by Carolyn Miller

Created on: May 06, 2009

Creating delicious foods for people with allergies can be a challenge. Many of the flours that are used for gluten free baking are heavy and some have strong flavors that overpower foods. Arrowroot is a gluten-free product that adds virtually no taste to your dishes and has built in thickening agents that allow you to skip the expensive guar gum that is often used to hold foods together when using gluten-free flours.

Although Arrowroot is very white in color, it is not a processed food. It is a root that is dried and ground. Arrowroot can be used like cornstarch to thicken sauces. Added to other flours, Arrowroot lightens the bread, cake or cookies it is added to, making the end product less heavy and milder in taste. Arrowroot should be readily available in any health/nutrition store.

Another interesting note about Arrowroot flour is that it is very low in carbohydrates and calories compared to whole wheat flour, which has 5 times as many of both per gram. Rice flour compares closely to the whole wheat flour so if you are looking for low carbohydrates and calories, arrowroot is a great choice. It doesn't fair so well when you compare proteins and other nutrients, but if you are looking for a great substitute flour in desserts, it is well worth trying.

Two arrowroot cake recipes are listed below. The Yellow Cake could be modified to become a spice cake by adding 1 tsp of cinnamon and tsp of nutmeg. The chocolate cake is a rich decadent Double Chocolate Cake. Each one uses arrowroot as the only flour. These recipes make a single layer snacking cake. For a 2-layer cake, double the recipe.

Arrowroot Yellow Cake

2 tablespoon Butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
3 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup Arrowroot Flour
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Cream butter, oil and sugar until smooth. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating 20 seconds after each addition. Scrape bowl and add vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, mix arrowroot, baking powder and salt. Add mixture to batter in thirds, alternating with the cream.
4. Scrape into greased square cake pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick come out clean. Cool on wire.
5. Frost if desired with favorite frosting.

Double Chocolate Arrowroot Cake

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup boiling water
1 cup Arrowroot flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
10 tablespoon butter (1 stick + 2 T)
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Place chocolate chips in a small bowl and pour boiling water over. Let this mixture sit for 5 minutes.
3. Mix arrowroot, baking soda and salt together in a small bowl.
4. Mix cocoa powder into the melted chocolate chip mix. Whisk until smooth.
5. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs one egg at a time, mixing until smooth between eggs. Beat in vanilla.
6. Add dry ingredients and of the chocolate and beat until smooth. Add remaining chocolate and beat until smooth.
7. Pour batter into greased square cake pan and bake for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool on racks and frost if desired.

Note: People who require gluten-free recipes often have sensitivities to other foods. For these recipes, egg substitutes can replace eggs, and milk substitutes such as almond, soy or rice may be used in place of milk or cream. Less processed whole cane juice sugars (such as Succanat and Rapunzel brands) may be substituted with good results.

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