Dietary Woes: Breaking Up With Wheat

Recently I've decided that wheat products don't agree with me. (You really don't want the details.)

After I finished crying about it (I love bread) I decided to look for alternative ways to fix my favorite, usually wheat-based goods.

Unfortunately, bread is hard to replace. It might be one of those things that I'll have to keep to occasional intake, and just suffer the consequences afterward. Pasta is down to occasional intake as well, but I can use gluten free pasta, so it's not so bad. After reading the Wheat Belly book, I decided not to rely on gluten free products, as they are more likely to spike blood sugar even higher than wheat would. So, the pasta is my only gluten free food "crutch".

I have attempted to make wheat free "breads", with varying forms of success. Most, like the wheat-free almond butter bread, are expensive to make, unless you have the capacity to make your own almond butter at home (I currently don't). Some, like the coconut flour pancakes, are disgusting (yeah; texture, mouth feel, flavor, all massive fails). I Found one recipe (almond meal biscuits) that came fairly close to being a good bread replacement, so far. it's a never ending search.

Today's wheat free experiment is chocolate cake. It's based on a Whipped Cream Cake recipe I've had for a few years now. It is my most favorite recipe to use, and since I offered to make a cake for a friend's birthday on Thursday, I want to be able to have cake without it's undesirable effects. So here's the recipes, the original and the altered:

The Original Whipped Cream Cake (White)

2 c cake flour, sifted
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder
3 egg whites
1 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 c sugar
1/2 c cold water
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract

Wheat Free Whipped Cream Cake (Chocolate)

1/2 c cocoa powder
1 1/2 c almond flour
3 tsp arrowroot powder
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 egg whites
1 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 c sugar
1/2 c cold water
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 325F. Butter two 9" cake pans (or one 9" spring form pan). Dust with cocoa powder (or flour, for the wheat version).

Sift together the salt, almond flour, baking powder, arrowroot powder, cocoa powder, and set aside.

Whip the egg whites until stiff, adding 1-3 tb sugar to keep them from graining. They should be stiff, but not dry. Over-whipping the whites will make for a dry cake.

Whip the cream until stiff, and fold into the whites.

Fold in the remaining sugar.

Fold in the dry ingredients, alternately with the water, mixing well.

Add the extract(s), and mix well.

Pour into pan(s) and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Let cool in pan(s) for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

The cake is out of the oven, so I am looking forward to seeing how it's turned out, but if I can judge anything by the bits left on the ring after I removed it, I'd say it's a success. I shall use this recipe to make the cake for Thursday, and top it with a chocolate ganache, sparkler candles, and a massive in-joke we currently have going.

For all you folks struggling with similar dietary woes, just remember: it's not the end of the world. There are alternatives out there, you just have to be wide eyed, curious, and very active in the finding them. And of course, you must experiment, just like I did.

Happy baking!