Sticky gluten free ginger cake recipe - The Gluten Free Blogger (2024)

FAQs

Why did my gluten-free cake turn out gummy? ›

Gluten-free baked goods often benefit from extra liquid to hydrate the flour blends, eliminate grittiness, and achieve a less dense or dry texture. However, it's very important to drive off this extra moisture during baking, or you'll wind up with a gummy texture.

Add extra liquid: Gluten-free flours tend to absorb more liquid than regular flour, so you may need to add more liquid to your recipes to compensate. This can help to keep your baked goods moist and prevent them from becoming dry and crumbly.

Some gluten free flours will produce a cake which is on the dry side. This might be due to the lack of gluten but can be for many other reasons. Lots of gluten free flour is rice based and this can result in a dry and slightly gritty texture.

Although regular breads and cakes are not included in a gluten free diet, there are many creative ways in which people with coeliac disease can have their cake and eat it! Gluten gives bread, cakes and pastry the right texture. Without gluten, bread is less chewy and cakes and pastry can be drier and more crumbly.

Gluten-free flours often contain fine starches, so they absorb more liquid than conventional flour. To address this, gluten-free recipes usually call for more liquid and produce looser batters. They may also call for a larger quantity of leavening, like baking powder, to help add volume and lighten the texture.

The water-binding agents in gluten-free flour are more sensitive. If the dough is worked too hard, they will tear and release the water. This water can no longer be bound properly and will lead to a dough that is sticky - because unprocessed cold starch does not bind water.

Let Your Batters & Doughs Rest

We recommend covering your batters and doughs and letting them rest for at least half an hour. Note: This will also help batters become thicker and doughs to firm up.

We'd t-oat-ally recommend Doves Farm's organic oat flour. While it's not the cheapest option, wholegrain flour is high in fibre and suitable for those following vegan and kosher diets. The flour has been milled from high-quality organic British oats and is ideal for making, cakes, biscuits, breads and pancakes.

Honey and agave as a sugar substitute can enhance moisture as well, but be aware that you should cut down slightly on the other liquids you are using in the recipe, as honey and agave are not solid ingredients. Adding an extra egg or oil can also help, but use caution.

Gluten free batters and doughs can be stickier than those made with wheat flour, making them more prone to sticking to pans and surfaces. To prevent this, make sure to generously grease your baking pans with oil, butter, or cooking spray. You can also line pans with parchment paper for added insurance.

Can you overbeat a gluten-free cake? ›

Over-mixing can beat too much air into the batter and cause it to collapse. Less is more with mixing a gluten free cake batter — try to blend the batters for less than one minute.

Adding xanthan gum, to some extent, replaces the elastic qualities that gluten-free flours lack. This helps to reduce the risk of your cake crumbling and falling apart.

People who develop celiac disease later in life can have eaten gluten for many years without having a negative reaction. Studies suggest that a shift could be caused by the body reaching its breaking point after a lifetime of eating gluten. Stress and other environmental conditions may also be a part of the change.

Developing too much of the flour's gluten can make the cake rise beautifully in the oven, but sink as soon as you pull it out. The sinking part is what makes the dense and gluey streaks. This can be result of over-creaming the eggs, butter and sugar. To prevent this, cream the ingredients at medium speed.

With gluten-free baking, we use a combination of gluten-free flours, starches, and a binder (like xanthan gum). These ingredients take longer to set than regular gluten-containing flour, meaning they may remain slightly “gummy” or sticky until they have cooled.

If your bread comes out of the oven and its gummy and sticky inside that is usually the result of too short a bake time or the flour you used (see my troubleshooting guide for more info). Additionally, the bonds or network that xanthan gum makes are somewhat fragile.

Trimming Troubles: If the cake is only slightly gummy, consider trimming off the outer layer to remove any overly dense or undercooked portions. Moisture Management: Brush the trimmed cake with a simple syrup or flavored liquid to add moisture and enhance the cake's tenderness.