This is a review from Alysha’s kitchen.

It’s not often that I get to relive my childhood in such a delicious fashion. Most of my favorite treats are off limits due to the dreaded g-word. So when I found Pillsbury’s gluten-free Funfetti cake in my local Wal-Mart, it took about half a second before the box was sitting in my cart. In my daze I accidentally bought Betty Crocker rainbow sprinkle frosting, which is good as far as store-bought goes, but I have to admit I was disappointed when I got home… I wanted this to be a pure Pillsbury experience.

I decided to make a double layer cake because I’m practicing the art of layers and frosting cakes so they are pretty. I’m making my own wedding cake in August so I need all the practice I can get. It’s a work in progress but I’m certainly getting better.

Now, something you need to know is that when I make a box cake I never follow the instructions. Pillsbury has two recipes to follow, one with whole eggs and one with egg whites. I went with the whole egg recipe because the Funfetti I remember had that gorgeous, rich yellow cake color to it. It tasted just as buttery and rich as it looked too so naturally I wanted to try to copy that cake from my memories.

The recipe called for three eggs but I put four. It called for 1/3 cup of oil but I used 1/3 cup of butter flavored shortening. It wanted water; I used milk. I also licked the spoon but I don’t think that was in the recipe at all, something about raw eggs or whatever. I always make my box cakes this way (batter sampling included). I think it makes them better, especially the gluten free ones. A trip in the oven at 350 degrees for half an hour and I had myself two 9 inch cake layers that literally smell like birthday parties.

before

after

The layer that was a little too full did sink a little after this picture. I learned that this cake does not hold up well to the concept of layer. A 13 by 9 pan would have be much more appropriate.

I didn’t get too fancy with the frosting, I just gave it a thin layer all over. I was more interested in practicing a new method for making frosting roses I found on a different food blog. Check out this link for more information: http://natashaskitchen.com/2013/05/10/how-to-make-easy-frosting-roses-a-video-tutorial/

I should have refrigerated the frosting or used a proper buttercream to make these roses as they sort of melted into rest of the cake but I covered them with sprinkles to hide the imperfections. Sprinkles make everything better right? Here is the finished product.

Now to the part you have been waiting for… the actual review! The cake was very moist and delicious. The layers, I’ll admit, were a bad idea because it was a bit too soft but that soft cakey texture was exactly what I was looking for. It looked and tasted just as rich and buttery as I was hoping for. My fiancé even skeptically asked if it was really gluten free after the first bite. That response is what I always hope for when someone tries my baked goods. In short, this cake was everything I remembered about the Funfetti cake of my childhood, which is rare for a gluten free version. Hats off to you Pillsbury!