Gluten-free cakes are baked differently than traditional cakes – since they don’t contain gluten. But what is a gluten-free cake made from, you ask?
Recipes will vary across bakeries, but the main ingredient that substitutes gluten in our cakes is a combination of alternative flours. Traditional cakes are made using wheat flour, which contains gluten, so in gluten-free cakes, we use a mix of gluten-free flour alongside other scrumptious free-from ingredients.
We'll delve into this a bit more below, as well as what else goes into our gluten-free cakes and what it is that makes them taste so good!
What is a Gluten-Free Cake?
A gluten-free cake is simply a cake that doesn't contain any gluten or traces of gluten.
In traditional cakes, you'll find gluten in the flour, which helps give the cake its structure and texture, and sometimes in other hidden ingredients like baking powder or ready-made icings from the supermarket. But in our gluten-free cakes, everything is 100% free from gluten.
In the past, gluten-free cakes had a bit of a bad reputation for being dry, crumbly and lacking in flavour. But this is certainly no longer the case! They're every bit as delicious and indulgent as their gluten-containing counterparts and, in our case, even better!
Gluten-Free Certification
If a cake is gluten-free, it will be clearly labelled as such. By UK law, "only foods that contain 20 parts per million (ppm) or less of gluten can be labelled gluten free" (Coeliac UK). Any cake that states "may contain gluten" is unsuitable for someone with coeliac disease, a gluten intolerance or allergy.
Here at Lazy Day, we follow incredibly strict guidelines, having built a bespoke bakery that's 100% free from gluten. All our cakes and snacks contain <20ppm gluten, making them safe for those of you with coeliac disease, gluten intolerances and allergies.
What is a Gluten-Free Cake Made From?
A gluten-free cake recipe will switch out every ingredient that contains gluten for a free-from alternative. These will differ across types of cakes and bakeries, but the star ingredient is always an alternative flour.
Gluten-Free Flour
Flour is the most important part of a cake – without it, you wouldn't have a cake! Instead of using wheat flour, which contains gluten, gluten-free and free-from cakes will contain alternative flour, like…
Rice flour
Soya flour
Gluten-free oat flour
...all of which you'll find in our cakes and treats.
They still do the same job as wheat flour, helping to give the cake its structure and texture and raising the sponge, but they do it without the gluten.
Xanthan Gum
Another common ingredient you'll find in gluten-free cakes, like our Celebration Chocolate Cake and Vanilla Sponge Cake, is xanthan gum. We add xanthan gum to account for the missing gluten, which helps to bind the ingredients together, giving it the signature light and airy structure you’ll find in all our cakes.
Potato Starch
Our Vanilla Sponge Cake and Mini Vic The Vegan Caterpillar Cakes are decorated with multi-coloured sprinkles, but did you know some sprinkles can contain gluten? So we use potato starch, a gluten-free alternative, for our decorations.
This isn't an exhaustive list, but these are the three main alternative ingredients you’ll find in our delicious gluten-free cakes. Alongside these, we also use other free-from ingredients like dairy-free chocolate and flaxseeds in replacement of eggs.
Do Gluten-Free Cakes Taste Different?
A question we commonly get asked is, "Do gluten-free cakes taste any different?". And the answer is no!
The ingredients used to make gluten-free cakes, like the ones we've mentioned above, are chosen because they mimic those in traditional cakes.
When it comes to our cakes, we only use high-quality, carefully sourced free-from ingredients to ensure they're just as scrumptious as traditional cakes.
Some of the other ingredients you'll find in our cakes and treats include
Belgian dark chocolate
Dairy-free white chocolate
Cocoa butter
Salted caramel
Golden syrup
Real orange oil
But it's not just the ingredients that make our cakes taste so good, it's also the care and attention that goes into every single one we bake.
Each cake is lovingly baked and hand-decorated in our bespoke bakery in the heart of Scotland by an incredible team. Our mission is to deliver the same indulgent and joyful experience you'd get from a traditional cake, and our team works hard to ensure that's exactly what you get.
What Cake is Gluten-Free?
All of our cakes are 100% free from gluten, making them suitable for anyone with coeliac disease, gluten intolerance or allergy. This includes all of our best-sellers like our Celebration Chocolate Cake and Mini Vic The Vegan Caterpillar Cakes!
You can buy our scrummy sponges directly through our online shop or find them in our stockists, which include Sainsbury's, Tesco, and Morrisons.
| Gluten-Free Cake | Main Ingredients | Where to Buy |
| Celebration Chocolate Cake | Chocolate sponge filled & topped with chocolate frosting Decorated with dark Belgian chocolate drizzle |
Sainsbury’s Booths Our online shop |
| Vanilla Sponge Cake | Vanilla-flavoured traybake with vanilla frosting Decorated with multicoloured sugar confetti |
Sainsbury’s Our online shop |
| Mini Vic The Vegan Caterpillar Cakes | Chocolate sponge covered in chocolate frosting & encased in a dark Belgian chocolate shell Decorated with a dairy-free white chocolate face & multi-coloured sugar confetti |
Sainsbury’s Morrisons Co-op Our online shop |
| Belgian Chocolate Cake Bars | Rich chocolate sponge topped with chocolate frosting & encased in a dark Belgian chocolate layer | Tesco Our online shop |
Summary: What are Gluten-Free Cakes?
So, to round it all up, gluten-free cakes are simply cakes that don't contain any gluten. In replacement for gluten ingredients, gluten-free alternatives like rice flour, soya flour, and gluten-free oat flour are used, coupled up with some seriously tasty free-from ingredients. And the best part? They taste just as good, if not better, than traditional cakes!
Our gluten-free cakes are carefully crafted using high-quality ingredients and lots of love to ensure they're indulgent and scrumptious for everyone. So whether you have a gluten intolerance or simply want to try something different, our gluten-free cakes are the perfect choice for any occasion.
Learn more about our gluten-free Vanilla Sponge Cake and award-winning Chocolate Celebration Cake!
FAQs
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A gluten-free cake is different to a 'regular' cake because it's made using gluten-free ingredients, while a regular cake will contain wheat flour that contains gluten. Rice flour, soya flour, and gluten-free oat flour are just some of the alternative ingredients that can be used in gluten-free cakes.
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We don't like picking favourites, but our Celebration Chocolate Cake is definitely up there as one of the best! This gluten-free cake has 3 layers of rich chocolate sponge sandwiched together with chocolate filling and lashings of chocolate frosting on top. We've also added a drizzle of dark Belgian chocolate to top it all off!
This cake was awarded One Star from the Great Taste Awards and has received glowing reviews from our customers, so you know it's pretty special.
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Our cakes are suitable for those with coeliac disease, a gluten intolerance or an allergy. We have strict controls in place to keep our bakery completely free from gluten, so you can be sure our cakes are completely safe to eat.