Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Product review...Sun Flour Mills GF Chocolate cake mix

As most of you know by now I love to bake. Cakes, cookies, brownies, breads...you name it I like to bake it. When I was younger it was kind of a stress reliever for me, however it seems that as of late it has become more of a passion, as a whole new world of taste choices has opened up right before my eyes.
I recently made a Gluten free whole grain chocolate cake from a mix compliments of Sun Flour Mills, a company located in Boise Idaho. All of Sun Flour Mills mixes and their flour mix  are free of dairy, soy, wheat/gluten, nuts and eggs. Whole grains are incorporated into the mixes to provide not just great tasting products but also healthier products high in fiber and protein, something that many gluten free products on the market lack.
They were awarded "Best Overall Dessert" for their chocolate cake mix in both 2009 and 2010, both awards were  in gluten free contests, and I can see why. The cake was moist, chocolaty and delicious. The top of the cake seemed to look very tender so instead of icing  it I sprinkled a little powdered sugar on the top and dug in while still warm  from the oven.  I did seem to get a slight whole grain taste and texture in my mouth, but once the cake cooked this mostly seemed to go away. I do however like the fact that the fiber in the cake makes you feel full longer so I didn't have to go back for seconds as I normally would have. The edges of the cake seemed to pucker slightly and looked "dry" but this was not the case as it was still as moist as the rest of the cake.
The cake tasted even better the second day  because  I could really get the full effect of the creamy chocolaty taste of the cake itself, so moist and tender. The directions on the box were very simple to follow, just add eggs, oil and water. They even have "egg free" instructions on the box.
The directions said to use two 9" cake pans and since I was in a lazy mood I used a 9'x13' cake pan and my cake sunk slightly in the middle, so I do recommend following the directions if you want a well raised cake. This may have even been the cause for my top to have been so moist...
On their home site you will find recipes for variations of using this mix from a Caramel chocolate cake, Molton lava cake, Double chocolate chip cookies and several more, as you will with each of their mixes.
They even have a Resource list  where you can find out more about the effects of gluten in your life.
Although the cake seemed very "tender" on the top and I chose not to attempt to put icing on mine, it may have just been because I used a larger pan.  My family enjoyed the cake and it disappeared within days.
I would give this mix a 4 3/4 Star.
You can view all their products at http://sunflourmills.com

Ingredients:
Cane sugar
Cocoa
White rice flour
Sorghum flour
Cornstarch
Baking powder
Xanthan gum
Salt
Baking soda

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