If you have a family member who can't eat gluten, you'd understand the frustration of trying to…read morefind gluten-free baked goods that actually taste decent. This situation is all the harder when it comes to a cake for a special occasion, such as a birthday. So, for all of her young years, my 11-year-old daughter couldn't enjoy a baked gluten-free cake worthy of a birthday celebration...until we found Baked4U!
Wow! Were we blown over!
First of all, this daughter of mine also happens to be very artistic. When she heard that we would actually ORDER her a baked birthday cake, she went ahead to find an exact design that she wanted as decorations. She picked her colours, shapes, overall presentation, plus options in case the baker refused to work with her ideas. When I called Baked4U, Janet answered. To my surprise, she patiently took down all the specifications, added a few suggestions, repeated them over the phone, and corresponded over email to confirm everything. Regarding decorations alone, Janet spent at least half an hour in discussion! In the end, she created a most satisfactory result! The moment my daughter saw the cake, her eyes lighted up, and she smiled with true delight. The birthday girl spent some time studying the cake and then added, "Look! The baker even added extra flowers!" Thank you, Janet!
Then, during the party, we--kids and adults alike--tried the cake. There was silence all around as everyone waited in anticipation of its taste. For the first few seconds, we heard, "Hmm...". For the next few seconds: "This is good!" Finally, one of the kids blurted out loud, "I want this cake for MY birthday!" Success it was indeed! Phew! Are we ever glad we ordered from Baked4U!
The cake has a unique texture. First of all, it's heavy, though not dense or doughy. The batter rose evenly, and is moist throughout. It's not crumbly and dry at all, like most gluten-free cakes I've tried. My daughter also chose the flavour of chocolate, and I have no idea how chocolate was added, but it tasted very rich, very real in this cake. No compromise in flavours! Altogether, we found nothing amiss or overdone in taste. It was truly wonderful! Finally, though the icing was on the sweeter side of our preference, it was made with butter, and when taken in small portions alongside the cake, the combination was very good! Plus, we knew that if we wanted the sort of decorations we had asked for, the icing had to carry a certain amount of sugar in it for volume and hold.
What a relief for a parent to have finally found a dazzling, delectable gluten-free birthday cake for a child! How extremely difficult this search is, but Baked4U has proven talent extraordinaire! We'll be coming back!