For the base of the cake, I used three Betty Crocker Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Mixes. I mixed them all together using the directions on the boxes. Then, I poured the batter into two Pyrex 9×13 Baking Dishes and baked both at 350° F for about 45 minutes. Each layer of the cake was made of 1.5 cake mixes. I used Pillsbury Chocolate Fudge Frosting for the filling between the layers.

For the rainbow on the cake, I baked one 9-Inch Round Cake using Betty Crocker Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix. I cut the cake in half, at a horizontal angle and then trimmed out the middle of the rainbow. I added a smaller wedge of the cake to put under the large side of the cake so the rainbow itself ended up being like a two-layer cake. Does that make sense? I know I should take pictures while I’m building and decorating cakes, but I forget. And when I do remember, I’ve got cake and frosting on my fingers.

For the frosting, I made a Buttercream Icing. Rather than using a dye to mix into the frosting, I sprayed the frosted cake with blue Spray Color. I thought the uneven coloring would look more like sky and clouds. Plus, it was faster and left fewer bowls to clean up. I used the same buttercream icing for the trim, clouds, and rainbow on the cake. Then, I sprayed the back of the rainbow cake with red coloring.

For the front of the rainbow I simply used different Colored Sugars that I carefully sprinkled on with my fingers. It’s best to do this right after you’ve frosted it, so that the frosting is still damp and sticky to keep the sugar in place. You can buy the sugars already colored, or make it yourself using granulated sugar mixed with some food coloring. I had some of each.

So there it is. Another cake decorating idea that you can do yourself, but still wow the kids.

Supplies I used:

• 2 Pyrex 9×13 Baking Dishes
• 1 Round Cake Pan (I used a 9″, but 8″ would work, too.)
• 3 Betty Crocker Gluten Free Devil’s Food Cake Mixes plus added ingredients
• 1 Betty Crocker Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix plus added ingredients
• 1 tub Pillsbury Chocolate Fudge Frosting
• 1 recipe Buttercream Icing
• Color Mist Food Color Spray (blue and red)
• Frosting Bags (I like to use Wilton’s Disposable Decorating Bags, but you can easily use a plastic bag and snip off a corner.)
• Decorator Frosting Coupler and Tips- You really don’t have to use these. But I have them, so why not put them to use? I used a simple open round tip for the clouds and an open star shape for the cake trim.
• A variety of Colored Sugars

More Rainbow Cake Ideas I found Online:

• This six-layer Super Epic Rainbow Cake at Whisk Kid is a rainbow on the inside!
• These rainbow Colorburst Cupcakes at Our Best Bites are just as colorful.
• The Super-Duper Rainbow Cakes – in a Jar at off the (meat) hook would make beautiful table decorations, party favors, or gifts to give!
• A variety of decorating ideas for rainbow-theme cakes can be found at Coolest Birthday Cakes.com.

Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe

Ingredients:

Main Ingredients:
4 large Sweet Potatoes or Yams, peeled, cooked and mashed (about 4 lbs or 8 cups)
3 Eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Butter, softened
1 TBSP Maple Syrup
3/4 Cup Almond Milk (I used vanilla flavored.)

Topping Ingredients:
1 Cup Chopped Pecans
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Brown Rice Flour
1/3 Cup Butter, melted
1 Cup Small Marshmallows

Directions:

1. Cook and peel the sweet potatoes, or yams. I like to score the skin on the yams both around the middle and lengthwise. Then I put them into boiling water and simmer until they are fork tender (about 20-30 min.).
2. While the yams are cooking, combine the first four topping ingredients with a fork and set aside.
3. When the yams are done, remove them from the heat and drain the water. Cover with cold water to cool down. If the skin hasn’t come off already, gently pull the skin off.
4. Mash the yams and add the rest of the main ingredients. Combine thoroughly. You may want to beat the ingredients together for a smoother, fluffier texture.
5. Spread the yams/sweet potato mixture into a 9 x 13 baking dish. (You can cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator at this point, if you are saving for the next day.)
6. Then top the yams with the mini marshmallows and pecan mixture in alternating diagonal stripes.
7. Bake at 350° F for 30-40 minutes, or until the yams are bubbly hot and the marshmallows are lightly browned.

