Gluten Free Surprise Cake Recipe
Quite possibly the most impressive and unique cake one could ever receive! AND it's deliciously gluten-free!
Print
Pin
Servings: 1 cake
Calories: 234kcal
Ingredients
Cake #1 - Strawberry Cake
- 1½ cups 202.5 gr gfJules™ All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour
- 1/8 cup powdered milk dairy or non-dairy alternative like coconut milk powder or gluten-free vanilla pudding powder (not reconstituted)
- 1½ tsp. baking powder
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- ¼ cup butter or non-dairy alternative like Earth Balance® Buttery Sticks
- 1 cup granulated sugar white sugar; unrefined sugar; coconut palm sugar; etc.
- 2 eggs or substitute
- 1½ Tbs. fresh lemon juice
- 3 oz. puréed strawberries wash, hull and process in a blender or food processor -- approximately 3 very large strawberries
- red food coloring if desired (Watkins natural food colors)
- 1 Tbs. lemon zest
Cake #2 - Vanilla Cake
- 3 cups 405 gr gfJules™ All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour
- 1 Tbs. baking powder
- ¼ cup powdered milk dairy or non-dairy alternative like coconut milk powder or gluten-free vanilla pudding powder (not reconstituted)
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 cup milk dairy, coconut, almond or soy
- ½ cup butter or non-dairy alternative like Earth Balance® Buttery Sticks
- 2 cups granulated sugar of choice white sugar; unrefined sugar; coconut palm sugar
- 3 eggs + 1 yolk or substitute
- 1 Tbs. lemon zest
Instructions
- To make this surprise cake, you will be baking two cakes.
- Cake #1 will bake first and cool, then will be cut into shapes or numbers to be hidden inside the second cake. This first cake should be a different color from the second cake (e.g. chocolate/vanilla/strawberry or use food coloring) but the recipes should be of the same density. Cake #2 will be baked with the cut-out shapes or numbers from the first cake inside.
- For this Surprise Cake, I baked a gluten-free Strawberry Cake with strawberry purée for the cake numbers / hearts inside and my Lemon Cake for the outer cake. For gluten free chocolate cake instead, bake 1 recipe of my Best Gluten Free Cake Recipe, chocolate variation. For gluten free chocolate cake instead, bake 1 recipe of my Best Gluten Free Cake Recipe, chocolate variation. Bake in 10 x 4 pan.
- Cake #1: (Strawberry Cake Pictured - with food coloring in 21 cake; without food coloring in heart cake)
- 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 for several minutes until light and fluffy. Slowly add eggs, one at a time, mixing to integrate, adding lemon juice with the second egg. Slowly stir in dry ingredients, alternating with strawberry purée (and food coloring, if using), mixing until combined and batter is smooth. Fold in lemon zest.
- Line with parchment or oil one 9×5 loaf pan. Pour in cake batter and smooth with a rubber spatula. Bake until cake pulls away slightly from the sides of the pan, approximately 30 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. Err on the side of slightly under-cooking this cake, since it will be baked inside the next cake.
- Let the cake cool on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan, if necessary to release the cake, and invert onto a wire rack to completely cool. Evenly slice cake in half, horizontally, using a long serrated knife or cake leveler.
- Lay both pieces of cake onto a cutting board and cut out numbers or shapes with cookie cutters or a template with a knife. Seal in a zip-top bag or Tupperware and store in the refrigerator until ready to insert into cake #2. (Use cake remnants to make Cake Pops!)
- Cake #2: (Vanilla Cake Pictured with 21 inside)
- In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.
- In a separate bowl, add lemon juice to milk and set aside to curdle.
- Line with parchment or oil one 12 x 4½ pan or 10 x 5 pan. Pour enough cake batter into the pan to cover the bottom ½-inch deep. Arrange the refrigerated cake shapes in a straight line, one behind the other, along the length of the pan. If the shapes are flimsy or you are using more than one shape, run a wooden skewer through the stack of shapes to help them stay in line.
- Pour the remaining cake batter on top of and completely around the inserted cake shapes so that they are covered with cake batter. Smooth with a rubber spatula.
- Bake until cake pulls away slightly from the sides of the pan, approximately 60-70 minutes; adjust depending on the size of your pan. With the cake inserts inside, cake #2 can take much longer to bake, so if the top is getting too done, cover with aluminum foil. Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake (not into the pre-baked cake shapes inside) – if it is clean or has very few crumbs, the cake is done.
- Run a knife around the edge of the pan, if necessary, to release the cake and invert onto a wire rack. If using wooden skewers to secure the cake shapes inside the pan, remove the skewers by pulling out one end of the pan before frosting.
- Allow to fully cool before frosting. (Classic Vanilla or Chocolate Frosting Recipe – link)
Video
Nutrition Facts
Gluten Free Surprise Cake Recipe
Serving Size
1
Amount per Serving
Calories
234
% Daily Value*
Fat
9
g
14
%
Saturated Fat
5
g
31
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
3
g
Cholesterol
75
mg
25
%
Sodium
262
mg
11
%
Carbohydrates
36
g
12
%
Sugar
34
g
38
%
Protein
2
g
4
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
** Please keep in mind that nutrition information provided is per serving, which may vary. While we have taken care to provide you with the most accurate nutritional values possible, please note that this information may differ significantly depending on the exact ingredients and brands that you choose to use to make this recipe. Additionally, where options are given for ingredients, the resulting calculation may include all ingredient options instead of only one per line, skewing the totals significantly.