Wonderful friend needs a cake but a gluten free one - any ideas????

[Medowflowers]

Are there any cake recipies out there with no flour, or a really good recipe using an alternative ( is it rice flour??)

You can use rice flour or even ground almonds instead of ordinary flour.
I don't have any recipes to hand but you could look on the BBC recipe finder if you don't get any luck here?

Does it taste OK though - some gluten free stuff is RANK - really dry.

Ooh I had a fab gluten free lemon cake - will try and find the recip for it - it used mashed potato as the starch and sme baing powder to make it rise

Ground almonds with chocolate is lush, seem to remember using a Sophie Grigson recipe once...

just bake a cake as you usually would but use gluten free flour. chuck in an extra egg if worried about dryness.

top tip - plain with a dash of baking powerd is actually better than th gf self raising flour.

Here it is and can totally recommend it:www.goodtoknow.co.uk/food/270227/Sophie-Grigson--039-s-Italian-chocolate-and-almond-torte

Doves Farm do a range of gluten free flours.

I also recommend finding a recipe that uses ground almonds and chocolate, it's one of my favourite cakes.

from bbc food:

This moist-textured cake is best the day after it is made. Serve with whipped cream or fruit, perhaps a berry compote.
Ingredients
5 egg whites (at room temperature)
pinch of salt
75g/3oz caster sugar
175g/6oz ground almonds
1 orange, zest only, grated
1 tbsp orange liqueur (optional)
25g/1oz slivered almonds

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5.
2. Grease and line a 20cm/8in springform cake tin.
3. Whisk the egg whites with the salt until they stand in soft peaks. Whisking constantly, add the sugar a little at a time. Continue whisking until the mixture is firm, shiny and very thick.
4. Fold in the ground almonds, orange zest and the liqueur, if using, with a metal spoon. Pour the mixture into the cake tin and sprinkle the slivered almonds over the top.
5. Bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
6. Allow to stand in the tin for 10 minutes, then loosen, turn out and leave to cool on a wire rack.

Nigella lawson's clementine cake is gluten free (uses ground almonds) and is lush.

also have a good recipe for a chocolate mousse cake which is very good - can post later after dcs are in bed and I have time to rummage!