A demo on how to use egg substitutes in gluten free baking recipes!
For this recipe, I turned a simple gluten free chocolate cake box mix into a DELICIOUS EGG FREE NUT FREE GLUTEN FREE CHOCOLATE CAKE!
The best part (despite also being probably the tastiest cake in the world) is how easy it is, because you don’t have to make it completely from scratch! Really and truly, you would never know that this cake is gluten free- it tastes that good!
You can use any gluten free cake recipe or box mix you like, but I HIGHLY recommend the King Arthur Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Mix*
*NOTE: As prepared, this cake mix calls for water and oil, but I substituted each 1:1 for milk and butter, respectively, for richness. If you wish to make this recipe vegan, then by all means use water (or dairy free milk) and oil and it will still be delicious!
This mix called for 4 EGGS, but I love a challenge when it comes to finding a successful egg substitute! For a little bit of background on egg substitutes, some of the most common are:
yogurt
sour cream
buttermilk
And some popular vegan ones include:
mashed banana
apple sauce
ground flaxseed
Some of these substitutes work better in certain types of recipes than others. For the most part, the substitutes work by providing a lightness and moisture that an egg would provide in a recipe. However, they cannot provide the same stiffening effect and therefore recipes with egg substitutes are typically less dense then their egg containing counterparts. That’s why typically, these egg replacements work in recipes like cakes, quick breads, and pancakes, but not as well in macrons, or meringues, which really rely on the egg’s ability to create structure.
Since this recipe called for so many eggs, I decided to use a combination of 2 different egg substitutes: flax eggs and greek yogurt.
I used this easy recipe to make 2 flax eggs:
2 TBSP ground flax seed
4 TBSP hot water
whisk and let stand for 3 minutes, until thick
I also added about 1/2 cup of ghirardelli 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate chips to the cake batter, which I roughly chopped before mixing in.
After doing my research on how NOT to have my cake stick to the pan, I greased my bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray and sprinkled the pan with sugar right before pouring the batter in (I know the sugar things sounds odd, but it supposedly helps prevent sticking as long as you flip the cake out of the pan while it’s still warm).
I baked the cake for approximately 45 minutes, following the directions on the box. I let it cool for 10 minutes, then flipped the cake out of the pan. This was a stressful activity, and though there were a few small cracks, I easily hid them from sight when I poured the glaze over the top of the cake. Speaking of glaze, here’s the recipe:
4oz cream cheese
2 TBSP Milk
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
beat with an electric mixer until smooth. The glaze should be thick but pourable. If too thick, add 1TSBP more of milk. If too think, add more powdered sugar.
The outcome? Heavenly!
Here’s a summarized version of the recipe
Gluten free & egg free chocolate bundt cake (box mix version)
Ingredients
King Arthur Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Mix (22oz)
2/3 cups melted butter (or oil)
1 1/3 cup milk (or water/dairy free milk)
4 eggs = sub 1/2 cup greek yogurt + 2 flax eggs (see above recipe)
1/2 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate chips
Directions
Follow directions on box to prepare mix
grease bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray and a sprinkling of sugar RIGHT before pouring in the pan
bake for about 45 mins
allow pan to cool for 10 minutes before gently loosening sides with a butter knife and then flipping cake out of the pan to cool completely
Cream cheese glaze:
Ingredients
4oz cream cheese
2 TBSP Milk
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
beat with an electric mixer until smooth. The glaze should be thick but pourable. If too thick, add 1TSBP more of milk. If too think, add more powdered sugar.
Pour glaze over the top of the COOLED bundt cake, allowing it to drip down the sides.