Additional Notes:

• To make ahead: I made this the day before Thanksgiving, skipping step 2 and ending at step 5 the first day. On the morning of Thanksgiving, I took the dish out of the refrigerator and let set on the counter while I worked on step 2 of the directions and preheated the oven. I then finished the baking with steps 6 and 7.
• If the marshmallows don’t brown after 40 minutes, put it under the broiler for a few minutes. But watch it carefully so it doesn’t burn.

Notable Links:

• I’ve linked this recipe to this week’s edition Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays at Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free.
• For a savory, rather than sweet, sweet potato recipe, try Amy’s recipe for Crispy Sweet Potatoes at Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free.

It was such a busy summer that I never got around to sharing this birthday cake idea with you. My son loves Hot Wheels! His love of cars started at a very early age, and by the time he was three years old could tell me which cars were Hot Wheels as opposed to any other brand of toy car. I created a Hot Wheels monster truck cake for him when he turned 5, so I wasn’t expecting to make another Hot Wheels cake for him this year. But, two days before his birthday, he insisted on a Hot Wheels cake. And not just a Hot Wheels cake, but a Hot Wheels race track cake. Huh? Has he been watching Ace of Cakes when I wasn’t around? I loved the creative challenge, but with only two days to figure it out, I figured he’d have to accept whatever I could come up with.

I started going through his Hot Wheels tracks for ideas. I found a fun little track that I thought would be fun to incorporate with it. But, I couldn’t remove all the track pieces from the base and support structure. As I discussed the idea with my husband, he suggested that we just use the regular flexible Hot Wheels track pieces to make our own race track. Well, they seemed a little big for it, but he convinced me he could make a support structure for it. OK. But to be a Hot Wheels track it has to have a loop, right? And wouldn’t it be fun if it went through a tunnel in the cake? So, that’s how the thoughts flowed to come up with this idea. Crazy, I know. But the kids loved it!

I didn’t get pictures of the building process. I was too busy trying to figure out what to do to stop and take a picture. And, I’m really sorry I never got a video of it working. We had to enlarge the tunnel a little, and find the right, low-profile car to make it through the tunnel. The kids at the party all enjoyed giving it a try before we cut the cake. It worked most of the time, though the car got stuck in the frosting a couple times.

More specifics:

I baked two round 9″ cakes. I used Betty Crocker Gluten-Free Cake Mixes and followed the baking directions.

I made Wilton’s recipe for Chocolate Buttercream Icing, and used Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa to make it almost black (and deliciously chocolate ).

For the bottom layer cake, I cut a path for the tunnel 3/4 of the way through the middle. (At this point, it looks almost like the letter U.) Then, I frosted the top and inside the tunnel.

For the top layer cake, I cut out another path for the tunnel. Then, I placed the cake on top of the bottom layer. I had to make some adjustments for the tunnel, by cutting a little more here and there so that the cake becomes like a ramp down the middle. After testing it with the track, I frosted the top, sides and inside the tunnel.

For the side of the cake, I tried to keep the decoration simple. I used a plastic chop stick to make indentions along the side of the frosted cake to resemble tire tread.

For the flames: I used simple icing made with powdered sugar and water. (I start with 1 cup powdered sugar and 1 Tbsp water and adjust as necessary.) Then I separated it into three small bowls and used food dye to create red, orange and yellow frosting. I used Wilton’s small round #3 decorating tip to outline the flames. Then, filled in with the different colors as shown in the picture. I used a small knife to spread the frosting to fill in the flames.

