Copyright 2014 by Catherine Ruehle and Sarah Scheffel
Photographs copyright 2014 by Erin Kunkel
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House LLC, a Penguin Random House Company, New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
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Ten Speed Press and the Ten Speed Press colophon are registered trademarks of Random House LLC
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ruehle, Catherine.
Let us all eat cake : gluten-free recipes for everyones favorite cakes / Catherine Ruehle with Sarah Scheffel.
pages cm
1. Gluten-free dietRecipes. 2. Baking. 3. Cake. I. Scheffel, Sarah. II. Title.
RM237.86.R84 2014
641.815dc23
2013049695
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-60774-629-4
eBook ISBN: 978-1-60774-630-0
Food styling by Robyn Valarik
Author photograph by Craftsy
v3.1
I dedicate this book to the memory of my father, William Ruehle. Everything that I value most in myself I owe to his lessons in integrity, loyalty, hard work, and honesty. His example has always been, and will continue to be, my gold standard.
C.R.
INTRODUCTION
A party without cake is just a meeting.
JULIA CHILD
Cakes have the power to elevate an otherwise ordinary moment into something truly extraordinary. They are at the center of lifes celebrations, from birthdays and weddings to graduations, anniversaries, and baby showers. We cheer up our friends by baking cakes, reward ourselves with cupcakes, and invite our children to lick frosting off the beaters. So what happens when you or your child cant enjoy that slice of cake because you cant eat gluten? I can tell you from firsthand experience.
When a Pastry Chef Has to Give Up Gluten
For the past twenty years working as a professional pastry chef and cake artist, Ive piped enough buttercream to stretch from Washington, D.C., to my hometown of Fort Worth, Texas, drizzled enough chocolate ganache to float a boat, and sifted a mountain of flour that would be a challenge for even a seasoned climber to scale. My first restaurant boss and mentor, Chef Michel Nischan, gave me the big break that turned a self-taught baker into a bona fide pastry chef. Creating cakes and pastries under Chef Nischans direction was exhilarating, and it was clear at age twenty-five that I had found my calling; the New York Times raved about my desserts, calling them breathtaking in both artistry and taste.
From there, I worked in turn as a caterer, restaurant manager, and cake designer, creating custom cakes for weddings, birthdays, and other gala events, and opened Sublime Bakery, a retail bakery and cake studio in Fort Worth. From its inception, Sublime stood at the forefront of custom cakes, incorporating organic ingredients before they were mainstream and championing gluten-free, vegan, and sugar-free baked goods before they became trendy. It came to be known as the place to turn to if your kiddo had a laundry list of allergies; we would always find a way to make a cake or cupcakes for them.
My dearest Sublime memory is of a sweet little boy named Jack; he was four when he first came in with his mom and his big brother, Pete. Pete explained that Jack had never had a real cupcake from a bakery because of his numerous food allergies and intolerances. Jacks mom had heard that we baked cupcakes that were gluten free and vegan, so they had come to check it out. Jacks eyes grew huge when I handed him a chocolate cupcake straight from our pastry case. This was a totally new experience for him; in the past, hed always had to do without when the family got treats at a bakery. But he didnt hesitate for a secondhe just dived right in, face first. His joy was as pure as anything Ive ever witnessed.
Little did I know that I, too, would soon need to eliminate all gluten from my diet. It happened when I was a contestant on the Food Network Challenge, where I quickly became known as the contestant who always goes big: on the wedding cake show, I created one of the tallest cakes in Food Network Challenge historyseven feet three inches tall, to be exact. But during my fourth appearance, in the midst of preparing yet another big cakea five-foot-tall Tyrannosaurus rex cakeI experienced a painful tingling and paralysis in my hands. I was simply unable to complete my cake before the competition buzzer went off. The diagnosis: rheumatoid arthritis. Doctors prescribed a lifelong regime of toxic medications and painkillers, but I did my own research and, through trial and error, created a program for myself to heal my body and control the debilitating symptomswhich included eliminating food triggers like dairy, refined sugar, and, yes, gluten from my diet. Soon after, I enrolled in the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, where I became certified as a wellness coach so I could help others suffering from chronic illnesses.
My diagnosisand the miraculous relief that the elimination of gluten and dairy providedinspired me to develop gluten-free (and dairy-free) versions of all my favorite cakes. My goal was to create cakes and cupcakes that would be every bit as good as the originals.
So I invite you, and everyone you know with gluten sensitivities or food allergies, to grab a fork and a slice of cake and dig in with gusto. Because we all deserve to have our cakeand eat it, too! I hope youll enjoy baking, decorating, and eating my gluten-free cakes as much as Ive enjoyed creating them.
How to Use This Book
Whether you have experience baking gluten-free cakes or gluten-free baking still feels like a foreign language in need of a translator, will teach you about all the ingredients you need to bake cakes that are 100 percent gluten freeand so good no one will know theyre gluten free unless you tell them. Here, youll navigate the ins and outs of selecting not only gluten-free products, but organic, all-natural, and allergen-free ingredients, too; learn how to ready your pantry and fridge for baking with an overview of high-quality gluten-free ingredients; and learn about the kitchen tools you need for superb gluten-free baking.
Then its time to get baking. is a bakers dozen worth of decadent recipes that will make any cupcake lover swoon.
When youre entertaining, youll want to serve a cake thats as showstopping as the appetizers and entre that precede it. In , I pave the way with recipes for gorgeous plated cakes that are guaranteed to wow your guests. My recipes for mini cakes allow you to present every lucky guest with his or her own lavish individual dessertfrom cake to dazzling garnish.