My son is on a gluten free and casein free diet, which means he can't eat any wheat or dairy products. That pretty much rules out most birthday cakes, which is in a word - a bummer. The good news is that there are lots of delicious recipes for cakes from scratch that you can make using alternative grain flours and no milk. The bad news is that, who has time to always bake from scratch? I know that I don't. So, the even better news is that there are a handful of mixes out there to make cakes and treats for those on a gluten free diet - i.e. Celiacs or many children with Autism or ADHD. I'd previously been using a mix from Cherrybrook Kitchen but have recently found a new favorite in Pamela's Products brand.

My husband's birthday is in November and I recently had to make not 1 but 2 different cakes for family celebrations. We had decided ahead of time that I would be responsible for making the cakes for the parties and that I would just make one cake for everyone that would be gluten-free instead of just having our son consume a separate special cupcake like he normally would. Of course with my luck, the store that I normally shop at was all out of the gluten free Cherrybrook Kitchen mix that I always use. Rushed for time, instead of going to a different store, I looked around on the nearby shelves and found this Pamela's Luscious Chocolate Cake Mix for $4.49 and decided to give it a whirl.

Each bag of luscious chocolate cake mix contains several recipes for cake and other treats. I opted to make the traditional "luscious chocolate cake" which calls for the mix plus water, egg and oil. If you can bake a traditional box mix cake, then you should have no trouble baking with this mix. There are instructions for either a 9X12 rectangular cake or a double round layer cake. Both times I have used this mix I opted to bake the double layer round cake to make a fancier birthday cake complete with special frosting and candy sprinkle trimmings.

But, how does it taste?

Yumm!

Yumm!

and more...

Yumm!

Both times that I made this cake there were no complaints from the peanut gallery of in-laws. In fact, more than one person went back for second helpings of this very delicious, rich chocolatey, moist cake. You could definitely make and serve this cake to unsuspecting guests and it would be honestly enjoyed (and devoured). Unlike the Cherrybrook Kitchen mix which makes a cake that is very dense and sweet, this mix is very moist and fluffy. My son likes the Cherrybrook Kitchen cupcakes but you can definitely taste something different about them. As far as chocolate cakes go, Pamela's Luscious Chocolate Cake is incredibly yummy and not bitter in the slightest. I absolutely without a doubt will be buying this mix again and again.


Ingredients:


I will include the ingredients because if you are looking for a "safe" cake then this is important to you. Of course, ingredients change on products so please check for yourself as well on the product you are purchasing. Note: while this specific mix is dairy and nut free, it is made in a facility that also makes products containing: peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, eggs and soy.

Organic Natural Evaporated Cane Sugar, Brown Rice Flour, Organic Cocoa Powder (processed with alkali), White Rice Flour, Tapioca Starch, Chicory Root, Sweet Rice Flour, Grainless & Aluminum Free Baking Powder (Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Potato Starch), Sea Salt, Gluten-free Natural Flavor (contains corn derivative), Xanthan Gum.


Happy Baking & Eating it Too!

www.pamelasproducts.com/

Recommended: Yes