Welcome to the Cake Decorators Q&A

Hi
I have been asked to make a gluten free chocolate cake which I have never been asked to do before.

I thought I would just have to replace the flour for gluten free cake, then I googled to make sure the other ingredients were gluten free, such as sugar, cocoa powder and chocolate (which I thought were, but I thought it was best to make sure). I came across a number of posts saying that if it doesn’t say gluten free on the labelling, then it can’t be guaranteed that it contains no gluten, as it might have been processed or made in a factory which processes gluten containing products.

What do professional cake decorators have to do when making a cake which has been requested to be gluten free? Just replace the flour or make sure all ingredients say ‘Gluten Free’ on the label? Which seems to be very hard to find?

Thanks

Hi Soffacake

You don’t have to check butter and sugar for gluten free labelling. Some products like baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder and some chocolates may not be gluten free so best to check labelling. Take a look at the Dove farm products and recipes on their website here http://www.dovesfarm.co.uk/
For further information on wheat intolerence take a look here:
https://www.coeliac.org.uk/gluten-free-diet-and-lifestyle/cooking-and-baking/gluten-free-chocolate/
Most supermarkets carry Dove Farm products. I buy lots of gluten free products from Sainsbury’s, Morrison’s and Waitrose supermarkets. I think Tesco carry their products too. The products can be found in the ‘free from’ aisles.
Hope this helps.