It was only a matter of time before a mainstream brand jumped in to the Gluten Free world with a product offering of their own. In this case, Betty Crocker, and with four different products: Devil's Food Cake Mix, Yellow Cake Mix, Brownies and Chocolate Chip Cookies. I am pleased to note that these mixes are made in a dedicated gluten free facility, and the box states that two employees of the company who were wheat free inspired the product line.
In the interest of testing these items individually, and so my waistline doesn't expand exponentially (hardy har har), I will post the Devil's Food Cake Mix trial today and the Brownies at a later date.
First things first - the ingredient list is in fact pretty basic. Not a lot of chemicals and preservatives as I had expected when I first heard about this product. There are a few, but here's the ingredient list: sugar, rice flour, potato starch, cocoa processed with alkali, tapioca starch, salt and guar gum. It does have a allergen notation for possible soy ingredients - and be warned - it calls for eggs and softened butter.
Simple instructions - ingredients need only to be thrown all together in a bowl and mixed up with two varying mixing speeds. There are multiple cake pan measurements and cooking times, as well as a cupcake cooking time. It also instructs you to set your oven temperature based on what you are using to cook it in - a first for me.
After mixing, I tasted the batter (couldn't help myself) and was pleasantly suprised that it tasted similar to Gluten Free Pantry, which I already know to be a quality product. Excellent. While baking, the scent is that of an unmistakable chocolate cake. I've had some bad experiences in the past where the product didn't come close to smelling like it should, and admittedly for me, that's a big part of feeling good about what I'm eating.
Cooling time - the cupcakes are spongy and firm. Another excellent sign.
Waiting to try one is soooo hard - but I waited patiently and was finally rewarded. WOW. These are WONDERFUL! If you have had Betty Crocker cakes in the past before going gluten free, you know what a light, airy texture the original imparts. The gluten free variety is no exception. It is moist and delicious, with a deep chocolate taste and satisfying "cake" texture. No joke - as good as the real thing. My guess is that the texture benefits from the mixing instructions - follow carefully and your results should be mind blowing. Two very enthusiastic thumbs up for this cake!
Waiting to try one is soooo hard - but I waited patiently and was finally rewarded. WOW. These are WONDERFUL! If you have had Betty Crocker cakes in the past before going gluten free, you know what a light, airy texture the original imparts. The gluten free variety is no exception. It is moist and delicious, with a deep chocolate taste and satisfying "cake" texture. No joke - as good as the real thing. My guess is that the texture benefits from the mixing instructions - follow carefully and your results should be mind blowing. Two very enthusiastic thumbs up for this cake!
*I tried one without frosting so that I could fairly gauge the taste and texture of the product itself, but I admit, I will be frosting the rest with a buttercream frosting. ;o)
**I found these at my local Von's (Safeway) store in the baking aisle. Visit www.BettyCrocker.com for recipe ideas using these products, as well as a product locator to find them in a store near you.
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