For the support of the track, my husband used a yard stick and a dowel rod secured with a nail. The track and clamp are all Hot Wheels pieces I drug out of the toy bin at home. The track had to be high enough to make the loop successfully. It also needed a little support in the middle of the track, so we used a straw taped to the underside of the track and top of the yard stick.

More Great Birthday Cake Ideas:

• Heidi made a show-stopping Monster Truck birthday cake at Adventures of a Gluten-Free Mom.
• Heidi also made a fabulous Star Wars Clone Trooper Helmet cake you should check out.
• And, don’t miss Andrea Meyer’s Lego Star Wars Stormtropper Cake at Andrea’s Recipes.
• If you’re looking for a Cars cake, Andrea also built a great Lightning McQueen cake.

I’m also linking this post to Gluten-Free Wednesdays at The Gluten-Free Homemaker, where you’ll find lots of wonderful gluten-free recipes, reviews and ideas.

It was a busy weekend for us, and I actually decided last minute what I was making, so I took a short cut and used Cherrybrook Kitchen Gluten Free Sugar Cookie Mix for the crust. (FYI: The mix can be made egg-free, dairy-free, and peanut-free.) I combined two mixes to make a 16″ pizza crust. Then, I made a simple cream cheese spread to cover the huge sugar cookie crust, and topped it with slices of fresh fruit. It’s a simple and easy dessert, but very satisfying and pretty. You can use whatever fruit you have available. Make a design with the fruit, like I did, or simply pile it all on.

Gluten-Free Fruit Pizza Dessert

Ingredients:

Sugar Cookie Dough (2 Cherrybrook Kitchen mixes, 1 Cup margarine, 1/2 Cup rice milk, 5 tsp vanilla)
8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 Cup powdered sugar, sifted
Variety of fruit, sliced (I used 3 kiwis, a pint of strawberries and a handful of blueberries.)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
2. Make the sugar cookie crust. Follow the recipe as usual for the sugar cookie dough. (I combined two mixes with 1 Cup melted butter, 1/2 Cup almond milk, and 5 tsp vanilla.)
3. Place the dough on a large sheet of Parchment Paper and top with a large sheet of plastic wrap. Then roll, or press, out the dough to a 16″ round. Remove the plastic wrap and slide the parchment paper with dough onto a Pizza Pan or cookie sheet.
4. Place the large cookie dough into the oven, and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until it starts to brown around the edges.
5. Remove the pizza crust from the oven and let it cool completely on a wire rack. The parchment paper will make it easy to slide the crust off the cookie sheet and onto the wire rack.
6. Mix up the cream cheese spread by thoroughly mixing together the cream cheese and powdered sugar.
7. Once the crust is completely cooled, spread the cream cheese/sugar mixture evenly over the top of the crust.
8. Now add the sliced fruit to the pizza. If you are going to make a fun design, I suggest you start in the middle and work your way out to the edges.
9. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator until time to serve.

Additional Notes:

• We cut our pizza into 16 large servings.
• Each Cherrybrook Kitchen Gluten Free Sugar Cookie Mix makes about 20 cookies.
• Feel free to use any variety of fruit: berries, peaches, nectarines, mango, cherries, etc. You can also use bananas, but remember they will brown so add them right before you serve it.
• Want more fruit? Cut thick slices, overlap the fruit, or just pile it all on. Get creative and have fun!
• You can also use canned fruit, but be sure to drain any sauce or liquid completely from it, so it doesn’t make the pizza soggy.
• Some of our family members added a scoop of vanilla ice cream to top their pizza slice. I don’t think it needs any topping, but if it sounds good to you, you may also consider topping with whipped cream, chocolate sauce, or a simple glaze.
• You don’t have to make this as a round pizza. Use a baking sheet/jelly roll pan for the crust. Then, cut into squares for serving. Or, halve the recipe, press it into a 9×13 pan, and bake it for about 15-20 minutes.
• This is such an easy dessert to make, it would be a great project for the kids to make.

