Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Vanilla Cake Mix

Last night I made some cupcakes for my cousin's birthday party.  I always bring a few along for my son since he can't have regular cake.  I usually make the Betty Crocker Mix, but I had a Bob's Red Mill Vanilla Cake Mix lying around, and decided to give it a try.

The mix calls for 3 eggs, 1/2 cup of oil and 1/2 cup of water.  After blending everything according to the mix instructions, I was a bit concerned about the texture of the batter.  Where most cake batters are relatively thin and runny, this mixture was thick, climbing the beaters of my mixer.  I had to spoon it into the cupcake holders, and found the batter quite sticky.  The mix made about 18 cupcakes, a pretty good number for one cake mix.

How did they taste?  I'm happy to say, the cupcakes were delicious.  The cupcakes rose and were really light and fluffy.  The flavour had a nice hint of vanilla, but nothing too overpowering.  My son ate two, and would have eaten more had I let him.  Usually he just licks the icing off the cupcake instead of eating the whole thing.

I would definitely make this mix again.  I love chocolate cake, but these vanilla cupcakes were fantastic.  There will be a space in my cupboard for Bob's Red Mill Vanilla Cake Mix from now on!

Thursday's Post Product Review: Something Good Cupcake Mix

This post should have gone up yesterday, but blogger was down.  I'm posting it today, but I'll also be putting up a post for today later tonight, so be sure to check back later!

Something Good Cupcake Mix

I was craving something sweet today, and while rummaging through my cupboard I found a box of cupcake mix that came highly recommended from a staff member at the local Gluten Free store.  I love that there is an entire store dedicated to gluten free food near my house.  But I digress.

A little background:  The something Good Company is an Australian company, and has the seal of approval of the Australian Coeliac Association.  Their website explains the background of the company, the facility the products are produced in and the testing process to ensure that they're gluten free, as well as a full list of products in their line.

The Something Good cupcake mix contains everything you need to make white-cake cupcakes, including a mix for icing and sprinkles.  To top it all off, the mix is gluten, dairy and nut free.  I rounded up my local two year old, and we got to work making the muffins. 

Preparing the mix is simple: Powdered cupcake mix, eggs and some water.  Blend on high for three minutes.  That’s the part my son gets excited about.  The mix came together nicely and was the perfect amount for 12 cupcakes. 

The icing required some margarine (I always use a dairy substitute), and some water, and resulted in a smooth, creamy icing.  I found it a bit runny at first, but it firmed up after letting it stand for a few minutes.  Perhaps I needed to beat it a bit longer, but regardless, the flavor was delicious!

Result:  The cupcakes rose like regular cupcakes do, and pulled away from the liners cleanly.  They were a little bit dense, but not dry.  The vanilla flavor of the muffins was not overpowered by the icing and the sprinkles.  The icing is sweet, and I decided to only use about a quarter of the sprinkles provided.  If they look a little sparse in the photo, rest assured that you could completely cover your cupcakes with them if desired!  My son is a little hit or miss with sprinkles, so I went easy.  

Most importantly, the cupcakes passed the ultimate test, my son.  Icing is never a concern; he licked all the icing off the top and then asked for another cupcake.  The test came when I told him he had to eat the cupcake before he could have another.  He took a bite, and rather than spit it out (which has happened more times than I’d care to discuss), he devoured it in about three bites, and then asked for more.  I’d say that’s a wholehearted endorsement if I’ve ever seen one.

He ate the icing so quickly, I couldn't snap the photo before it was gone!

Verdict: I love that the package comes with everything- mix, icing and sprinkles.  The process was simple and required very few additional ingredients.  Most importantly, the texture and flavor were good and everyone in the house (my husband, my son and I) liked them enough to have two each.  This product will become a staple in our house.