Gluten Free Lemonade Cake

When life gives you lemons, I say, make some Gluten Free Lemonade CAKE! This recipe will cheer you up even on the rainiest of days!

This is my first new gluten free recipe I created for my new site, gfJules. I chose gluten free Lemonade Cake simply because it’s the most iconic symbol of perseverance through hardship, with a sweet reward on the other side. I suppose I could have chosen a Phoenix Cake, but I’m not really sure what that would taste like …. Lemonade on the other hand — now that’s something everyone loves!

When I was faced with having to resign from my namesake company in 2014 (Jules Gluten Free) because my ex-partners had locked me out during contract negotiations, it certainly left me with a bitter taste in my mouth. But I knew I had to go on in spite of it because this was my calling.

I had started my gluten free flour business after the publication of my first cookbook in 2006, when readers began asking me to sell my gluten free flour blend to make their lives easier. Although I had to forge my own road without help after my celiac diagnosis in 1999, I didn’t want others to have to re-invent the gluten free wheel. My first recipe for a gluten free flour blend was the key to my success and I wanted to share it.

After two years of effort, I had created a way to bake again that was revolutionary, and I wanted to make it available to help others living gluten free like me, so that they would not have to give up foods that had always brought them enjoyment. While my original recipe has changed a lot over the years of formulation and production (a good baker always improves where she can), the mission has never changed: my products and recipes should be available to as many people as possible so that they may live gluten free without compromise.

So my husband and I started a new gluten-free company without those former partners, moved whatever recipes I could grab over to a new website, build a brand new site, and put into place all the production pieces required to have my certified gluten-free flour and baking mix formulas available again right away. It was a herculean effort, but after dealing with a whole bushel of lemons, I was able to finally start focusing on making lemonade.

The gluten-free community rallied around me and buoyed my spirits. Amidst hundreds of heart-felt letters, Facebook, Twitter and Google+ postings from friends and strangers, and donations from our start-up campaign, we found the courage and energy to persevere and to start over.

And since baking a cake has always been something we do in my family whenever celebrating a milestone, making a gluten free Lemonade Cake just seemed like the natural thing to do. As this is my first post on my new website, I’m giving you FOUR recipes in one: Gluten Free Lemonade Cake, Lemon Garnish, Strawberry Jam and Lemon Buttercream Frosting!

Thank you to everyone who has supported me with a kind word, a share, a virtual hug or a donation to the cause. You are the reason this site is here (and growing every day!) and the reason I am starting over. I look forward to great things, starting with cake!

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Gluten Free Lemonade Cake

Yield: serves 8

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

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Ingredients

• 3 cups gfJules™ All Purpose Gluten Free Flour
• 1/4 cup powdered milk (dairy or non-dairy alternative like Coconut Milk Powder) or almond meal
• 1 Tbs. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup butter or non-dairy alternative (like Earth Balance® Buttery Sticks)
• 2 cups granulated sugar (white sugar; unrefined sugar; coconut palm sugar; etc.)
• 3 eggs + 1 yolk
• 3 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 cup puréed strawberries (wash, hull and process in a blender or food processor)
• 2 Tbs. lemon zest
• (Color Garden™ or India Tree natural food colors)

Lemon Garnish

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1//2 cup water
• 1 lemon, sliced thinly and seeded

Strawberry Jam

•  2 cups pureed strawberries
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar or sweetener of choice
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 3 Tbs. gfJules™ All Purpose Flour

Lemon Buttercream Frosting

• 1/2 cup non-dairy butter, softened (Earth Balance® Buttery Sticks) OR butter
• 3 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
• 1/4 cup milk (I used So Delicious® Coconut Milk Beverage)
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 2 Tbs. lemon juice
• 1 Tbs. lemon zest (plus extra to sprinkle on top)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° F (static) or 325° F (convection).

In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.

In another mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Slowly add eggs and yolk, one at a time, mixing to integrate. Stir in lemon juice. Slowly stir in dry ingredients, alternating with strawberry purée, mixing until combined and batter is smooth. Fold in lemon zest.

Oil two 8 or 9 inch round cake pans. Pour in cake batter and smooth with a rubber spatula. Bake until cake pulls away slightly from the sides of the pan, approximately 20-25 minutes. Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake – if it is clean or has very few crumbs, the cake is done.

Let the cake cool on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pans, if necessary to release the cakes, and invert onto a wire rack to completely cool.

If making a 4 layer cake (as pictured), evenly slice each round cake in half, horizontally, using a long serrated knife or cake leveler.

Lemon Garnish

Bring 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add lemon slices and reduce to simmer for 25 minutes. Remove the lemon slices, drain, then refrigerate to chill for use as garnish for the frosted cake.

Strawberry Jam

Wash, hull and process strawberries in a blender or food processor until smooth. Stir in sugar and add to a small saucepan over low-medium heat.

In a separate bowl, whisk lemon juice into the gfJules™ Flour until lumps are gone. Gradually stir mixture in with the strawberries.

Increase temperature to medium and bring jam to a boil. Once boiling, whisk constantly for 1 minute, then remove from heat. Pour into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, allowing the wrap to rest on top of the jam itself, so no skin is formed. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours.

To use between layers of cake, spread a thin layer of jam on the top of each layer, leaving 1/2 – 1 inch border around the edges. Scoop a small amount of Lemon Buttercream Frosting into a zip-top bag with a small corner cut out, then pipe the frosting into the border left around each layer. Spread remaining frosting on the tops and sides of the cake.

Lemon Buttercream Frosting

Cream the butter and the sifted confectioner’s sugar in a large bowl, adding the sugar, one half cup at a time, beating in between to incorporate it. Slowly add the milk, vanilla extract and lemon juice. Whip 1-2 minutes until fluffy, then stir in the zest.  (Note: if the frosting is too thick, add more milk, one tablespoon at a time; if it is too thin, add more confectioner’s sugar, 1/4 cup at a time.)

gfJules™ Tip: Frostings like this work best if you have a whisk attachment on a stand-mixer like a KitchenAid® or Cuisinart®. However, a handmixer will do, just be sure to add extra time for whipping at the end of the recipe.

Makes approximately 4 cups of frosting.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment (and maybe even a picture!) below or share a photo on Instagram! Be sure to tag me! @gfJules

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