Gluten-Free Baking: Orange Chiffon Cake from Cybele Pascal's Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook

Orange Chiffon Cake with Orange Rum Sauce
as pictured in The Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook

In our family, we are fortunate not to have any food allergies. But I have an increasing number of friends and family with various food allergies, as well as many who have restricted diets for other reasons. I strive to get a delicious meal on the table for whoever is my guest.  I also just like trying out new ingredients and cooking techniques, regardless of whether they are related to ethnicity, health, or lifestyle.  I have amassed recipes that are delicious and can accommodate most any diet. 


A few months ago, I spent some time trying my hand at gluten-free baking. I have found that, by far, it is the most difficult dietary restriction to accommodate. Not long ago, those with gluten intolerances simply removed breads and baked goods from their diets completely, but now there are so many varieties of gluten-free flour readily available, there is no reason to.


My first encounter with gluten intolerance was in MD, where members of a family in our babysitting co-op were celiacs. Now, I have a sister and a sister-in-law who are eating gluten free diets. And, my good friend's Curtis and Michelle manage to get their kids fed with tasty and nutritious food daily, despite that combined they can not eat eggs, dairy, soy, nuts, gluten, and some miscellaneous fruits and veggies. With limitations like these, you certainly have to think outside the box and that can lead to exciting new discoveries. I enjoy cooking for their family because it is a bit of a challenge, but mostly because I like creating something we all can share. Families with food allergies are accustomed to carting food with them everywhere. A meal where they do not have to worry about that is a welcomed and deserved treat.


Sharing a meal is a collective experience, which can't work if someone is excluded. There are a plethora of recipes to accomodate just about any diet on the internet. So, I encourage all of you to be the one who brings something to the next potluck that can be eaten by an attendee you know is on a restricted diet. Bake the nut free, egg free cupcakes for your kids' bake sale (be sure to label the ingredients and wrap them up nicely so they do not mingle with the allergen-filled items). You will be making someone's day, I guarentee. Many recipes are so good that folks with no allergies will gladly wolf them down totally unknowingly.


Cybele Pascal's cookbook, The Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook, has a host of great recipes (FYI, you can also find much of it on Google Books). I purchased the book last summer and liked it so much I got one for my sister and friend. Between the three of us, we have tried many of her recipes with pretty consistently good results. Her secret ingredient is finely ground brown rice flour (she recommends Authentic Foods superfine brown rice flour, which I ordered online). It is healthy and does not produce the gritty texture you find with many gluten-free baked goods. 


This orange chiffon cake, with or without the glaze, is delicious.  By the way, it is cholesterol free and very low in fat. The sugar can also be reduced if you like. And you can easily sub in more traditional ingredients if you do not have allergies.

ORANGE CHIFFON CAKE WITH ORANGE RUM SAUCE
from Allergy-Free Baker by Cybele Pascal

2 cups plus 1 Tbs. granulated sugar
1 Tbs. Ener-G egg replacer mixed with 1/4 cup rice milk (=2 eggs)
1 cup orange juice
2 Tbs. orange zest
3 Tbs. canola oil
3 cups gluten free flour mix (=2 cups fine brown rice flour, 2/3 cup potato starch, 1/3 cup tapioca flour)
3/4 tsp. xantham gum
4 tsp. double acting baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 recipe Orange Rum Sauce (below)

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease a 10" tube pan or Bundt pan, and dust with a little flour mix, tapping out any extra.

In a mixer bowl, combine 2 cups sugar and the egg replacer. Beat on medium speed for about 1 minute.

Add the orange juice, zest,  and oil. Mix for about 1 minute more.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour mix, xantham gum, baking powder, and salt.

Sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in three batches, mixing after each addition. Mix until smooth, about 1 minute.

Pour the batter into the pan. Sprinkle the remaining sugar evenly over the top.

Bake in the center of the oven for 40 minutes, or until lovely golden brown on top, rotating the pan halfway through. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack. Let cool at rom temperature.

Place the cake on a cake stand or serving plate. Poke about 24 holes into the cake, and spoon abut half of the sauce over the top and sides, being sure to drizzle it into the holes. Reserve the remaining sauce to serve along with sliced of cake.

This cake is best the day it is made. Store covered in the fridge.


ORANGE RUM SAUCE

1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbs. cornstarch
Pinch of salt
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup amber rum
1 Tbs. dairy-free, soy-free vegetable shortening
1 tsp. vanilla

Whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a small saucepan. Whisk in the orange juice and rum, and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring continuously, until it thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the shortening and vanilla.