The Smiling Heart

Hello all! Well, I have been wanting to write this post to my blog for some time but have had trouble finding the time to just sit and do it. By now most of you should know about the Betty Crocker Gluten Free products. Probably, most of you have tried them already, too. But just in case some of you haven’t I wanted to give you my opinion of this line. I LOVE it! This particular post will be about the Devils Food cake mix though. I loved this mix! The mixture was easy to make… just add a couple items. It was as if I had stepped back into pre-diagnosed time for me and was making a cake. I was so pleased! The batter was not riding up the beaters driving me insane with it’s thickness and super adhesive powers that most gluten free cake mixes seem to have. It was a thin batter and extremely easy to work with in every sense. It baked up light and fluffy and super moist! As with all gluten free cake mixes though 1 box will only get you one layer on a double layer cake so be prepared to buy 2 boxes for the traditional 2 layer cake. It is well worth it though! The cake was delicious, moist, and easy to make! I will not be using any other cake mix from this time forward. I love it that much! Try this cake with my cream cheese frosting recipe that I have under my “Recipes” page above. Be sure to let the frosting sit in the refrigerator and chill slightly before using though. If you haven’t tried this gluten free cake mix yet you should run out and get one right now! I don’t think you’ll be disappointed at all! Happy Eating!

This is SOOOOOOO good! I only make these once a year at Thanksgiving because they are obviously not healthy being very high in sugar and calories but a couple little  squares a year is okay and well worth the wait every year!

I list the brand names I use to make this recipe gluten free but please keep in mind that you absolutely MUST read all ingredients on all items priot to ingesting them. Food manufacturers will change recipes in a heartbeat to go with the ingredient that is cheapest at the moment so please use my suggestions as guidelines only. Enjoy and Happy Eating!

GLUTEN  FREE  PUMPKIN  GOOEY  BUTTER  CAKES

This recipe is from Paula Deen. I have simply revised it to be gluten free.

Prep Time: 30 min
Cook Time:  50 min
Level:  Easy
Servings:    6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

Cake:
1 (18 1/4-ounce) package yellow cake mix (Betty Crocker GF mix/GF Pantry)
1 egg
8 tablespoons butter, melted (Land O’Lakes)

Filling:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin (Libby’s)
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 tablespoons butter, melted (Land O’Lakes)
1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar (Domino)
1 teaspoon cinnamon (McCormick)
1 teaspoon nutmeg (McCormick or whole fresh nutmeg that’s grated)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well with an electric mixer. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan.
To make the filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter, and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mix well. Spread pumpkin mixture over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Make sure not to over bake as the center should be a little gooey.
Serve with fresh whipped cream.

Variations: For a Pineapple Gooey Cake: Instead of the pumpkin, add a drained 20-ounce can of crushed pineapple to the cream cheese filling. Proceed as directed above.

For a Banana Gooey Cake: Prepare cream cheese filling as directed, beating in 2 ripe bananas instead of the pumpkin. Proceed as directed above.

For a Peanut Butter Gooey Cake: Use a chocolate cake mix. Add 1 cup creamy peanut butter to the cream cheese filling instead of the pumpkin. Proceed as directed above.

This frosting is SO delicious I use nothing but this frosting now. It’s so fast and easy to make! It can run a bit thin so let it set in the fridge for a little bit before you use it. You may even be able to add a little bit of cornstarch to help thicken it if it’s too thin for your taste. I have not tried this myself because letting it set in the fridge for a a short time has been good enough for me. I love this frosting. It makes a lot… more than enough for a double layer cake. If you are making cupcakes you can pipe this frosting very easily to frost the cupcakes and they come out beautifully! Enjoy!

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 pound cream cheese, softened
2 sticks butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
Chopped pecans and fresh raspberries or strawberries, for garnish

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.