Gluten Free Food Reviews

I just can’t get over how cute the packaging is for Cherrybrook Kitchen products! It is so whimsical and fun, how can you resist?

This 16.4 ounce cake mix sells for $5.39 and requires oil, water, and gluten free vanilla. ( I used Authentic Foods Vanilla Powder and canola oil)It is simple and easy to mix by hand, and amazingly enough, the batter actually tastes good when licking the spoon! I baked the nine inch cake for 25 minutes according to the package directions, and it seemed perfect. The cake, however, was less than perfect. Grrrrrr.

I found this cake to be borderline moist and smooth, with no graininess. However, the cake crumbled profusely when sliced ( very fine crumb), and was difficult to frost since the top was quite gooey and sticky. The texture of the cake was very strange- this is a sweet, dense cake that left a thick, almost powdery feeling in my mouth. It is quite rich with a dark chocolate taste. One small slice of this cake is definitely enough; it is not your traditional moist and fluffy chocolate cake. I read a review on amazon.com that suggested combining coconut oil and olive oil instead of using canola oil for a moist and yummy cake, That might be worth a try.

My family and I did not care for this cake, and ended up throwing away half of the cake because it just sat on my counter until it wasn’t edible. I was disappointed, but grateful that I at least got to make my yummy butter-cream frosting to go on it! I think that was the best part!

PROS: rich chocolate taste
CONS: dense and thick- be sure to have a drink nearby!

Rating: 2 1/2 stars

Wanna try it? You buy it!

Ingredients: Potato Starch, Evaporated Cane Juice, Natural Cocoa Powder, White Rice Flour, Tapioca Starch, Brownulated Sugar, Baking Soda, Xanthan Gum, Sea Salt

Read what AllergicGirl, The Nibble, Rica from AC,and Alison from Sure Foods Living have to say about this mix!

OK gluten free food lovers, the cake is strictly optional when it comes to the Cherrybrook Kitchen Chocolate Frosting Mix. Seriously, just get yourself a spoon and you are set.

I have to admit, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to try this mix since the vanilla version was a big buttery flop, and it is pricey ( $3.99). However, I am so glad I did! It was easy to mix up- just add margarine and soy milk ( or butter and milk if you tolerate dairy) and it’s ready! This frosting is great because the chocolate flavor is just right- not too rich or sweet. It is really creamy and easy to spread on cupcakes or cake. It makes a generous amount of frosting- enough for one cake or a dozen cupcakes. This frosting tastes best when used right away. You can store extra in the refrigerator, however, it loses some of the creaminess.

I paired this frosting mix with the Gluten-free Pantry’s Old Fashioned Cake & Cookie Mix with excellent results!

PROS: Great flavor and texture- finger licking good!

( and spoon licking, and bowl licking. . . you get the idea), easy prep

CONS: Price

Rating: 5 stars

Where Can I Buy This Mix?

Cherrybrook Kitchen - Chocolate Frosting
From: glutenfree.com

Ingredients: Confectionary Sugar (Contains Cornstarch), Natural Cocoa Powder, All Natural Vanilla Flavor, Sea Salt.

Oh yah, looks good, huh? This is the Cherrybrook Kitchen Sugar Cookie Mix with their vanilla frosting mix.

Every Easter, I have a tradition of making soft and yummy sugar cookies with my kiddos. I have a heavenly recipe that is to die for that I have used for years. And even though I don’t mind eating gluten free, at Easter, every so often, I wish I could just have one of my famous sugar cookies.

When I saw this mix at my local grocery store, I was excited. Maybe I wouldn’t have to miss out at Easter anymore! Could it be? A good GF sugar cookie mix? This, I had to try. When I prepared the mix at home, I found the cookies easy to mix by hand. I rolled 18 small balls of cookie dough by hand, gently placed them on the sheet, and popped them into the oven. They were supposed to bake for 12-14 minutes, so I set my timer for 13 minutes. When my timer went off, I was shocked to discover that the cookies weren’t even half baked! They had barely started to flatten out and showed no hint of browning at the edges. I ended up baking the cookies for a full 19 minutes before they browned a bit at the edges and slightly cracked at the top.

After cooling completely on a wire rack, I found that these cookies appeared rounded at the top, creating a thicker center. This created some difficultly in frosting the cookies, as I prefer a flat sugar cookie:

I found the bottom and edges of the cookies to be crisp, with a soft chewy center. The texture seemed grainy and mealy, and crumbled a bit when I took a bite. the flavor was mild, not too sweet with a slight aftertaste. They tasted “OK”, alone, but much better with frosting, as with most sugar cookies. These cookies also dry out quickly, and suggest storing them in an air tight container after cooking. The packaging is just adorable, I just wish the mix turned out better for me. I hope someone else out there had a better experience than I did.

Pros: easy prep

Cons: fussy baking time, grainy texture, “OK” flavor

Rating: 3 stars

Were Can I Buy This Mix?

Cherrybrook Kitchen - Sugar Cookie Mix
From: glutenfree.com

Ingredients: White rice flour, evaporated cane juice, potato starch, tapioca flour, baking powder [sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, cornstarch, monocalcium phosphate], xanthan gum, sea salt.

I admit, I wanted to get the mix just because the box was so darn cute.

The whimsical children sliding down the cupcake was just too much to resist. I just had to try it, and since I was also purchasing the Cherrybrook Kitchen sugar cookie mix, I thought the combination of the two would pair well together. I purchased the mix for $3.99 and it makes enough to frost a dozen cupcakes or a nine inch cake.

This frosting was easy to prepare, just add a whopping 2 1/2 sticks of margarine (or butter)and 2 tbsp soy milk ( or regular milk) to the frosting mix. I used a Kitchen Aid mixer and the frosting ended up light and fluffy and unbelievably smooth. I frosted my sugar cookies with ease. I suggest using this frosting immediately for best results.

The texture of this frosting is completely smooth and creamy, with no grittiness and a mildly sweet flavor. My children tasted it and thought it was whipped cream and loved it. When I tasted it, though, all I could taste was the butter. Yuck. I felt disappointed, but I really should have not have been surprised. I usually make my own buttercream frosting for frosting cookies, and in comparing my recipe and this mix, the ratio of powdered sugar and butter ( or margarine) seems to be off off- too much butter, not enough sugar. In reality, when examining the ingredients of this mix ( confectionary sugar, vanilla flavor and sea salt). I think you are better off making this from scratch.

Pros: Creamy, light taste. easy prep

Cons: tastes more like sweetend butter than frosting, pricey for what you get

Rating: 2 stars

Where Can I Buy This Frosting Mix?

Cherrybrook Kitchen - Vanilla Frosting
From: glutenfree.com

Ingredients: confectionary sugar ( contains cornstarch), all natural cvanilla flavor, sea salt