Notable Links:

• Cherrybrook Kitchen Gluten Free Sugar Cookie Mix
• This Gluten-Free Sugar Cookie Recipe from scratch makes about 4 dozen cookies, so you should only need to make one batch.
• Visit Gluten-Free Wednesdays at The Gluten-Free Homemaker for more gluten-free recipes and ideas.

I enjoy decorating cakes, but I was short on time this year. Rather than make the cake from scratch, I took the short cuts: Betty Crocker gluten-free cake mixes and frosting. I used four cake mixes. For the bottom layer, I combined two yellow cake mixes and baked them for about 50 minutes in a 9″x 13″ pan. For the top layer I did the same thing with two chocolate cake mixes. I used chocolate frosting between the layers, and vanilla frosting tinted green to cover the top and sides.

Now to decorate. My daughter wanted a Princess and the Frog birthday cake because Tiana is her new favorite princess. I bought the little Princess Tiana dress-up doll set that came with the frogs and firefly to help decorate the cake. That way I could quickly create a swamp and lily pads for the frogs. My daughter was pleased, and I got it done without too much time and drama.

Some of the tools I used to decorate the cake:

• Wilton Color Mist spray – blue and green for the swamp
• Disposable Decorating Bags
• Wilton frosting tips – Open Star Tip to decorate the edge of the cake, Leaf Tip and multiple-hole tip for grass to define the edge of the pond, and round tip for writing.

Want to purchase a gluten-free cake or cupcakes, instead?
Give these bakeries in the DC/MD/NOVA area a try:

• Cakes by Happy Eatery in Centreville and Manassas, VA
• Cherry Blossom Cakes in DC
• Free For All Cupcakes available by special order
• Mallow Drama in Reston, VA
• Sweet Sin Cupcakes in Baltimore, MD

More Notable Links:

• Don’t forget to visit The Gluten-Free Homemaker this week for the Cake Challenge. Lots of great gluten-free cake recipes are linked up.
• Celebrate It! is hosting this week’s All Things Family blog carnival with a roundup of summer party and craft ideas.

I knew I’d have to modify my mom’s recipe because I didn’t want a whole punch bowl filled with enough to serve a large party. (Without the champagne, this recipe makes a tropical juice punch that fills a 2-quart pitcher.) And while I was changing the recipe, I decided to change up some of the flavors, too. I think I’ll serve these Tropical Mimosas with my Banana Coffee Cake (regular and dairy-free) and Berry Fruit Salad. What an exquisite way to start the morning on Mother’s Day!

Tropical Mimosas

Ingredients:

2 very ripe bananas
24 oz. (3 Cups) pineapple juice
16 oz. (2 Cups) orange juice
12 oz. (1-1/2 Cups) mango nectar/juice
2 bottles of champagne or sparkling wine, chilled

Directions:

1. Add all of the ingredients, except the champagne, to a 2-quart pitcher. Using an immersible blender, thoroughly blend the bananas and juice until frothy. (If you don’t have an immersible blender, just pour it all into a regular blender to mix it.)
2. Fill a champagne flute half-way with champagne, then top with the juice.
3. To garnish, try a fresh pineapple or mango slice. Enjoy!

Additional Notes:

• For a non-alcoholic version, add the punch to Ginger Ale instead of champagne.
• Or, for a smoothie, add a cup of yogurt to the juice and give it a whirl in the blender.

Notable Links:

• The call for submissions to this month’s Go Ahead Honey It’s Gluten Free! – Breakfast in Bed
• Celiac Family’s recipe for Banana Coffee Cake – Gluten-Free
• Celiac Family’s recipe for Banana Coffee Cake – Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free
• Celiac Family’s recipe for Berry Fruit Salad
• Celiac Family’s recipe for Eggs and Hash Browns Casserole

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Chocolate Eggs in a Cookie Basket

Ingredients:

Chocolate Chip Cookie dough (I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix.)
Candy-coated chocolate eggs (I used Cadbury Mini Eggs, but you can use M&M’s Chocolate Eggs, too.)

