Gluten-free Birthday Cake

My baby turned two. My little Isaiah. I can't really comprehend it. He was just a tiny infant a few days ago, right? Sigh. Time passes quickly.

Having two older brothers means that he's into a few things that his older brothers were not at his age. Yes, his favorite thing to do is play "Boom, Boom" aka Angry Birds.

We started calling it "boom, boom" because that what we'd say to Noah (our oldest child who has special needs) every time a bird would hit the pigs' structures. Noah would laugh hysterically, and Isaiah used it to refer to the game he wanted to play (which, of course, means our family will forever call it by that moniker).

Which brings us to Isaiah's "Boom, Boom" birthday party. I don't much fancy spending a ton of money on a party that he won't really remember, but fortunately my mom can whip up just about any kind of cake - even when she is particularly busy doing about ten other things as on this occasion. So this is what she brought to the party (what would I do without her?!).

Now, Isaiah doesn't need to eat gluten-free (which puts him in the minority in our family), but that doesn't stop his from enjoying a gluten-free cake as you can see here.

And here is the recipe for both the cake and the decorator frosting. The actual artistry is up to you. You can do a "Boom, Boom" theme or even a castle like my mom did a few years ago for my niece .

 Or you can just slap on a little frosting and write "Happy Birthday" like I would have to do. With this recipe, it is up to you.

Yellow Cake

1-1/2 cups sweet (glutinous) rice flour 

1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/4 cup corn starch

1-1/2 cups sugar

2 tablespoons baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2/3 cup oil
4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, add the sweet (glutinous) rice flour, sorghum flour, potato starch, corn starch, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a large mixing bowl, combine oil, eggs, and vanilla until well mixed. Add flour mixture and combine. Pour into two 9-inch round baking pans that are well-greased and lined with parchment paper. Bake for 20 minutes or until the top of the cake is firm to the touch. Don’t overcook. If this cake is browned, it can be overdone. Cool for at least 30 minutes before frosting.

Buttercream Decorator Frosting can be used on many types of cakes, in- cluding yellow cakes, chocolate cakes, cupcakes or cake sculptures. Our families use this frosting on cakes for celebrations.

Buttercream Decorator Frosting

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla flavoring
2 pounds confectioners’ sugar
1/4 to 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (add whipping cream until icing is of perfect spreading consistency)

Gel food colors (optional)

Cream butter and add the flavoring. Slowly add confectioners’ sugar and then the whipping cream in small amounts until it is well mixed. If it gets too stiff, add more whipping cream and mix until smooth and creamy.