Guest guest Posted September 7, 2009 Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 So I tried making the Namaste chocolate cake mix by subbing 2 jars of sweet potato baby food for the 3 eggs. I cooked it 15 minutes longer than recommended (waiting for the toothpick to come out clean) and it's still very wet/gooey. The taste is tolerable. I'm going to try one more trial one before my son's birthday. Any suggestions? The woman at my local health food store recommended adding 1/4 cup GF flour to it. She also suggested making a cake from scratch but I'm just sick of throwing out one thing after another. I can never find a recipe that I don't have to sub something and once I start subbing stuff, it normally goes downhill That brings me to another question. I tried making frosting to decorate the cake. My son has his heart set on me making him a cake with a construction theme. I used turbinado raw cane sugar with tapioca starch to make a powdered sugar. Then I used the Wilton buttercream recipe. I used palm oil shortening, subbed rice milk for milk, used my powdered sugar, and vanilla. It wasn't bad except it had a very grainy texture. I put it in the fridge so I could see how it was today (planning to make different colors and see if it would work for decorating). It is now all crumbly and nothing like frosting. I know I can beat it again and add more milk or water but I'm just worried how it's going to hold up if I use it for decorating. Normally I refrigerate frostings and they are fine. Not sure what went wrong. Any suggestions? Amy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 7, 2009 Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 What other liquids are required for the mix? Also was the cake cool when you tasted it? Sometimes chocolate cakes need to set up a couple of hours before they set properly. BL On Sun, Sep 6, 2009 at 5:00 PM, awilkins23 <awilkins23 wrote: > > > So I tried making the Namaste chocolate cake mix by subbing 2 jars of sweet > potato baby food for the 3 eggs. I cooked it 15 minutes longer than > recommended (waiting for the toothpick to come out clean) and it's still > very wet/gooey. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 7, 2009 Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 I feel your pain with the cake ordeal! I'll go through my recipes tomorrow and see if I can come up with anything for you. I have noticed that smaller cakes seem to work out better than larger cakes. I had recently seen in a catalog some basically cupcake pans in various shapes that you could form together and then decorate the top like one big cake and then pull them apart in perfect portions. I thought that was kind of a cool idea especially with our nightmare of baking challenges! I'd imagine they sale them in stores too. I'll look for the catalog tomorrow as well so I can send you a link to them. As for the icing, mine tends to harden up and be crumbly after refrigeration and then it's ok at when I beat it up again. The one thing that can be an issue with it is getting too warm. It tends to get melty and make a mess. Good luck in figuring it out! Happy birthday to the little virgo! On Sun, Sep 6, 2009 at 8:00 PM, awilkins23 <awilkins23 wrote: > > > So I tried making the Namaste chocolate cake mix by subbing 2 jars of sweet > potato baby food for the 3 eggs. I cooked it 15 minutes longer than > recommended (waiting for the toothpick to come out clean) and it's still > very wet/gooey. The taste is tolerable. I'm going to try one more trial one > before my son's birthday. Any suggestions? The woman at my local health food > store recommended adding 1/4 cup GF flour to it. She also suggested making a > cake from scratch but I'm just sick of throwing out one thing after another. > I can never find a recipe that I don't have to sub something and once I > start subbing stuff, it normally goes downhill > > That brings me to another question. I tried making frosting to decorate the > cake. My son has his heart set on me making him a cake with a construction > theme. I used turbinado raw cane sugar with tapioca starch to make a > powdered sugar. Then I used the Wilton buttercream recipe. I used palm oil > shortening, subbed rice milk for milk, used my powdered sugar, and vanilla. > It wasn't bad except it had a very grainy texture. I put it in the fridge so > I could see how it was today (planning to make different colors and see if > it would work for decorating). It is now all crumbly and nothing like > frosting. I know I can beat it again and add more milk or water but I'm just > worried how it's going to hold up if I use it for decorating. Normally I > refrigerate frostings and they are fine. Not sure what went wrong. Any > suggestions? > > Amy > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 7, 2009 Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 On