Gluten-Free and Lactose-Free Strawberry Cake with Lemon Frosting
A delightful treat for those with dietary restrictions or allergies, this gluten-free and lactose-free strawberry cake is topped with a zesty lemon frosting.
A delightful treat for those with dietary restrictions or allergies, this gluten-free and lactose-free strawberry cake is topped with a zesty lemon frosting.
- strawberry cake
- 6 ounces gluten free flour plus a little extra for coating sifted - i use dove's farm all purpose gluten free flour blend
- 4 ounces lactofree spreadable butter at room temperature - i use lactofree spreadable by arla which is made from cows milk but has the lactose removed. this can be replaced with any vegetable fat suitable for baking if unavailable
- 6 ounces caster sugar
- 3 ounces frozen whole strawberries partially thawed so there's no frost on them but so that they're still hard.
- 3 large eggs separated
- 100 ml lactofree milk i use lactofree milk by arla but you can use rice or almond milk as a substitute
- lemon frosting
- 2 ounces lactofree spreadable butter at room temperature
- 1 unwaxed lemon juice and rind
- 3 ounces powdered sugar sifted
- Carbohydrate 34.36771171851 g
- Cholesterol 158.625 mg
- Fat 3.75301457079 g
- Fiber 0.201990349552855 g
- Protein 4.772781570045 g
- Saturated Fat 1.16499538921388 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (123g)
- Sodium 52.71262142325 mg
- Sugar 34.1657213689571 g
- Trans Fat 0.6298026713115 g
- Calories 186 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease an 8inch cake tin (I use a loose base round tin)
- Cream together the 4oz butter and the 6oz caster sugar until fluffy. Add the egg yolks and blend together with a spoon or whisk.
- Sift in the 6oz flour and mix with the yolks, butter and sugar. Gluten free flour is very absorbent so this is when I add the milk little by little at this stage if the mixture is a little dry. You may not need all of it.
- Mix until well combined into a very thick batter (but try to avoid not over-mixing, you want to retain as much of the air from sifting as possible).
- Separately, take a tablespoon or so of flour and coat the partially thawed strawberries thoroughly.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.
- Add the strawberries to the thick batter mix. Stir only until strawberries are covered and distributed quite evenly. The mixture may stiffen slightly as you introduce the cold stawberries so take care to mix evenly but try to avoid overmixing as this will make the strawberries fall apart. Fold in egg whites until evenly combined but do not stir too much as you will loose the air in them.
- Pour mixture into cake mixture into the tin and place on the middle shelf of your preheated oven. Bake for 50 minutes or until golden brown and a skewer comes out clean when pushed through the cake.
- Leave in the tin to cool.
- Take your 2oz butter and blend with your rind and lemon juice using a spoon.
- When this is properly combined, sift in your icing sugar and mix until blended. Add a little more icing sugar is you want it firmer. Do not overmix.
- You may wish to place frosting in the fridge to firm up slightly before frosting your cake.
- Ensure the cake is properly cooled before applying frosting.
- Enjoy!
- This will keep in an airtight tin for a couple of days but is best eaten within 24 hours.
Baking without standard wheat flour requires careful management of moisture absorption, since gluten-free blends behave differently than all-purpose wheat flour. Because these specialty flours absorb liquid rapidly, incorporating milk gradually prevents the batter from seizing while giving you absolute control over the final crumb density. You must assess the batter consistency visually rather than relying solely on exact measurements, adding liquid only until a thick batter forms without becoming runny.
Preserving aeration in the batter relies on mechanical leavening through whipped egg whites rather than chemical agents alone. Creaming butter and caster sugar traps microscopic air pockets, which expand when exposed to the 180 degrees Celsius oven heat. Folding beaten egg whites into the mixture at the very end introduces additional lift. Stir gently to avoid deflating these delicate bubbles, ensuring the baked cake retains a light structure despite the absence of gluten networks.
Fruit additions present a unique structural hazard in baking because excess moisture causes sinking and heavy layers. Tossing partially thawed strawberries in dry flour creates a protective barrier that suspends the fruit evenly throughout the batter. Keeping the strawberries hard prevents excess liquid from bleeding into the surrounding crumb during the initial stages of baking.
Managing temperature transitions protects both the sponge and the citrus frosting. Cool the cake entirely inside the tin before applying the butter and powdered sugar mixture, otherwise residual heat will liquefy the fats in the topping. Store the finished dessert in an airtight container where it remains stable for a couple of days, though consuming it within twenty-four hours guarantees optimal texture.
