Gluten-Free Cake Mix

Baking is often an activity of choice to regain peace and tranquility while bringing family members closer to each other.

If you are a fanatic about baking at-home cakes or muffins with your family you may be familiar with the handy-dandy miraculous cake mix. 

A baking mix or cake mix is a premixed formulation of baking ingredients incorporated in common baked food items. 

Baking and cake mixes can either be commercially manufactured or prepared at home from scratch. 

Ideally, a cake mix assimilates staple pantry ingredients for baked foods such as sugar, flour, cocoa, and leavening (either baking soda or baking powder). 

However, in order to meet the needs of certain medical conditions, these premixed powder concoctions can also be formulated for dirty requirements. 

In fact, there are several brands that manufacture specifically formulated gluten-free and kosher options for cake mixes. 

If you are someone who has celiac disease or any other gluten allergies, sensitivities, or dietary conditions but cannot hold back your urge to bake your very own foods, a gluten-free cake mix may be an option for you. 

While most manufacturers provide a diverse range of gluten-free cake mix options in the market, most of them fall short of textures and flavors. 

To help you find delectable, scrumptious, and mouthwatering cake mixes here is a list of the best gluten-free cake mixes. 

What is Gluten and why is it bad for you?

Gluten is a family of structural proteins that are generally found in cereal grains like wheat, barley, and rye.

Etymologically, the term gluten is a Latin word that literally means “glue”. Just as its name suggests, gluten helps give the flour a sticky consistency when it is mixed with water. 

The glue-like property of gluten allows it to create networks and channels which allow the bread to rise up when it is baked. Gluten is also responsible for giving the bread a chewy texture. 

The term gluten strictly refers to the protein found in the cereal grain (wheat) proteins. 

In medical literature, the term is referred to the combination of two naturally occurring proteins prolamin and glutenin that have been proven to trigger Celiac Disease in individuals. 

Celiac Disease is an autoimmune condition that triggers the body to attack itself due to exposure to gluten. 

Almost 1% of individuals in the Western World suffer from this condition that can severely damage the intestines. 

If consuming products constraint grains such as wheat, rye, and barely makes you feel uncomfortable it is best to get a Celiac Disease screening. 

What does a gluten-free cake mix contain?

Gluten-free cake mixes allow you to enjoy a slice or two of cakes even when you suffer from dietary conditions like celiac disease. 

But, what are they exactly made from, and are they really a great alternative for common cake mixes? 

Since gluten is a protein that helps create small passages or channels, it is responsible for giving bread texture and appearance. 

While gluten to some extent is responsible for the shape, texture, and appearance of the bread, it is not the only important ingredient for baked goods. 

When following a gluten-free diet, one must come up with innovative alternatives to meet their nutritional requirements. 

An ideal gluten-free cake mix often contains the following wheat flour alternatives: 

1) Almond Flour:

Almond flour is a typical wheat flour alternative that is used in baked foods like macarons. 

This flour is rich in vitamin E, and beneficial fats, and is very high in terms of protein. 

The dense nature of the nutty almond flour can be utilized for preparing blondies, and brownies, and can also be used as a substitute for bread crumbs. 

2) Rice Flour:

Rice, both brown and white types, is a great alternative for all-purpose baking flour, with each of them having its own nutritional properties.  

Finely milled or processed rice flour can be great for baking bread and rice noodles. 

3) Buckwheat Flour:

Buckwheat, also synonymously referred to as groats, is an ancient grain. Buckwheat flour is packed with protein, and fiber, and often gives foods a nutty aftertaste. 

Buckwheat can be used for baking items like cookies, muffins, biscuits, cakes, bread, and cupcakes.

4) Potato Flour:

Potato flour is generally obtained from processing dehydrated potatoes in finely milled flour. 

Potato flour has an ideal flavor for baking foods like waffles, pancakes, and different bread.

Potato flour is also used in soups or sauces to give them richness or thickness in terms of texture. 

5) Amaranth Flour:

Amaranth seeds are over eight thousand years old and have been used in ancient civilizations to cook different food items. 

Due to its nutty flavor, amaranth flour is perfect for baking cookies with!

A list of the best Gluten-Free Cake Mixes:

There is a wide variety of gluten-free and kosher cake mixes and baking mixes available in the market. 

But most of them often lack in terms of flavor, texture, and appearance, to help you find the right mix suitable for your taste, below is a list incorporating the best gluten-free cake mix options:

1) Simple Mills Vanilla Cake Mix:

Simple Mills Vanilla Cake Mix is perfect for people who are looking for a delicious premade gluten-free cake mixture. 

This gluten-free cake mix incorporates organic almond flour as a substitute for processed wheat flour. 

Along with almond flour, this mix also integrates arrowroot powder, coconut sugar, coconut flour, cream of tartar, sea salt, and baking soda. 

This simple mix only requires oil, eggs, and water, with a few drops of vanilla extract for some added flavor. 

The end product bakes like any other ordinary, tastes amazing, and also can hold up egg substitutions.

2) Bob’s Red Mills Vanilla Cake Mix:

As a leading baking mix brand, Bob’s Red Mills along with their famous cake mixes also manufactures gluten-free cake mixes.

Unlike common gluten-free cake mixes that can often fall flat or can be way too dry, the Bob’s Red Mills Vanilla cake mix is moist, fluffy, and definitely delicious. This yellow cake can be a great base for other fancier desserts.

3) King Arthur Flour Gluten Free Cake Chocolate Mix:

King Arthur flour provided customers with gluten-free cake mix options before these mixes were mass-produced and were only available in specialty stores. 

The King Arthur Flour Gluten Free Chocolate cake Mix unlike other chocolate gluten-free cakes has rich chocolate with a moist cake crumb that can make anyone’s mouth water.

4) Namaste Foods Organic Gluten-Free Yellow Cake Mix:

It can be quite hard to find organic, gluten-free cake mixes in the market, right?

Well, the Namaste Foods Organic Gluten-Free Yellow Cake Mix is easily accessible and definitely delicious. 

This cake mix is made with a few ingredients and doesn’t require a lot of preparation time. 

In order to prepare this cake, you only need oil, butter, eggs, and milk (both dairy and non-dairy can work). 

5) Swerve Sweets Chocolate Cake Mix: 

The Swerve Sweets Chocolate Cake Mix is not only gluten-free but is also suitable for people on the keto diet. 

While most products incorporate a blend of rice flour and tapioca flour as a substitute for wheat flour with some form of organic sugars. 

The Swerve Sweets Chocolate Cake Mix on the contrary incorporates blanched almond flour along with monk fruit and sweetened erythritol (two forms of low-carb sweeteners).