Sep 6, 2009, at 8:00 PM, awilkins23 wrote: > > That brings me to another question. I tried making frosting to > decorate the cake. My son has his heart set on me making him a cake > with a construction theme. ======= just read about a corn free confectionary sugar last night on this blog http://www.befreeforme.com/blog/?cat=112 The store she talks about is www.navanfoods.com, a local store for me. Jennifer, the owner is awesome at ferreting out safe foods. It's good to know that she has found a corn free confectionary sugar. Why not shoot her an email. I'd also ask her for a mix that doesn't require substitutions. She has the largest selection of gf mixes that I've ever seen. Shez -- Giving you the latest news and information about homeschooling http://www.examiner.com/x-10127-Norfolk-Homeschooling-Examiner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 7, 2009 Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 Are they 4 oz jars? 2 of them would make the equivalent of 4 eggs. I would try one jar (4 oz) + 1 tsp baking soda + 1 Tbsp vinegar + 1 Tbsp water. You might need to add a tad more baking soda as well. , " awilkins23 " <awilkins23 wrote: > > So I tried making the Namaste chocolate cake mix by subbing 2 jars of sweet potato baby food for the 3 eggs. I cooked it 15 minutes longer than recommended (waiting for the toothpick to come out clean) and it's still very wet/gooey. The taste is tolerable. I'm going to try one more trial one before my son's birthday. Any suggestions? The woman at my local health food store recommended adding 1/4 cup GF flour to it. She also suggested making a cake from scratch but I'm just sick of throwing out one thing after another. I can never find a recipe that I don't have to sub something and once I start subbing stuff, it normally goes downhill > > That brings me to another question. I tried making frosting to decorate the cake. My son has his heart set on me making him a cake with a construction theme. I used turbinado raw cane sugar with tapioca starch to make a powdered sugar. Then I used the Wilton buttercream recipe. I used palm oil shortening, subbed rice milk for milk, used my powdered sugar, and vanilla. It wasn't bad except it had a very grainy texture. I put it in the fridge so I could see how it was today (planning to make different colors and see if it would work for decorating). It is now all crumbly and nothing like frosting. I know I can beat it again and add more milk or water but I'm just worried how it's going to hold up if I use it for decorating. Normally I refrigerate frostings and they are fine. Not sure what went wrong. Any suggestions? > > Amy > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 7, 2009 Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 I've had a lot of success with the Bob's Red Mill Chocolate Cake -- if you can do that one. I've used a flax gel as a substitute for eggs (actually I think the substitution instructions are right on the label). I probably works better because it is a two egg sub instead of three. Cherrybook Kitchen has a pre-made jarred frosting that is nice -- it's good a stiff. Also the frosting recipe from the new BabyCakes cookie book is amazing -- it involves coconut oil and soy/rice powder to get the consistency right. I've never sure on the rules for sharing that kind of information.... On Sun, Sep 6, 2009 at 5:00 PM, awilkins23 <awilkins23 wrote: > > > So I tried making the Namaste chocolate cake mix by subbing 2 jars of sweet > potato baby food for the 3 eggs. I cooked it 15 minutes longer than > recommended (waiting for the toothpick to come out clean) and it's still > very wet/gooey. The taste is tolerable. I'm going to try one more trial one > before my son's birthday. Any suggestions? The woman at my local health food > store recommended adding 1/4 cup GF flour to it. She also suggested making a > cake from scratch but I'm just sick of throwing out one thing after another. > I can never find a recipe that I don't have to sub something and once I > start subbing stuff, it normally goes downhill > > That brings me to another question. I tried making frosting to decorate the > cake. My son has his heart set on me making him a cake with a construction > theme. I used turbinado raw cane sugar with tapioca starch to make a > powdered sugar. Then I used the Wilton buttercream recipe. I used palm oil > shortening, subbed rice milk for milk, used my powdered sugar, and vanilla. > It wasn't bad except it had a very grainy texture. I put it in the fridge so > I could see how it was today (planning to make different colors and see if > it would work for decorating). It is now all crumbly and nothing like > frosting. I know I can beat it again and add more milk or water but I'm just > worried how it's going to hold up if I use it for decorating. Normally I > refrigerate frostings and they