A complete guide to gluten-free baking

Recently, Shamita Shetty turned 43 and celebrated her birthday with her family members. The bash was thrown by her elder sister Shilpa Shetty in her new restaurant in Mumbai and was attended by her fellow Bigg Boss 15 contestants and rumoured boyfriend Raqesh Bapat. She is known to have a condition called colitis which prevents her to eat any ordinary food and thus she takes a gluten-free diet. This was the reason her birthday cake was also made gluten-free with lots of strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, chocolate kisses and much more garnished on top. Though, it was a cake but much healthier than the usual ones. But, it’s a treat and one should always have it in moderation. Read below to find out all about gluten-free cakes and their nutrition.

A gluten-free cake is something prepared with flour that has no gluten in it. Traditionally, gluten-free cakes are said to be dry, crumbly and the one having a shorter shelf life. However, a great baker knows how to put the right amount of moisture in such cakes. As compared to other cakes, this one is said to be healthier than the rest. Most of the bakers use xanthan gum while making it as it can provide the cake much-needed elasticity, which the gluten-free flours lack in. It also makes the cake with some moisture.

Often, it is understood that gluten-free cakes do not taste good. However, contrary to this popular belief, gluten-free cakes taste much more delicious than any other regular cake. But, it depends on how well you have followed the recipe, as it needs to be strictly followed.

Some of the commonly used flours for making gluten-free cakes are rice flour, oat flour, teff flour, almond flour, oat flour, sorghum flour, coconut flour, brown rice flour, amaranth flour, and tapioca flour are some of the common flours used for gluten-free cakes. Bakers also use potato starch often for making such cakes.

We talked to Chef Natasha Gandhi, who is the founder of House of Millets and makes gluten-free and vegan desserts and she said that one can use ingredients like eggs, yoghurt, apple sauce/puree, avocado oil, and even banana. Also, when you are making tea cakes, you can also use grated zucchini or carrot. Both these vegetables are known to have a lot of moisture and can make a better cake. On being asked, how to remove the crumbliness of such cakes, Natasha is quick to answer that to improve such texture, dates can be used. They are sweet in taste and can also act as a natural sweetener.

One of the common reasons bakers use xanthan gum is that it helps in binding the flour in the absence of gluten. It provides the much-needed chewiness cake while making it light. If not this, one can also use psyllium husk or even flax seeds and chia seeds. Make sure that you use just a pinch of it, else, it can make the cake’s texture just like chewing gum.

We also asked Natasha how we can make the gluten-free cake healthier, she was quick to respond that “It’s always suggested to use good quality fats like nut butter and cold-pressed oils. They are an excellent choice for including healthy fats in your cake.” She also pressed on the thought of using avocado oil in gluten-free cakes, as it has the qualities of avocado in it and can also make the cake moisturized as well. On being asked about the flour choices, Natasha said that “I always use nut and millet flours to increase the nutrition quotient of the cake. Also, try to use sugar alternatives like jaggery, coconut sugar, maple syrup, agave syrup, liquid jaggery, or even dates. They have the best test when added in a gluten-free cake.” She also tells that those looking for sugar-free cakes can go for stevia, monk fruit sugar and erythritol.

Here is a simple recipe by Natasha to make a mini gluten-free cake. All you need to make it is 1/4 cup oat flour, 1/4 cup almond flour, 1 tbsp jaggery, 1/2 banana (mashed), 1 tbsp chopped pistachio seeds, 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds, 2 tbsp water, 1/4 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp avocado oil. Mix all the ingredients and bake for 30 minutes at 170 degrees Celsius and your cake will be done in no time. This cake is super-healthy and amazing in taste that you can make any time. So, what are you wondering? Do try this amazing cake recipe and let us know in the comment box, how it turned out.