Top five gluten-free baking tips for Christmas

• Dan Lepard's gluten-free chocolate rose marble cake
• Pete Evans' gluten-free raspberry lamingtons
• Poh Ling Yeow's gluten-free jaffa almond cake
• Dan Lepard's gluten-free apricot lemon cupcakes with tahini coconut frosting

Here's a short list of things to keep in mind when baking gluten-free, especially aimed at those who don't often bake gluten-free but plan to do so for the holiday season.

• One of the biggest concerns with gluten-free baking is cross-contamination and the use of ingredients with hidden gluten. If you are using a stand mixer that has had gluten flours in it, be sure to properly wash and sanitise the machine's entire exterior before you use it. The same goes for measuring cups, baking pans and cooling racks.
• If your utensils are wooden or plastic and are well-worn, consider buying new ones to use specifically for gluten-free baking.
• Always read labels. There can be hidden gluten in things you would never expect. Some of the more common ones are flavouring extracts, such as vanilla extract; cooking oil sprays; even some types of chocolate chips and sprinkles.
• Gluten-free biscuits should be packaged and plated separately from biscuits containing gluten. Some people are less sensitive than others, but people with celiac disease can become very ill if their food comes into close contact with gluten.
• Biscuits without gluten can be quite fragile, so take extra care while packaging and transporting them.

I always suggest using a good flour blend or following a recipe that has been tested. In fact, the holidays might not be the best time to take your first shot at gluten-free baking. Baking itself is a science, and when you take away an element like gluten, your margin of error becomes larger. But practice really does make perfect.

The Washington Post