are fine. Not sure what went wrong. Any > suggestions? > > Amy > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 8, 2009 Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 > I've had a lot of success with the Bob's Red Mill Chocolate Cake -- if you > can do that one. I've used a flax gel as a substitute for eggs (actually I > think the substitution instructions are right on the label). I probably > works better because it is a two egg sub instead of three. Cherrybook > Kitchen has a pre-made jarred frosting that is nice -- it's good a stiff. > Also the frosting recipe from the new BabyCakes cookie book is amazing -- it > involves coconut oil and soy/rice powder to get the consistency right. I've > never sure on the rules for sharing that kind of information.... Thanks for the suggestions. I looked at the Bob's Red Mill cake ingredients and we could do it. It calls for butter and egg, though, and I'd have to substitute olive oil and flax. Think it would still work? Seems as soon as I start subbing, things don't work. I tried a white cake today from scratch subbing nothing except olive oil for butter and the thing is a mess. It's so gooey, it's not even edible. For frosting, we can't do corn and we can't do coconut oil so we are pretty limited. Amy > On Sun, Sep 6, 2009 at 5:00 PM, awilkins23 <awilkins23 wrote: > > > > > > > So I tried making the Namaste chocolate cake mix by subbing 2 jars of sweet > > potato baby food for the 3 eggs. I cooked it 15 minutes longer than > > recommended (waiting for the toothpick to come out clean) and it's still > > very wet/gooey. The taste is tolerable. I'm going to try one more trial one > > before my son's birthday. Any suggestions? The woman at my local health food > > store recommended adding 1/4 cup GF flour to it. She also suggested making a > > cake from scratch but I'm just sick of throwing out one thing after another. > > I can never find a recipe that I don't have to sub something and once I > > start subbing stuff, it normally goes downhill > > > > That brings me to another question. I tried making frosting to decorate the > > cake. My son has his heart set on me making him a cake with a construction > > theme. I used turbinado raw cane sugar with tapioca starch to make a > > powdered sugar. Then I used the Wilton buttercream recipe. I used palm oil > > shortening, subbed rice milk for milk, used my powdered sugar, and vanilla. > > It wasn't bad except it had a very grainy texture. I put it in the fridge so > > I could see how it was today (planning to make different colors and see if > > it would work for decorating). It is now all crumbly and nothing like > > frosting. I know I can beat it again and add more milk or water but I'm just > > worried how it's going to hold up if I use it for decorating. Normally I > > refrigerate frostings and they are fine. Not sure what went wrong. Any > > suggestions? > > > > Amy > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 8, 2009 Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 They were 2.5 oz containers. I'll try this substitution and hope it's not as wet and gooey. Thanks Amy > > Are they 4 oz jars? 2 of them would make the equivalent of 4 eggs. I would try one jar (4 oz) + 1 tsp baking soda + 1 Tbsp vinegar + 1 Tbsp water. You might need to add a tad more baking soda as well. > > , " awilkins23 " <awilkins23@> wrote: > > > > So I tried making the Namaste chocolate cake mix by subbing 2 jars of sweet potato baby food for the 3 eggs. I cooked it 15 minutes longer than recommended (waiting for the toothpick to come out clean) and it's still very wet/gooey. The taste is tolerable. I'm going to try one more trial one before my son's birthday. Any suggestions? The woman at my local health food store recommended adding 1/4 cup GF flour to it. She also suggested making a cake from scratch but I'm just sick of throwing out one thing after another. I can never find a recipe that I don't have to sub something and once I start subbing stuff, it normally goes downhill > > > > That brings me to another question. I tried making frosting to decorate the cake. My son has his heart set on me making him a cake with a construction theme. I used turbinado raw cane sugar with tapioca starch to make a powdered sugar. Then I used the Wilton buttercream recipe. I used palm oil shortening, subbed rice milk for milk, used my powdered sugar, and vanilla. It wasn't bad except it had a very grainy texture. I put it in the fridge so I could see how it was today (planning to make different colors and see if it would work for decorating). It is now all crumbly and nothing like frosting. I know I can beat it again and add more milk or water but I'm just worried how it's going to hold up if I use it for decorating. Normally I refrigerate frostings and they are fine. Not sure what went wrong. Any suggestions? > > > > Amy > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 8, 2009 Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 Thanks. I won't have time to order anything before my son's birthday but maybe I can find something that actually works for us in the future. She does have quite a selection of mixes. Amy > > That brings me to another question. I tried making frosting to > > decorate the cake. My son has his heart set on me making him a cake > > with a construction theme. > ======= > > just read about a corn free confectionary sugar last night on this blog > http://www.befreeforme.com/blog/?cat=112 > > The store she talks about is www.navanfoods.com, a local store for > me. Jennifer, the owner is awesome at ferreting out safe foods. It's > good to know that she has found a corn free confectionary sugar. Why > not shoot her an email. > > I'd also ask her for a mix that doesn't require substitutions. She has > the largest selection of gf mixes that I've ever seen. > > Shez > -- > Giving you the latest news and information about homeschooling > http://www.examiner.com/x-10127-Norfolk-Homeschooling-Examiner > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 8, 2009 Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 Oh boy! You said exactly what I feared. I realized today, after making another cake that is going in the garbage, that a 9 x 13 will not be big enough to decorate the way I want. My mom suggested making a bigger sheet cake and I just laughed. I can't even get a 9 x 13 to work, how am I going to make a bigger one??? I was afraid the bigger cake would give me even more headaches. I have 3 days to figure out a cake and a frosting that works and still make a lovely construction scene. Hoping for a miracle I'll look into those cupcake pans. Thanks Amy > I feel your pain with the cake ordeal! I'll go through my recipes tomorrow > and see if I can come up with anything for you. I have noticed that smaller > cakes seem to work out better than larger cakes. I had recently seen in a > catalog some basically cupcake pans in various shapes that you could form > together and then decorate the top like one big cake and then pull them > apart in perfect portions. I thought that was kind of a cool idea especially > with our nightmare of baking challenges! I'd imagine they sale them in > stores too. I'll look for the catalog tomorrow as well so I can send you a > link to them. > > As for the icing, mine tends to harden up and be crumbly after refrigeration > and then it's ok at when I beat it up again. The one thing that can be an > issue with it is getting too warm. It tends to get melty and make a mess. > > Good luck in figuring it out! Happy birthday to the little virgo! > > > On Sun, Sep 6, 2009 at 8:00 PM, awilkins23 <awilkins23 wrote: > > > > > > > So I tried making the Namaste chocolate cake mix by subbing 2 jars of sweet > > potato baby food for the 3 eggs. I cooked it 15 minutes longer than > > recommended (waiting for the toothpick to come out clean) and it's still > > very wet/gooey. The taste is tolerable. I'm going to try one more trial one > > before my son's birthday. Any suggestions? The woman at my local health food > > store recommended adding 1/4 cup GF flour to it. She also suggested making a > > cake from scratch but I'm just sick of throwing out one thing after another. > > I can never find a recipe that I don't have to sub something and once I > > start subbing stuff, it normally goes downhill > > > > That brings me to another question. I tried making frosting to decorate the > > cake. My son has his heart set on me making him a cake with a construction > > theme. I used turbinado raw cane sugar with tapioca starch to make a > > powdered sugar. Then I used the Wilton buttercream recipe. I used palm oil > > shortening, subbed rice milk for milk, used my powdered sugar, and vanilla. > > It wasn't bad except it had a very grainy texture. I put it in the fridge so > > I could see how it was today (planning to make different colors and see if > > it would work for decorating). It is now all crumbly and nothing like > > frosting. I know I can beat it again and add more milk or water but I'm just > > worried how it's going to hold up if I use it for decorating. Normally I > > refrigerate frostings and they are fine. Not sure what went wrong. Any > > suggestions? > > > > Amy > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 8, 2009 Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 > What other liquids are required for the mix? It calls for 3 eggs, 2/3 cup oil and 2 cups water. I used the sweet potato, olive oil and water. > Also was the cake cool when you tasted it? Sometimes chocolate cakes need > to set up a couple of hours before they set properly. I let it sit pretty long (at least an hour or two) but will try letting it sit longer tomorrow when I try again. Amy > BL > > On