I just about went into shock. Very, very happy shock.

It’s been a while since these launched, but I was on goodbloghiatus, so here’s what I have to say about them.

The yellow cake is awesome. It bakes up perfectly. When the box says beat for X time, do it. The cake will come out fluffy and lovely. Same for the devils food cake. The chocolate chip cookies are good, too. Slightly cakey, rather than chewy. I can’t speak for the brownies because I’ve got some really weird mental block surrounding brownies (the last 3 batches I made were ruined by my own ineptitude).

They are priced similarly to other GF goods, and come in the same quantities. Can someone explain to me how double the flour mix makes half the finished cake product? (One box of standard cake mix makes 2 cake layers. One box of GF mix makes one layer.) And why I have to pay double for half?

Betty Crocker means GF is going mainstream. It means smaller, less adventurous supermarkets may be more willing to buy these, as they already know and contract with the brand. Hope springs eternal.

Possible Allergens: Potato (mix), milk.

Modifications: Egg replacer, almond extract.

Batter Type: Wet enough not to hold a peak, sticky enough to hold swirls from a spoon or mixer.

I had one wish as I started this cake: That it not be grainy and dry. Success! It came out moist and of a good consistency–not too heavy and not too light. I considered adding a bit of lemon juice to make it a yellow cake, one of my favorites, but my mother suggested almond. Divine.

I hadn't planned the icing ahead of time. After choosing chocolate I had a wealth of recipes to choose from, and ultimately went with one that was in our recipe drawer. This icing involves melting & boiling on a stove, but it isn't very work intensive. Throw in all the ingredients and heat.

Definately a winner.

Ideal: For tea time! Would also be a great birthday cake with classic frosting. The icing is a great presentation tool as it drips and swirls nicely.

White Cake
(These directions are all on the back of the packet under "For Cake you'll need…")

Preheat oven to 350F and grease pan. The packet calls for an 8-inch or 9-inch round pan. Just one. Ours are fairly shallow (Inch and a half max) so I cooked this in our springform pan, which is much deeper, and it came out fine. Not sure if it makes enough batter to work in two pans, but it might. I would definately check on it sooner than the recommended time if you do that.

Soften butter and beat with mixer until smooth. I'm a bit of an idiot when it comes to softening butter in the microwave, but it turned out well regardless. The butter was mostly melted, but after adding the mix it did was butter and sugar is supposed to do: it formed balls. So, add the mix and use beater to mix thoroughly until all powderyness is gone.
Add egg (replacer) and vanilla. The egg replacer works really well–it turned to batter almost immediately!

Add milk or water and beat for smoothness. I then made the decision to add about 3/4 tsp of almond extract. Entirely optional, but I loved it.
Place in pan and bake. Test for done-ness with the classic "stick a knife/point in and see if it comes out clean" method. I always set my timer some 5-10 minutes early but this was done around when they said it would be.

Allow to cool, and enjoy!

When removing it from the springform the ring came off smoothly but the bottom was still very moist. It did tip out alright but I was slow getting it onto the plate and it began to split. As I've used the same methods with umpteen other cakes that have been more lenient, I feel it bears mentioning. Be swift, be prepared. And remember that icing covers a multitude of sins…

Icing

I chose this for its relative simplicity. Other recipes at this site call for flour (?!) and a bunch of other things you shouldn't need. The url is http://www.justchocolaterecipes.com/cho-0045467.html

Just in case the site is down:

Combine ingredients and cook over low heat and stir. Ie, allow chocolate, butter, and sugar to melt.

Bring to a full rolling boil and time 1 minute. This was harder than it sounded. I didn't want to burn my sugar but I was using the smallest ring on our stove. Use your own judgment.

Place in pan of cold water to cool. …I hadn't prepared this ahead of time and I am a great fool. I put it into a bowl and but that in the freezer for maybe 20 minutes, rotating it once. Reduced the overall temperature marginally.

Beat with a mixer until gloss is lost. I couldn't get it to do this. Instead it was sort of syrupy. Not such a bad thing, actually.

I used a large serving spoon to drizzle the icing artfully across the top of the cake. It looked magnificent, but it was too drippy to use extensively or to frost the sides with. That left me with half a bowl of this stuff now sitting in the fridge. If this had been a 2-tier cake it probably wouldn't be a problem, but keep that in mind.

This icing definately stiffens as it cools, so I poked some holes in the top, put big blobs over the holes in hopes that they would sink in, and then used a knife to smooth the icing across the top. That worked very well.

When cooled, it stops being syrupy and is almost grainy. It still tastes wonderful and is like a dry frosting.

So, the cake I will repeat again. The icing will be for certain occasions where presentation is an issue. It would be nice at a tea party, perhaps with nuts sprinkled across the top. Mmmm…

Source: The Gluten Free Pantry, alternate recipe on side of packet.

Modifications: Used 1/4 Xantham Gum + 1/4 cup water to replace 1 egg. Oven time cut down by approx. 10 minutes.

Batter type: Stiff and sticky, slow-moving lump.
Delish. Deevine. Only trouble? We tipped it out of the pan too soon, as it should be served hot with ice cream. Unfortunately, I misjudged the gooey/heat ratio and a good chunk of the bottom stayed behind. I don't care. It is just that good.

The insides are very gooey and the edges got crusty. Not great finger-food as they're a bit sticky, but very good.

Ideal: Make a big batch for Thanksgiving or Xmas and serve to the family with vanilla ice cream. We certainly will.

Recipe details below the cut…

Preheat oven and lightly oil pan (try being generous, it might work better).

Combine wet ingredients. Add contents of packet and ginger. Beat on low for ~1 minute or until combined and smooth.

Pour into pan and bake. Check as early as 20 minutes, but should not go beyond 30. Look for a clean cake tester.

Allow to cool, but serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream. Serves 12–or however you usually divide your 8×8s.

For a less crunchy version, do what the packet actually says (*blind moment*) and use 1/3 molasses with 2/3 buttermilk. We don't keep buttermilk on hand so I wouldn't have been able to do it anyway. Oh well.

Carvel has full disclosure on its Nutrition FAQ page.

Egg: Only in the vanilla layer of the cakes (as far as I can understand).

Gluten: Avoid sprinkles, cones, crunchies (SOB!), and flavors with cookie, cake, or brownie mixed in. Nothing too surprising.

Soy:  Check their tables for specifics but it appears to be mostly chocolates and manufactured candies. Products like M&Ms contain soy lecithin, which is safe for most people, but do some controlled experiments* and talk to your doctor to make sure.

* For instance, some people are more allergic to oats than others. I went a few weeks without oats, reintroduced them, and removed them again, paying careful attention to how I felt. Not so hot with oats, as it turns out. You should always be careful around foods you may or may not be allergic to. Know how it affects you and talk to your doctor.