Chocolate Quinoa Cake

This may be my new go-to chocolate cake recipe. It’s absolutely delicious and being gluten free is an added bonus. This is another recipe I jotted down from the cookbook Quinoa 365. I’m definitely leaning towards actually purchasing this cookbook but a few more trial recipes will be the deciding factor.

I made this cake in part to celebrate my new cake platter but I also like the idea of making an over the top chocolate cake for no good reason at all. I think the rest of my family joyfully agrees! I iced it with the cocoa butter cream frosting I use on another favourite chocolate cake I make but I’ll share the frosting recipe again here for easy access. Damn, this cake was good. Here’s what I did:

Chocolate Quinoa Cake

• 2/3 cup Quinoa
• 1 1/3 cup Water
• 3/4 cup Butter
• 1 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1 cup Cocoa
• 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 4 large Eggs
• 1/3 cup Milk (I used So Delicious Coconut Milk Beverage)
• 1 tsp Vanilla

1. Combine the quinoa and water in a lidded pot. Bring to a boil, cover, lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until cooked. Remove from heat and stir butter into warm quinoa, melting the butter and set aside to cool.
2. Preheat oven to 350’F and grease and line the bottom of two 8 or 9 inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
3. In a bowl, whisk together sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
4. In a food processor, process eggs, milk and vanilla. Add the cooled quinoa and butter mixture and process until smooth.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine. Divide into the two prepared cake pans and bake for 35-40 minutes or a toothpick comes out of the cake clean.

Cocoa Butter Cream Frosting

• 1/2 cup Butter
• 2 2/3 cups Icing Sugar
• 3/4 cup Cocoa Powder
• 1/3 – 1/2 cup Cream (I’ve used chocolate soy milk, almond milk and other cream substitutes with success)
• 1 1/2 tsp Vanilla

1. In a medium bowl or food processor, whisk or mix together all until smooth.