Gluten-Free Brownie and Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake, Two Mixes by King Arthur Flour Reviewed

Some time back King Arthur Flour sent me two of their gluten-free chocolate baking mixes to review, but due to oven malfunctions and then summer heat, I did not get to them right away.  When I did, I loved them!  I am not an affiliate of King Arthur Flour, and I don’t speak for them –  I was only given samples to review.  I found these mixes to be very good.  I definitely want to buy them myself!

King Arthur Flour Gluten-Free Brownie and Chocolate Cake Mixes

The King Arthur Flour webpage about gluten-free FAQs states their mixes are prepared in a dedicated gluten-free facility and are   ”…Certified Gluten-Free™ by the non-profit Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO), a program of the Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG®). GFCO products are tested to be less than 10ppm (parts per million) gluten. This is stricter than even the FDA requirement of less than 20ppm gluten.”   They are also allergen-free (“wheat, nuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, eggs, and dairy”) and are certified kosher.

While the prices of these mixes if I had bought them seem a little high at $6.95 plus shipping, I have to admit that after using them, I found the quality well worth it.

The first one I baked was the Gluten-Free Brownie Mix.   The other, their Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake Mix, I’ll describe further below.

King Arthur Flour Gluten-Free Brownie, with a Little Extra Topper

Chocolate Brownie – King Arthur Flour Gluten Free Brownie Mix Review

The chocolate flavor is rich, without being overpowered by odd tastes that sometimes go with gluten-free flours. The texture was dense but still a little crumbly, like fudge brownies are supposed to be. They could be cut and removed from the pan without falling apart.  As their webpage says they’ve worked hard so their brownies “stay fresh longer than brownies from other mixes,” the next day I was glad to see they still had good texture and had not degenerated into chocolate pudding in the brownie pan like some recipes I’ve baked.  I was able to freeze a few of these, too, and the texture was still good after thawing — not quite as good as fresh-baked, but still good.

 Easy to put together:

King Arthur Flour Gluten-Free Brownie, Ready to Mix

As you can see, the ingredients were simple:  the mix, butter or oil, water and eggs.  Just whisk them together (although I used a mixer on low — a creature of habit, I guess).  Here it is, ready to go in the oven:

Ready to Go in the Oven

After baking, they have a firm, slightly springy texture and a nice crust.

Baked and Cooling

Delicious!

Chocolate Cake – King Arthur Flour Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake Mix Review

King Arthur Flour Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake

This chocolate cake mix made a two-layer cake that had a firm, springy texture and a rich chocolate flavor, without the odd tastes I sometimes find in gluten-free ingredients.  The layers held their shape and form well, making an attractive as well as delicious dessert.  What was left the next day still had good texture, and what I freezed still had good texture  and flavor when thawed.  It was hard to tell that it was “one of those gluten-free things.”  For a chocolate lover like me, that was great news!  You can find more nutritional information on their webpage for it here.

It was easy to put together.  You do need an electric mixer for this (not just a whisk like the brownies):

Ready to Mix

The layers came out of the oven looking good:

Baked and Cooling

For the picture at the top of this section, I used my mom’s recipe for cocoa buttercream frosting, but you wouldn’t necessarily even need to frost it.  However, here’s another possibility for serving it, instead of buttercream frosting:

Ice Cream Cake!

The ice cream cake was sooooo good!