Cake Recipe From Scratch

As you know, I talk about my grandmother pretty often here lately. She was one who always made a cake from scratch. I often wonder did she even know boxed cakes were even a thing?

If you have spent any length of time here then you know Rosezella would never hear of using a box to make a cake! It must be from scratch! No corners cut, and everything must be perfectly in order! Remind you of anyone you may know? I often wonder if anyone else's grandmother or mother runs their kitchen in the same manner?

I can tell you there were specialties she often made. Birthdays were to be celebrated with Angel Food Cake. I got one for my birthday every year, actually my sister and I shared it. Our birthdays were 15 days a part, oh and some years between the two of us too.

Mixer mixing up our scratch cake

Our mother typically received a German Chocolate Cake for her birthday which I would refuse to consume due to the coconut in it. Do you know they even attempted to trick me one year? Only there was no tricking me, coconut has a texture to it you just cannot disguise. I knew it right away and spit out the bite I took.

Do you have stories that are passed down and told over and over again? That one is one for the books, because they all thought they were so clever in telling me it was a chocolate cake, and who can refuse chocolate cake? Certainly not me as a child! I loved it!

My grandma was cutting the pieces and plating them and making sure everyone had a piece, and I said no thank you. She said are you sure? I know how you love chocolate cake. I said nothing with coconut, I do not like it. She said well, you are in luck, no coconut in this cake. I eyed her suspiciously since I knew it was a tradition for my mother to receive her most beloved cake, and who would expect grandma to lie? Certainly not me!

I always place a baking sheet under my baked goods since I never know if they will overflow

I said ok, I will have a piece then. I should have noticed they all stopped eating and watched with bated breath on my reaction, but I was too happy to join in with the celebration. One bite and I knew that darn coconut was in there, and I ran to the trash and spit it out immediately! I was crushed she would tell a fib to me. Good thing I was able to get past that little white lie and the family knew not to try to trick me again.

As we all know, I digress... especially when it comes to talking about family memories. I kept contemplating a scratch cake recipe and what I would make and how I would go about it. Finally, I decided I was ready to take on this task. I thought back in my failing memory bank and wondered if I have ever attempted this task? I came up with nada... can you believe it? Never making a cake recipe from scratch? Well, I decided to rectify that with this scratch cake in my Grandmother's honor.

I should have let this cool a bit longer, but icing the cake is the fun part

Gluten Free Almond Cake from Scratch

What you will need:

• 2 1/4 c gluten free flour, cup for cup baking flour, I used King Arthur's Measure for Measure GF Flour totaling 1 lb of flour for this cake recipe
• 3 t baking powder
• 1 t salt
• 1 3/4 c sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 c vegetable oil
• 1 T almond extract
• 1 t lemon juice
• 1/2 c sour cream
• 1 c almond milk

What you will need for the icing recipe:

• 2 sticks of real butter (softened)
• 3-4 c powdered sugar (use your judgement when mixing)
• 4 T almond milk (again use your judgement)
• 2 t almond extract

Yummy icing, can you believe this is not my favorite part of a cake, I like the cake best

What you need to do:

• Mix sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, almond extract, lemon juice, sour cream, and almond milk with mixer
• Slowly add in dry ingredients, mix well with mixer
• I chose 2 8 inch Wilton cake pans and divided the batter between the pans
• Bake at 350 degrees for 32 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean
• Remove cakes from oven and let cool
• Once cool, remove cakes from pans and begin icing them

What you need to do for icing:

• Place softened butter in bowl and mix with mixer until creamy smooth, add in almond extract and almond milk one tablespoon at a time while adding in powdered sugar until frosting consistency
• Add in powdered sugar 1/2 c at a time
• Mix icing until consistency is smooth, if it looks too thick, add additional almond milk, if too thin, add in more powdered sugar
• Frost the cake as you desire

Our cake all gussied up

I wanted to make the icing appear a bit fancy so I began smoothing it all over the cake, and then I decided to take my spatula and create almost like waves in the icing, it was beginning to remind me of the caps on the ocean. I would love to learn how to properly decorate a cake, but that will need to wait for another time.

Making a cake from scratch was not as difficult as I thought it would be. I actually liked the freedom it allowed me to make this cake my own. I read so many recipes and then when I found I had a good foundation on what I was doing I felt comfortable making our little creation.

I decided on an almond flavored cake for something new. Sometimes I pick up different extracts with our grocery orders, thinking I will try something different, but then never follow through. I am thinking maybe a mint chocolate cake may be on the horizon soon?

I love learning new things and this cake and icing was a learning experience for me. I never know if reading regular recipes will convert so well to gluten free recipes, but hey, if you do not try, how will you know?

Mr. VS said it was an awesome cake, and thought it was very moist, I thought it was pretty tasty too. I knew we had to share it with you once he gave his approval. What I find tasty, he does not always share the same thoughts with me especially when it comes to gluten free.

Do you like cake? What is your favorite dessert if not cake? I have to say my tastes and favorites have changed over the years. Cake is not at the top of my list as when I was a child. I actually prefer dark chocolate now, and sometimes ice cream... who doesn't love ice cream? I keep eyeing ice cream recipes, maybe I will need to give one a try to see what we can come up with next.

I find as I get older, I stray from my beloved sweets, and tend to lean more towards savory these days. Who knew that was possible?

Interested in more of our recipes? Click to read:

• Gluten free oatmeal scotchies
• Lemon Curd
• No sugar no flour banana bread
• Oat brownie
• Black bean brownies no sugar
• Date brownie recipe
• The best no sugar added chocolate chip cookies
• Gluten free spice cookies
• Peanut butter banana cookies
• Double chocolate banana cookies
• Banana oatmeal cake

Needing some savory dishes? Click to read:

• Gluten free meatloaf recipe
• Spicy chicken thighs with honey
• Sweet and spicy chili
• Easy Mexican skillet
• Easy baked chicken

Can you tell we like easy recipes around the cottage? Let us know if you decide to try one of our tasty treats!