Sun, Sep 6, 2009 at 5:00 PM, awilkins23 <awilkins23 wrote: > > > > > > > So I tried making the Namaste chocolate cake mix by subbing 2 jars of sweet > > potato baby food for the 3 eggs. I cooked it 15 minutes longer than > > recommended (waiting for the toothpick to come out clean) and it's still > > very wet/gooey. > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 8, 2009 Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 I have used flax and that is fine. I've used ghee in place of butter (I'm cf not vegan), but directions calls for either butter or magarine. Could you do margarine or shortening? I would be afraid the olive oil wouldn't cream right. If you decide to go olive oil the rule of thumb, I've heard (and has worked in cookies and quick breads) is 2/3 of what the recipe calls for -- things can end up a bit flatter. So it this case 2/3 of 1/2 a cup. Good luck with the icing. I'm out of ideas that corn coconut thing must me rough. On Mon, Sep 7, 2009 at 6:49 PM, awilkins23 <awilkins23 wrote: > > > > > I've had a lot of success with the Bob's Red Mill Chocolate Cake -- if > you > > can do that one. I've used a flax gel as a substitute for eggs (actually > I > > think the substitution instructions are right on the label). I probably > > works better because it is a two egg sub instead of three. Cherrybook > > Kitchen has a pre-made jarred frosting that is nice -- it's good a stiff. > > Also the frosting recipe from the new BabyCakes cookie book is amazing -- > it > > involves coconut oil and soy/rice powder to get the consistency right. > I've > > never sure on the rules for sharing that kind of information.... > > Thanks for the suggestions. I looked at the Bob's Red Mill cake ingredients > and we could do it. It calls for butter and egg, though, and I'd have to > substitute olive oil and flax. Think it would still work? Seems as soon as I > start subbing, things don't work. I tried a white cake today from scratch > subbing nothing except olive oil for butter and the thing is a mess. It's so > gooey, it's not even edible. > > For frosting, we can't do corn and we can't do coconut oil so we are pretty > limited. > > Amy > > On Sun, Sep 6, 2009 at 5:00 PM, awilkins23 <awilkins23 wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > So I tried making the Namaste chocolate cake mix by subbing 2 jars of > sweet > > > potato baby food for the 3 eggs. I cooked it 15 minutes longer than > > > recommended (waiting for the toothpick to come out clean) and it's > still > > > very wet/gooey. The taste is tolerable. I'm going to try one more trial > one > > > before my son's birthday. Any suggestions? The woman at my local health > food > > > store recommended adding 1/4 cup GF flour to it. She also suggested > making a > > > cake from scratch but I'm just sick of throwing out one thing after > another. > > > I can never find a recipe that I don't have to sub something and once I > > > start subbing stuff, it normally goes downhill > > > > > > That brings me to another question. I tried making frosting to decorate > the > > > cake. My son has his heart set on me making him a cake with a > construction > > > theme. I used turbinado raw cane sugar with tapioca starch to make a > > > powdered sugar. Then I used the Wilton buttercream recipe. I used palm > oil > > > shortening, subbed rice milk for milk, used my powdered sugar, and > vanilla. > > > It wasn't bad except it had a very grainy texture. I put it in the > fridge so > > > I could see how it was today (planning to make different colors and see > if > > > it would work for decorating). It is now all crumbly and nothing like > > > frosting. I know I can beat it again and add more milk or water but I'm > just > > > worried how it's going to hold up if I use it for decorating. Normally > I > > > refrigerate frostings and they are fine. Not sure what went wrong. Any > > > suggestions? > > > > > > Amy > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 8, 2009 Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 I would not leave it sit more than 20 minutes, I don't think. As for the 9 x 13 or larger, when not just make smaller cakes and put them together before frosting? BL On Mon, Sep 7, 2009 at 7:09 PM, awilkins23<awilkins23 wrote: > > >> What other liquids are required for the mix? > It calls for 3 eggs, 2/3 cup oil and 2 cups water. I used the sweet potato, > olive oil and water. > >> Also was the cake cool when you tasted it? Sometimes chocolate cakes need >> to set up a couple of hours before they set properly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 8, 2009 Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 I couldn't find the catalog that I saw those pans in but I found a website where people used regular cupcakes to form cakes. They are quite impressive! http://www.squidoo.com/cupcakecakes I recently made Bob's Red Mill brownies, subbing baby squash for the eggs and they where the best brownies I have ever tasted! BRM products seem to handle subbing quite well. I haven't made any cakes yet as I'm not really a cake person, but I am extremely happy with the products I have tried from them! Are you able to use grapeseed oil or canola oil? they may work better for you than the olive oil. Just a thought. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 8, 2009 Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 Can you use grapeseed oil? I have better success with that for baking than olive oil. It isn't as strong and the texture is not as heavy. I'm not sure if that is on your restriction list, however. just a thought. Elaine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 8, 2009 Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 When substituting a " liquid " oil for a solid such as butter or shortening, use 2/3 the amount of oil that is called for. So, if you need a cup of butter, use 2/3 cup of olive oil instead. This should work for the Bob Red Mill mix. Otherwise, I made cupcakes yesterday that would likely be okay for you and easy to do. It is at recipezaar http://www.recipezaar.com/One-Bowl-Gluten-Free-Chocolate-Cake-209764 I just subbed flax goo for the single egg. I try to look for recipes with two eggs or less as I find they are easier to make egg free. Amanda , " awilkins23 " <awilkins23 wrote: > > > > I've had a lot of success with the Bob's Red Mill Chocolate Cake -- if you > > can do that one. I've used a flax gel as a substitute for eggs (actually I > > think the substitution instructions are right on the label). I probably > > works better because it is a two egg sub instead of three. Cherrybook > > Kitchen has a pre-made jarred frosting that is nice -- it's good a stiff. > > Also the frosting recipe from the new BabyCakes cookie book is amazing -- it > > involves coconut oil and soy/rice powder to get the consistency right. I've > > never sure on the rules for sharing that kind of information.... > > Thanks for the suggestions. I looked at the Bob's Red Mill cake ingredients and we could do it. It calls for butter and egg, though, and I'd have to substitute olive oil and flax. Think it would still work? Seems as soon as I start subbing, things don't work. I tried a white cake today from scratch subbing nothing except olive oil for butter and the thing is a mess. It's so gooey, it's not even edible. > > For frosting, we can't do corn and we can't do coconut oil so we are pretty limited. > > Amy > > On Sun, Sep 6, 2009 at 5:00 PM, awilkins23 <awilkins23@> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > So I tried making the Namaste chocolate cake mix by subbing 2 jars of sweet > > > potato baby food for the 3 eggs. I cooked it 15 minutes longer than > > > recommended (waiting for the toothpick to come out clean) and it's still > > > very wet/gooey. The taste is tolerable. I'm going to try one more trial one > > > before my son's birthday. Any suggestions? The woman at my local health food > > > store recommended adding 1/4 cup GF flour to it. She also suggested making a > > > cake from scratch but I'm just sick of throwing out one thing after another. > > > I can never find a recipe that I don't have to sub something and once I > > > start subbing stuff, it normally goes downhill > > > > > > That brings me to another question. I tried making frosting to decorate the > > > cake. My son has his heart set on me making him a cake with a construction > > > theme. I used turbinado raw cane sugar with tapioca starch to make a > > > powdered sugar. Then I used the Wilton buttercream recipe. I used palm oil > > > shortening, subbed rice milk for milk, used my powdered sugar, and vanilla. > > > It wasn't bad except it had a very grainy texture. I put it in the fridge so > > > I could see how it was today (planning to make different colors and see if > > > it would work for decorating). It is now all crumbly and nothing like > > > frosting. I know I can beat it again and add more milk or water but I'm just > > > worried how it's going to hold up if I use it for decorating. Normally I > > > refrigerate frostings and they are fine. Not sure what went wrong. Any > > > suggestions? > > > > > > Amy > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 8, 2009 Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 Amy, How many people are you having? I'm wondering if you could just make a circular cake, cut off a bit at the bottom and flip it in front (or make minor cuts) to make a hardhat. If you can get icing, you could put a name on top of the " hardhat " like " Ben's contracting " or something (Ben the Builder? - I don't know your son's name. Also do you still have your cake failures? If so, could you try to dry it out a bit and crumble a bit for " dirt " . You could try making