Not every cake mix is going to appeal to me, but the gourmet mixes that use all natural ingredients tend to catch my eye and get me wondering how they compare to real, homemade baked goods. I’ve tried some mixes with great results, and others with more mixed feelings. This Sof’ella Gourmet Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Mix is a little bit unusual because it is gluten free, and there are fewer gluten free options out there (although there are certainly more now than before!). It is made with a blend of white rice flour, cocoa powder, navy bean flour, tapioca starch and cornstarch, all of which work together to take the place of wheat flour. The mix also includes ingredients like sugar and leaveners, of course, and just requires that you add butter, eggs and some warm water.
The box gives you several different options for baking this cake: cupcakes, a single 9-inch cake or 2 8-inch layers. I went with the easiest option and baked my cake in a 9-inch springform pan. The mix made a very thin batter that rose up beautifully in the oven. It is very dark – almost black – in color and is very moist, with a tender and even crumb. The cake is not too sweet and has a well-balanced chocolate flavor. The texture was excellent for any cake, and especially a gluten free one because it was just as tender as a “regular” chocolate cake and neither dense nor crumbly, which some gluten free cakes tend to be. In fact, I would say that if you didn’t already know that this cake was gluten free, you definitely wouldn’t know after eating a slice. This is one box mix that I would definitely make again.
The cake pictured here is unfrosted, but I ended up topping this off with a layer of milk chocolate frosting that really rounded out the chocolate flavors in the cake and added a nice sweetness to it, too. I also want to note that, for those cake pop fans out there, the company has a recipe for Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Pops up on their website. Most cake pop recipes start with a mix (not all, but most), and this definitely a good base for a moist chocolate cake pop whether you’re looking for a gluten-free pop option or not!
Angie Halten
June 1, 2011Thanks for the review, that cake sounds delicious. Its great to know that there are cakes mixes out there for us celiacs, when we’re too lazy to make it from scratch!
Jae
December 29, 2011I have been using this mix for a few years and this is hands down the best chocolate cake mix I have ever had!