Directions:

1. Mix up chocolate chip cookie dough according to directions, and drop a large mounded tablespoon of dough into each tart impression in the pan.
2. Bake cookies in the tart pan according to the recipe directions.
3. When cooking is done, remove pan of cookies from the oven and press chocolate eggs into the center of each cookie tart. Leave in the pan for 5 minutes.
4. After 5 minutes, gently remove the cookies from the pan by grabbing the edges of the cookies and pulling out with a slight twisting motion. The pan will still be hot, so be careful not to touch it with your fingers!

Additional Notes:

• If the cookies start to come apart while trying to remove, they are probably too soft and warm. Let them cool down for a few more minutes. If the cookies won’t move at all, they are probably too cool. Set them back in the oven for a couple minutes to warm them up. They should now release easily from the pan. (I’ve never had to spray my non-stick pan, but if yours isn’t a non-stick type, you may want to use a non-stick spray before dropping the cookie dough onto the pan.)
• If you can’t get the chocolate eggs, or want to make these for another occasion, try using a different chocolate candy. These are really good with Reese’s Miniature Peanut Butter Cups or Hershey’s Kisses, too!
• One batch makes about 24.

Notable Links:

• For more gluten-free recipes, check out this week’s edition of Gluten-Free Wednesdays at The Gluten-Free Homemaker.
• For more Easter treats, take a look at Celiac Family’s Meringue Duckies and Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Irish-inspired Gluten-Free Recipes:

• Celiac Family’s Irish Potato Farls
• Irish Soda Bread
  • The Gluten-Free Goddess posted recipes for Irish Soda Bread with currants (sorghum, millet, and potato starch) and without currants (rice, sorghum, and potato starch).
  • Teri Gruss at About.com’s Gluten-Free Cooking posted a recipe for Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Irish Soda Bread using Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Pizza Crust Mix.
  • You can find a Gluten-Free, Corn-Free, and Casein-Free Irish Soda Bread recipe at Healthy-Family.org that uses Pamela’s Wheat-Free Bread Mix.
• Corned Beef and Cabbage
  • Alta at Tasty Eats at Home posted a recipe for cooking it in a stock pot on the stove.
  • Lynn’s Kitchen has a recipe for cooking it in a slow-cooker with a gluten-free beer.

Gluten-Free Beer Reviews:

• Celiac Family’s thoughts on GF beer.
• Switch 2 Gluten Free reviews several brands of GF beer.
• The Brew Site posts on Magners Irish Cider, Bard’s Tale, Green’s Endeavor, Green’s Quest, and Redbridge.

I wanted to share this because I thought it would be a great idea for a kid’s (or grown-up’s) gluten-free birthday party. Make the dough in advance, and have the hot dogs wrapped with the dough, covered on a baking sheet and waiting in the refrigerator until the guests show up. Then, pop the baking sheet into the oven and bake for 15 minutes. You could have a whole tray of these cooked and ready to serve while the kids play games, open presents, etc.

I should also mention that the pizza crust turned out very good, too! But somehow, I forgot to take a picture of the pizza we made. It was devoured way too quickly for me to even get a shot of it.

Notable Links:

• This post is shared on this week’s edition of Gluten-Free Wednesdays at The Gluten-Free Homemaker.
• Try a recipe for a yeast-free crescent roll at Better Batter.
• Ginger Lemon Girl has a recipe for gluten-free Crescent Rolls and her version of Pigs in a Blanket.
• Kate posted her version of mini-crescent dogs at Gluten Free Gobsmacked.

