Hello, Chris here. I’m the lead product developer for the new Gluten-free Orange Valencia Cake at Starbucks. Today, I’d like to share a behind the scenes look into the development of a delicious and gluten-free cake. We start with just seven simple ingredients (eggs, Valencia orange pulp, almonds, sugar, orange peel, gluten-free baking powder, and orange oil) and carefully blend them together in small batches at our partner bakery. Because gluten can easily contaminate through pans, tools and even in the air, the bakery has a special gluten-free zone with dedicated equipment, pans and washing stations.
After the cake batter is made, it’s transferred to the batter depositor that pushes batter into baking cups (think of a hose nozzle, but instead of water, batter comes out). The cakes are then hand-sprinkled with slivered almonds baked. Just 35 minutes later, little golden orange cakes emerge. When the cakes are cooled, they are put through a machine called a “doughboy” wrapper. This machine individually wraps the cakes to prevent gluten contamination during transit and handling. We ensure the product is gluten-free by lab testing the cakes every day (less than 20 parts per million) before they are shipped to our stores. Our partners have been trained to serve the cake in their wrappers to protect our gluten-sensitive customers.
As you can see, a lot of care and attention goes into each and every cake we make. I hope you enjoy this moist and delicious Valencia Orange Cake as much as I do (and I am not even gluten-sensitive)!
Source: Click here to see pictures!
Grain Damaged - A blog for celiacs, non-celiac gluten sensitive, gluten intolerant and gluten sensitive people in the Portland, Oregon area, from the Gluten Intolerance Group of Portland
3 comments:
They are great little cakes and it's SOOO nice to have a food option at Starbucks now!
I went to the Starbucks on SW 5th and asked for the cakes. They pulled them out of a box for me - not even on display. Glad to have them, but I was confused as to why they were not "out".
Then later in the week I went to the Starbucks on on MLK and they told me they had discontinued the cakes. I told them they just came out!!!! The manager on duty complained that they had to order four of them at a time and *shrug* like that answers a damn thing. I am very unhappy about this and am not sure how Starbucks runs their chains from corporate, but this is silly. Either they are offering them or they are not?
I've heard back that it was up to the individual sales of these cakes at each shop as to if they were "discontinued" or not. So if they sell well, they will be continued to be ordered at that particular shop. Of course I'm sure their sales would be terrible if they don't even have them out on display!
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