a " shovel " by the dirt instead of the hat. The other option is a sheet cake with cupcakes on top for " Lego " . Also, for icing, do you have any coconut on hand (or does your son even like it). This recipe is nice, but not overly thick so you might want to add a bit of arrowroot to thicken. http://www.recipezaar.com/Coconut-Pecan-Frosting-Vegan-200120 We don't use the pecans when we use this. Just a few more thoughts - can you tell we've had birthdays lately? Amanda , " awilkins23 " <awilkins23 wrote: > > Oh boy! You said exactly what I feared. I realized today, after making another cake that is going in the garbage, that a 9 x 13 will not be big enough to decorate the way I want. My mom suggested making a bigger sheet cake and I just laughed. I can't even get a 9 x 13 to work, how am I going to make a bigger one??? I was afraid the bigger cake would give me even more headaches. I have 3 days to figure out a cake and a frosting that works and still make a lovely construction scene. Hoping for a miracle I'll look into those cupcake pans. > > Thanks > Amy > > > I feel your pain with the cake ordeal! I'll go through my recipes tomorrow > > and see if I can come up with anything for you. I have noticed that smaller > > cakes seem to work out better than larger cakes. I had recently seen in a > > catalog some basically cupcake pans in various shapes that you could form > > together and then decorate the top like one big cake and then pull them > > apart in perfect portions. I thought that was kind of a cool idea especially > > with our nightmare of baking challenges! I'd imagine they sale them in > > stores too. I'll look for the catalog tomorrow as well so I can send you a > > link to them. > > > > As for the icing, mine tends to harden up and be crumbly after refrigeration > > and then it's ok at when I beat it up again. The one thing that can be an > > issue with it is getting too warm. It tends to get melty and make a mess. > > > > Good luck in figuring it out! Happy birthday to the little virgo! > > > > > > On Sun, Sep 6, 2009 at 8:00 PM, awilkins23 <awilkins23@> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > So I tried making the Namaste chocolate cake mix by subbing 2 jars of sweet > > > potato baby food for the 3 eggs. I cooked it 15 minutes longer than > > > recommended (waiting for the toothpick to come out clean) and it's still > > > very wet/gooey. The taste is tolerable. I'm going to try one more trial one > > > before my son's birthday. Any suggestions? The woman at my local health food > > > store recommended adding 1/4 cup GF flour to it. She also suggested making a > > > cake from scratch but I'm just sick of throwing out one thing after another. > > > I can never find a recipe that I don't have to sub something and once I > > > start subbing stuff, it normally goes downhill > > > > > > That brings me to another question. I tried making frosting to decorate the > > > cake. My son has his heart set on me making him a cake with a construction > > > theme. I used turbinado raw cane sugar with tapioca starch to make a > > > powdered sugar. Then I used the Wilton buttercream recipe. I used palm oil > > > shortening, subbed rice milk for milk, used my powdered sugar, and vanilla. > > > It wasn't bad except it had a very grainy texture. I put it in the fridge so > > > I could see how it was today (planning to make different colors and see if > > > it would work for decorating). It is now all crumbly and nothing like > > > frosting. I know I can beat it again and add more milk or water but I'm just > > > worried how it's going to hold up if I use it for decorating. Normally I > > > refrigerate frostings and they are fine. Not sure what went wrong. Any > > > suggestions? > > > > > > Amy > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 8, 2009 Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 Sorry, i did not realize that you could not use coconut. What about some sort of ganache for the " icing " http://www.recipezaar.com/Ganache-280017 Amanda , Margaret Stork van Swelm <margaret.stork wrote: > > I have used flax and that is fine. I've used ghee in place of butter (I'm > cf not vegan), but directions calls for either butter or magarine. Could > you do margarine or shortening? I would be afraid the olive oil wouldn't > cream right. If you decide to go olive oil the rule of thumb, I've heard > (and has worked in cookies and quick breads) is 2/3 of what the recipe calls > for -- things can end up a bit flatter. So it this case 2/3 of 1/2 a cup. > Good luck with the icing. I'm out of ideas that corn coconut thing must me > rough. > > > > On Mon, Sep 7, 2009 at 6:49 PM, awilkins23 <awilkins23 wrote: > > > > > > > > > > I've had a lot of success with the Bob's Red Mill Chocolate Cake -- if > > you > > > can do that one. I've used a flax gel as a substitute for eggs (actually > > I > > > think the substitution instructions are right on the label). I probably > > > works better because it is a two egg sub instead of three. Cherrybook > > > Kitchen has a pre-made jarred frosting that is nice -- it's good a stiff. > > > Also the frosting recipe from the new BabyCakes cookie book is amazing -- > > it > > > involves coconut oil and soy/rice powder to get the consistency right. > > I've > > > never sure on the rules for sharing that kind of information.... > > > > Thanks for the suggestions. I looked at the Bob's Red Mill cake ingredients > > and we could do it. It calls for butter and egg, though, and I'd have to > > substitute olive oil and flax. Think it would still work? Seems as soon as I > > start subbing, things don't work. I tried a white cake today from scratch > > subbing nothing except olive oil for butter and the thing is a mess. It's so > > gooey, it's not even edible. > > > > For frosting, we can't do corn and we can't do coconut oil so we are pretty > > limited. > > > > Amy > > > On Sun, Sep 6, 2009 at 5:00 PM, awilkins23 <awilkins23@> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > So I tried making the Namaste chocolate cake mix by subbing 2 jars of > > sweet > > > > potato baby food for the 3 eggs. I cooked it 15 minutes longer than > > > > recommended (waiting for the toothpick to come out clean) and it's > > still > > > > very wet/gooey. The taste is tolerable. I'm going to try one more trial > > one > > > > before my son's birthday. Any suggestions? The woman at my local health > > food > > > > store recommended adding 1/4 cup GF flour to it. She also suggested > > making a > > > > cake from scratch but I'm just sick of throwing out one thing after > > another. > > > > I can never find a recipe that I don't have to sub something and once I > > > > start subbing stuff, it normally goes downhill > > > > > > > > That brings me to another question. I tried making frosting to decorate > > the > > > > cake. My son has his heart set on me making him a cake with a > > construction > > > > theme. I used turbinado raw cane sugar with tapioca starch to make a > > > > powdered sugar. Then I used the Wilton buttercream recipe. I used palm > > oil > > > > shortening, subbed rice milk for milk, used my powdered sugar, and > > vanilla. > > > > It wasn't bad except it had a very grainy texture. I put it in the > > fridge so > > > > I could see how it was today (planning to make different colors and see > > if > > > > it would work for decorating). It is now all crumbly and nothing like > > > > frosting. I know I can beat it again and add more milk or water but I'm > > just > > > > worried how it's going to hold up if I use it for decorating. Normally > > I > > > > refrigerate frostings and they are fine. Not sure what went wrong. Any > > > > suggestions? > > > > > > > > Amy > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 9, 2009 Report Share Posted September 9, 2009 Hi All, Thanks for all the cake suggestions. I'm working on yet another trial at the moment and will let you know how it turns out. To answer a few questions quickly, I've never tried canola or grapeseed oil. We don't use corn or vegetable oil and I tend to just sub olive oil for everything since that is the only oil I have in my home. I can look into using something else if that would work better. I do always use less olive oil than the amount of butter called for. I have a conversion chart I use. Doesn't seem to be working too well at the moment though Amy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 10, 2009 Report Share Posted September 10, 2009 Last minute recipe for frosting. This is from the gluten free gourmet makes dessert by Bette Hagman. Not perfect for you but thought you might be able to make it work with minimal subbing. Hope it helps... Light White Icing 1 1/2 pounds confectioners' sugar 1/3 cup shortening 2 tsp vanilla 1/3 cup boiling water pinch of salt (to taste) In chilled bowl, whip the sugar, shortening, and vanilla. Add enough boiling water to make the icing fluffy and smooth. Beat well. Makes about 1 1/2 cups icing. On Tue, Sep 8, 2009 at 10:11 PM, awilkins23 <awilkins23 wrote: > > > Hi All, > > Thanks for all the cake suggestions. I'm working on yet another trial at > the moment and will let you know how it turns out. To answer a few questions > quickly, I've never tried canola or grapeseed oil. We don't use corn or > vegetable oil and I tend to just sub olive oil for everything since that is > the only oil I have in my home. I can look into using something else if that > would work better. I do always use less olive oil than the amount of butter > called for. I have a conversion chart I use. Doesn't seem to be working too > well at the moment though > > Amy > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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