave and his beautiful wife, the lovely Robin.  It always does my heart good to spend a while chatting with them on pickup day.  We talk food, farming and gardening, kids, and just really enjoy some good fellowship!

Robin confided in me one Saturday that she was looking for a particular recipe.  Something she and her family have really missed.  See, they're gluten free, too.  So I promised I'd see what I could do.  I read bunches of recipes on allrecipes.com  Guess what - they all start with a CAKE MIX!  That's when I knew we could come up with something, and here it is.

SPH Gluten Free Texas Sheet Cake
1 Betty Crocker Gluten Free Devils Food Cake Mix
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup water
1 cup melted butter
2 eggs
1 can milk chocolate frosting

Preheat oven to 350.  Combine all ingredients in a mixer bowl, and beat til well combined.  Line a jelly roll pan, or large cookie sheet with sides, with foil.  Pour batter onto foil, and place in oven.  Bake for about 35-40 minutes, or til tester inserted in center comes out clean.  When done, allow to cool for about 8-10 minutes.  You want the cake still slightly warm, but it also needs to cool a bit to maintain its structure.  You certainly don't want a crumbly mess!  Carefully plop bits of frosting on top of the cake and spread evenly.  This makes that shiny glaze-like frosting.  Feel free to use as much frosting as your heart or your family desires.  When completely cool, cut into big squares, and enjoy!

So when we were doing our taste testing, Princess added some chopped pecans on top of hers.  Super delicious!  Which got me to thinking...

Sprinkle the top of the frosting with chopped pecan pieces, then drizzle with some melted caramel sundae topping.  Now you have turtle sheet cake.

Or...

Instead of water, use coffee - espresso sheet cake.

Add peppermint extract, frost with white frosting and top with candy cane pieces - candy cane sheet cake.

See where I'm going with this?

You can do just as much with a Texas sheet cake as any other cake.  The possibilities are only limited by what's in your pantry!

And if you're interested, and live in Northern Illinois, be sure to click the Walnut Acres button in the right hand column.  This will send you straight to the CSA website for more information.

Have a great Tuesday everyone!



This recipe linked to Very Good Recipes.

Gluten Free Lemon Chiffon Cake Recipe

Light and lemony - a perfect dessert for Mother's Day!

Isn't it pretty with its little lemon peel rosette?  If I'd had fresh raspberries or strawberries in the house, I would have added them around the border of the plate.  This is a lovely dessert any time of the year, but especially nice in the spring.  It reminds me of lemonade, but in a cake.  With Mother's Day coming up, it would be a lovely addition to a special dinner for Mom, and it's really easy to make with a cake mix!

So let's get right down to it!

SPH Gluten Free Lemon Chiffon Cake Recipe
1 box Betty Crocker Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix
2/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup canola oil or melted butter
3 eggs
grated zest of 1 lemon (get organic if possible)
2 T. lemon extract
1 cup egg whites (I use the kind that come in a carton from the store - easier, and doesn't deplete my supply of regular eggs)
1/2 t. cream of tartar


Glaze
1/2 c. Betty Crocker Rich & Creamy vanilla frosting
juice of 1 lemon (use the lemon you zested for the cake)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease bottom and sides of three 8" round cake pans.  Pour contents of cake mix into mixer bowl.  In a small bowl, combine buttermilk, oil/butter, 3 eggs, lemon zest and lemon extract.  Beat until lightly combined.  Beat liquid ingredients into cake mix, at medium speed, for only 2-3 minutes.  Be sure to stop and clean the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula FREQUENTLY, and beat only until everything is well combined and smooth.  DO NOT OVERBEAT, or your cake will be rubbery.  Definitely not a desired outcome.  In separate large bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar until stiff peaks.  Gently fold in egg whites, just until mostly combined (if you have a few little bits of white showing, that's ok).  Don't stir them in - they will deflate, and that definitely will take away from that light and airy texture we've all come to expect from a chiffon cake.  Pour the batter as equally as possible into all three cake pans.  Place the pans on racks that are as centered as possible in your oven.  I place two cake pans on the top rack, and one on the bottom.  I also arrange them in sort of a vertical triangle to allow maximum air circulation in the oven for even baking.  Bake for about 45 minutes, or til tester inserted in center comes out clean.  Allow cakes to cool completely before removing from pan.

Meanwhile, make the glaze.  In a small bowl, combine the frosting and lemon juice.  Whisk until very smooth.  Drizzle over cooled cakes.

You can layer them to make a tall cake (be sure to make enough glaze to finish all three layers), or do individual layers, which is what I did in the photo above.  You can also do these as cupcakes.  If you want them really fancy, do the lemon peel rosette.  Just use a vegie peeler, and remove the yellow part only of a lemon rind.  Roll it up, starting at one end, then let it open on its own to form the flower.  Use more frosting if you want a thicker glaze, or add the lemon juice to the whole can for frosting instead of glaze. You can also make orange or lime chiffon - just use a different citrus fruit.

Try it - you'll like it!