I am so excited to share this recipe with you. I’ve never actually eaten a lot of beignets – only when I’ve been at the French Quarter in New Orleans. They really are a delicious treat. If you’re not familiar with them, I would describe them as a square doughnut, or bread dough deep fried into little square pillows, and topped with powdered sugar. They are so yummy! If you aren’t celebrating Mardi Gras with a Gluten-Free King Cake this year, then you should definitely indulge in these little gems.

Gluten-Free Beignet Recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup warm water
1/4 Cup sugar
2 tsp yeast
3/4 Cup almond milk (Regular milk should work, too.)
1/2 Cup butter, melted
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 Cups brown rice flour (I use Authentic Foods finely ground.)
1 Cup potato starch
1/2 Cup sweet rice flour
1 Tbsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
1 liter vegetable oil for frying beignets
powdered sugar for dusting the beignets after cooking

Directions:

1. You’ll need a large pot of vegetable oil to fry the beignets. Electric deep fryers are great for keeping the temperature consistent. However, you can use a pot of oil on the stove top, but you’ll need to watch the temperature closely. You should fry the beignets between 360° - 380° F.
2. Start by combining the yeast with the sugar and the warm water (110° - 115° F is recommended but I don’t usually check the temperature.) in a small bowl. Set it aside.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the brown rice flour, potato starch, sweet rice flour, xanthan gum, and salt. Add in the melted butter, milk, and eggs and mix thoroughly.
4. Now stir the yeast mixture into the flour mixture. The dough should start to pull together into a soft ball.
5. Turn the dough out onto a sheet of parchment paper and top with plastic wrap. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough until it’s about 1/8″ thick.
6. Using a pizza cutter, cut the beignets into 2-1/2″ squares. You should be able to make 24 – 30 beignets.
7. Fry the dough in the heated oil 1 – 3 beignets at a time. Don’t fry too many at once, as it can lower the temperature of the oil too fast. Thus, inhibiting the beignets to puff up like they should. Once the beignets start to brown, flip them over using a slotted spoon or tongs. Once the beignets have been lightly browned on both sides, carefully remove them from the oil and place on paper towels to absorb extra oil. The beignets should only take one or two minutes to brown on each side.
8. Generously top each beignet with powdered sugar and serve while warm.

Additional Notes:

• These aren’t terribly sweet. Most of the sweetness comes from the powdered sugar, so you can easily adjust it to your liking. You can even drizzle a little honey on it, like my husband did,  if you have a sweet tooth.
• In case you’re wondering: I didn’t find it necessary to wait and allow the dough to rise. I simply cut them out and fried them up.
• This dough wasn’t very sticky, so you might be able to roll out the dough without using the parchment paper and plastic wrap, but I find it convenient. A little dusting of potato starch on the counter and rolling pin should work fine.
• Just roll out the dough once. I tried to re-roll the dough (balled it up and rolled it out again) to cut perfect squares. As a result, the dough fried up flat and a little tougher.
• Watch the temperature of the oil while frying. If it’s too low, the beignets won’t puff up. If it’s too high, the center won’t cook through and will be a little gummy. If you’re having trouble, try putting two pieces of dough into the oil at a time when it’s at 380° F.
• Although I don’t believe it’s traditional, I think these would be nice with a little cinnamon mixed into the dough. I might try that next time.
• In order to save time for breakfast, the traditional meal time to eat these, make up the dough the night before and keep the dough in the refrigerator. In the morning, roll it out, cut it and fry.

Notable Links

• I did eventually find another recipe for gluten-free beignets. This one by Teri Gruss at About.com uses a cake mix for the flour.
• There are more tips for cooking beignets at Cafe Du Monde .
• I’m linking this to Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays because I only used 1/4 Cup sugar in the dough and I reduced the lactose content by using almond milk.
• For more gluten-free recipes, visit The Gluten-Free Homemaker at this week’s edition of “What Can I Eat That’s Gluten Free?“
• Know a fan of Disney’s “The Princess and the Frog”? Here are some coloring/activity pages my daughter has enjoyed.