Gluten-Free from Starbucks

I was pleasantly surprised this morning when I visited Starbucks and saw a gluten-free item in their pastry display! Valencia Orange Cake. Well, I must try this, of course! I requested the cake when I got to the cashier, and had mixed feelings when she handed me a pre-packaged muffin. Hrm... (I took a photo of the muffin in the package but it came out all blurry and I'm too lazy to take another. :P)


First, I read the ingredients: eggs, orange pulp, almonds, sugar, orange peel, baking powder, rice flour, orange oil. Okay, not bad. No xanthan gum or tapioca starch. Interesting.

Just by looking at this cake, I could tell it was going to be moist, which is a good thing. The first thing I noticed upon opening the package was that there were syrupy strings following my cake from the package to the plate. o_O People, it looked like a spider had crafted a web underneath my muffin!

The cake smelled like sugar and oranges. I took a bite. More syrupy strings on my fingers, lips, the plate. Hmm... Moist. Orangey only in aftertaste, really. All right. It was at this point, folks, that I came to a quick realization: I had absolutely no desire to take another bite.

But, for the sake of science, I have taken another bite. Aha, I noticed this on the first bite, but now it is confirmed. It has a strange...smoky flavor to it. Whether it is from the almonds, or perhaps that is just the way Valencia oranges taste, I'm not sure. No matter, though. The point is that overall I am not impressed with this cake. It doesn't lend much flavor at all, aside from a strange one. Yes, it is moist and prettily packaged, but beyond that...

I think it's safe to say that I will not be buying this cake again. What a shame. :(