Light and Fluffy, Gluten Free Vanilla Cake/Cup Cakes

Gluten free soon to be iced cup cakes

No need to search any longer for a gluten free vanilla cake recipe because there is no better recipe than this. More light and fluffy than its wheat gluten filled cousin and taste so much better too.  Extremely easy to make except for a few ingredients that will need to be sourced, such as very fine brown rice flour, tapioca flour/starch, potato starch (not flour),guar gum or xanthan gum.  But once sorted for making gluten free cakes it is not daunting to keep it up.
Another great thing I love about this recipe it uses oil instead of butter, which is great A; for health and B; it is always hard to gauge butter use on board.

Light and Fluffy Gluten Free Vanilla Cake/Cup Cakes

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius, gas 3 -4 (depends on oven)

Makes 12 - 16 cup cakes or one 9 inch round cake

Ingredient

1 cup 250ml caster sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/4 cups brown rice flour blend (see below)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum or guar gum (gluten free thickener)

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla essence

Method

Place caster sugar and 2 large eggs into a bowl and beat with a hand held mixer, whisk or if lucky enough a kitchen aid mixer.  Beat until light and fluffy.

Sieve together rice flour blend, salt, baking powder, xanthan gum or guar gum, place into the egg/sugar mixture along with the oil, milk and vanilla, beat for 1 minute or until well combined   Place the mixture into a large measuring jug as it will be sloppy.  This is the tricky bit if doing cup cakes.

Cup Cakes makes 12 - 16

Place paper cup cake cases into a 12 muffin tray, pour in mixture to around 1/2 the height of the cup cake case.  Bake at 180 degree Celsius for 20 minutes or until the sponge bounces back when pressed lightly.

For a cake

Line the bottom of a spring form 8 inch tin with baking paper, pour batter into the tin and bake for 35 minutes or until the sponge bounces back when pressed lightly.  For a 9 inch tin its around 40 minutes.

Rice Flour Blend

2 parts very fine brown rice flour (this rice flour has to be very fine and not gritty very important)

2/3 part potato starch (not flour)

1/3 part tapioca starch also known as tapioca flour

So for a small batch

2 cups very fine brown rice flour

2/3 cup potato starch

1/3 cup tapioca starch/flour

Spoon the flour individually into a the cup size, level off with a knife or spoon, separately sieve the flours onto a plate then transfer into a plastic container with a lid.  I do this encase there is a weevil problem in one of the flour, it is gutting to have to throw out products especially if stuck in the middle of no where.  Once the sieved flour is in the container shake to blend the flours together.  Store in a cool, dry, dark place.