Caramelized Sugar Cake, Regular or Gluten Free

Caramelized Sugar Cake, all-purpose flour

The other day I was making cupcakes to decorate with Super Bowl contestant logos. I wanted to make a cake I hadn't made in ages, called Caramelized Sugar Cake. It is a scrumptious recipe, for sure. I made part of the recipe into cupcakes, and the rest I poured into an 8-inch cake pan and made one layer. I cut the layer in half and iced it prettily. It was as delicious as I remembered. The cake requires first taking the time to caramelize the sugar, then add boiling water and cook it down to a syrup. A little tedious, but no big deal really. 


These days though, most times I make a cake I am also curious how it would turn out if gluten-free? I am not gluten-intolerant (that I know of), but have friends who are, and I am always on the lookout for recipes that turn out well if made with gluten-free flours. I do use xanthan gum in the recipes, though I am now hearing that some have difficulty with that ingredient, also. If so, I will say this cake comes out great with the xanthan gum added, so if you have a substitute that has worked for you, go for it and make that substitution.

Caramelized Sugar Cake, gluten-free flour

Today I got up with the intent of trying this recipe with a gluten free flour mix. I have used Namaste Flour blend for other cakes before, with perfect results. Today I had my own mix on hand: 6 cups of brown rice flour, 2 cups potato starch and 1 cup tapioca starch. I felt the batter seemed just a little bit too loose, so I added in an extra egg yolk. The cake came out great. More fluffy of texture than the one made with all purpose flour a few days ago, but equally delicious. I don't believe anyone who didn't know, would ever guess this cake was gluten free.

I made a coconut pecan filling to put between the layers, and used up the rest of the icing from the other day as the topping. This is incredibly good cake made either way, so I really encourage you all to give it a try.


My passion is to teach people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and help pass along my love and joy of food, both simple and exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, trying new things weekly. I would love to hear from you, to help me continue my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me at A Harmony of Flavors Website and Marketplace, Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and sign up for my Newsletter.