Gluten-Free Castella: A Cake I Didn’t Plan

This cake was never in my plan.

The news came quietly: a couple from my Bible study would be stepping back for a while.

I thought of them at once.

Of how their faces brighten when cake is shared.

Of her, who cannot have gluten.

For days, a recipe had lived in my mind —

not written, only half-dreamed.

I had told myself, one day.

But the news turned one day into today.

I was afraid.

Gluten-free cakes are often heavy, dry, a burden to eat.

What if this one was the same?

What if my good intentions ended in disappointment?

And yet — when I opened the oven,

failure did not greet me.

The Castella was airy.

Melting.

Tender.

More delicate than the gluten version itself.

Gluten-free Castella

Relief turned into gratitude.

Gratitude into blessing.

I paired it with cream and berries.

And when I shared it, something small yet holy happened.

People forgot it was gluten-free.

They ate, and smiled,

and received it simply as cake —

light, joyful, complete.

Gluten-free Castella Cut

Sometimes what we expect to be less

becomes more.

And sometimes, the quietest gift of love —

a recipe unwritten,

a cake unplanned —

is grace enough for the day.