Gluten Free Coffee Cake

Normally I'm not very observant of the types of foods that go into my body (or my family... gulp, bad mommy...).  However, last May, after my daughter had endured 4 years of severe gastro-enterological problems, I took my her to an allergist on a whim... and she tested highly allergic to wheat.  At first I scoffed and thought, "no way... she's NEVER had problems with wheat before."  Then I panicked.  What if she IS allergic to wheat?  Do you know how many products have wheat????  Even the doctor said to try rice bread, but "it tastes like cardboard."  My heart sank as I thought about my voracious, carb-loving daughter having to alter so many things in her diet.  But... we did it.  (She did it.  I tried to be supportive, but I lasted one week.  Again, bad mommy.)


So, she tried the new wheat-free diet for 8 weeks... and sure enough... removing wheat from her diet did the trick.  We're on nine months now, and NO problems.  This is a child who used to have Xrays almost every 2 months, frequent ER visits and lots of missed school to correct some problems.  She's a "normal" child again!  (She is still on meds, but they actually work now, and she is slowly being weaned of them.)


So, since wheat has gluten, it's a safe bet to use gluten-free products.  For Christmas, my mother-in-law purchased the book "The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten-Free" for us.  It's been wonderful... especially since I love shortcut cooking/baking.  I was able to make a few chocolate cakes for my daughter around her birthday, and none of the party-attendees even realized it was wheat free!  (BTW... those cakes were Cookies N Cream and Chocolate Chip Cake... yum!)

Today I'm home with my youngest son.  Not quite sure I now believe him that his tummy was sore... but we were trying to avoid spreading any "illness"... and alas, I was home so I made the best of it.  


I tried a new recipe out of the cookbook... only I tweaked it a bit.  It's "Honey Bun Cake". 

Instead of the vegetable oil, I used coconut oil.  I left out the sour cream (didn't have any on hand).  And instead of the honey ... yes, no honey in the honey-bun cake... I used Blue Agave syrup (about 1/2 as much).  And instead of light brown sugar, I used the Ideal Brown sugar substitute (xylitol).  So, it's still cake, but maybe (just maybe) a little healthier?

Wow!  Note the dent I've made in this already.  It's supposed to be our dinner dessert.  




BTW... before it's brought up by someone.  My daughter has been tested through blood and internal exams and has never been positive for celiac.  So far, we've only ever noticed wheat being the trigger.  So, other gluten-laden foods (like barley) appear to cause no problems.  But she's not keen on those foods anyway, so she is mostly gluten-free anyway.