Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Gluten Free Chocolate Lavendar Birthday Cake

My son just turned 14 yesterday.  How the years pass so quickly.  We took him to see Sherlock Holmes 2 last night.  What a great flick!  Just as good if not better than the first.  We don't get out to the movies much, but stream it to our t.v. or watch on dvd's.  Are there any you have seen recently that you would recommend? 

My son plays guitar and so my idea for decorating his birthday cake was to
use the design of his guitar. His guitar is a Schecter Synester Gates, it's black and white and on the neck it has the deathbat(skull with bat wings).  In my mind I pictured this amazing looking cake....in the end it looked like this.   He said it looked amazing...what a kind child he is. ha ha!  Hey the idea was there!  I went online to look up more Synester Gate skulls and found the one with the hat, then I added the bat wings.  Note to self: buy a book on cake decorating or take a class or two.
Chocolate Lavender Cake with a Chocolate "Buttercream" Filling and topped with a White "Buttercream"Frosting/Chocolate Ganache Design.
I usually make cakes from scratch but I was low on gf flours so I thought I would try a packaged mix.  I already had a gf mix in mind so it was on to reading reviews!.  End result-Wholesome Chow Chocolate Lavender Cake.  Our local health food store was out of the white and chocolate mixes so that's why the choclate lavender was made.  The verdict on this cake is 2 thumbs up!  The texture is really nice, doesn't fall apart and is moist.  The lavender is perfect in this too!  When it comes to cost...one cake mix cost about $5.99 and it makes one 9-inch cake.  I used 2 6-inch cake pans so I was able to make a layer cake other wise it would have cost me about $12 to make a 9-inch layer cake.   So it isn't cheap by any means, although gf mixes aren't cheap.  So if you aren't up for making a cake from scratch or just want to keep a mix on hand I highly recommend Wholesome Chow.  The reviews on their Gluten Free All Purpose Pancake Mix were really good too.  That will be my next purchase. 
I tried Bobs Red Mill GF Pizza Crust Mix the other day that tasted really good too!  Have any of you tried that before?  Are there any favorite GF mixes that you  like?  I'm not a fan of using garbanzo flour in my baked goods...just thought I'd add that bit in.

Some of you may know that my son, Keaton, has had stomache issues and so after seeing the Naturopathic Doctor last month, she said to eliminate soy then wheat to see which one was the culprit.  The elimination of soy didn't change his symptoms, it's looking like it is wheat. 

I decided to take Keaton in to see a Naturapathioc Doctor because he was having other health issues and I didn't like what the pediatrician was recommending.  Next week is Keaton's one month check up with the Naturopathic Dr. I'll give you more info. about why we went in to see her and how Keaton's health is doing.

Have a wonderful day!  It's still sunny out here in California but could we use some rain!

10 comments:

  1. Wow, that cake looks amazing. I can't believe you did such a great design. And that slice of cake looks so delicious. : )

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  2. vimwac- Thank you for the kind compliment. It does taste yummy for sure!

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  3. I agree, your decorating skills are way better than mine!

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  4. Sarah- thanks. I think having the proper decorating tools would help out as well.

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  5. Mihl- Thanks! You'll really like the movie.

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  6. I think that cake looks rad! :) Yeah, my husband started having trouble with wheat, and was recommended to try spelt flour (it's an ancient grain related to wheat, but not as genetically modified). He has no problem with it, and we use it as a direct substitute for whole wheat and all purpose flours (it comes in whole and white in our natural food store). This isn't good for people allergic to gluten, but for those with a mild-moderate intolerance, it seems to be a good sub in baked goods!

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  7. what a yummy looking cake...happy birthday son.

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  8. VegSpinz-Thanks for the spelt info. I actually don't know if my son's issue is specifically gluten or just wheat like with your husband. I know for a fact wheat is a culprit and I'm going to buy him some spelt pretzels(he loves those) so we will see how he doesn eating that while still eliminating the wheat. That would be awesome if it's only wheat.

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  9. I think your cake looks really cool! The hat on the skull reminds me of Slash of Guns N' Roses fame. It's all rock n' roll. The inside shot looks very tasty indeed!
    We went to see Mission Impossible last night. Even though I don't much care for Tom Cruise personally, he does a great job in these Mission Impossible movies. I very much enjoyed it. Sherlock Holmes is up next.
    Good luck to your son with the doctor. I find a lot of times alternative treatments work better - depending on the issue of course. A sore tummy is awful. Hopefully he can find some relief.

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  10. Carrie- I won't tell my son that you mentioned Guns N' Roses, he's not a fan of Axl Rose. ha ha! I know what you mean though.
    I heard Mission Impossible was really good. We went and saw Sherlock Holmes 2 and thought if was just as good or even better than the first.

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