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Dessert
Gluten-Free Pound Cake
SERVES 24
No one will believe this pound cake is gluten free. Its texture is tight yet light and moist with a delightful flavor that delivers a hint of vanilla. Slice and top with fresh berries or dairy-free ice cream or enjoy it plain with your last "cuppa" the day. Vary the flavor by replacing the vanilla extract with an equal amount of gluten-free coconut, strawberry or cherry extract. This recipe can be made dairy-free and egg-free with excellent results; see instructions below.
3 cups gluten-free all purpose flour blend
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons guar gum or xanthan gum
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
1 cup unsalted butter or dairy-free margarine of choice
2 large eggs or egg replacement*
1 cup milk or dairy-free milk of choice (coconut milk works well)
3-4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or other gluten-free flavoring extract
1. Lightly grease a 10-inch bundt pan or 2 loaf pans with neutral vegetable oil. Alternatively grease 6 3½x6-inch individual cake pans (good for gifting). Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour blend, baking powder, guar gum and salt. Stir well and set aside.
3. In the bowl of a mixer, beat sugar and butter until creamy. Add eggs and beat until well mixed. Add milk and vanilla and beat until lightly fluffy.
4. While beating on low speed, sprinkle flour mixture, 1 cup at a time, into wet mixture. This ensures there are no lumps. When all flour is incorporated, beat on medium to high speed for 1 to 2 minutes.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes until golden brown or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
6. Cool 15 minutes. Run a spatula gently around top rim of pan, being careful not to break cake. Lightly tap bottom of pan, invert cake plate on top of pan, flip over and let cake fall gently onto cake plate.
*For Egg-Free Pound Cake, omit 2 eggs. (1) Add 2 tablespoons arrowroot + ½ teaspoon additional baking powder to flour mixture. Mix well. (2) Heat milk just until warm and add 2 tablespoons flax meal; let sit 5 minutes to thicken. Add to butter and sugar. (3) Proceed with recipe instructions. If batter seems too thin, add 1-2 tablespoons additional flour blend.
Each serving contains 201 calories, 9g total fat, 5g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 39g cholesterol, 89mg sodium, 30g carbohydrate, 0g fiber, 2g protein.
Recipe developed by Madalene Rhyand, director of Living Without’s test kitchen.
Comments (9)
I made this last night, and it turned out wonderfully. I used Coconut Dream "milk," Bob's Red Mill AP GF flour, xanthan gum, unsalted butter, Ener-G egg replacer, and glass loaf pans. They baked for an entire hour, using a long wooden skewer to test. Wonderful recipe, a little bit sweet for me so next time I might take down the amount of sugar. Thanks so much!
Posted by: Katje | March 16, 2013 2:49 PM Report this comment
We went over it in the test kitchen "with a fine tooth comb" and the only thing we can come up with that would contribute to the "gummy" problem is baking time. As you know, ovens vary in temperature and even have temperature differences at different places in the oven. A bundt pan has more surface than a tube pan resulting in slightly different baking times; metal pans and glass pans bake at different rates. Nevertheless, in each case a cake tester or toothpick pushed into the center of the cake should come out clean when it is done.
Posted by: LW Moderator | September 26, 2012 3:17 PM Report this comment
Donna, I would say Stevia in the Raw would be the best, but add another teaspoon of vanilla to cover any after taste. Use agave by adding a tablespoon at a time until the liquid mixture taste sweet, then add a tablespoon more of GF flour, arrowroot or cornstarch to dry ingredients to keep mixture thick enough to bake properly. Should work, but haven't tested. I would make a cupcake size cake, refrigerating balance of mixture until you are sure it works.(bake 12-15 minutes.) If it isn't perfect add flour or agave as needed.
Posted by: Elgie | September 24, 2012 4:10 PM Report this comment
Carola - 2 Loaf pans should take 30 - 40 minutes. After 30 minutes, use cake tester or tooth pick, insert in middle of cake and if it comes out clean remove from oven.If it doesn't come clean bake another five minutes and test again. Small Pans should take about 15-20 minutes. Test with cake tester or tooth pick after 15 minutes. If making without egg may take a few minutes longer - Test Kitchen
Brooke - I use salted butter and eliminate the salt; works fine in a recipe with butter and salt. May be a slightly different taste than what the original chef planned, but I use what I have. - Moderator
Posted by: LW Moderator | September 24, 2012 3:16 PM Report this comment
Which loaf pans? 9 x 5 or 8 x 4 pans and is the baking time the same??
Thank you for the egg free possibility! It's a joy getting the Living Without Newsletters!
Posted by: Carola H | September 24, 2012 9:49 AM Report this comment
If I use 2 loaf pans, how long should they bake?
How long should they bake if I use 6 3-1/2 x 6-inch individual cake pans?
Posted by: Isabel R | September 23, 2012 11:15 PM Report this comment
I made this cake yesterday and it was awful. It was so gummy. Any suggestions as to what went wrong?
Posted by: Judy G | September 21, 2012 6:01 PM Report this comment
Instead of the egg, could I use the EnerG powder? Can't do flax. Also, is it possible to use Stevia in place of the sugar, or at least 1/2 Stevia and 1/2 sugar? Sounds wonderful. Thanks, Diegolady
Posted by: Donna O | September 21, 2012 4:05 PM Report this comment
Can you use salted butter & then eliminate the salt?
Posted by: Brooke P | September 21, 2012 8:27 AM Report this comment