Quiona Chocolate Cake
Surprise everyone when you turn quinoa into this rich, delicious, decadent naturally gluten free quinoa chocolate cake.
Yield: 1 single layer cake (8-inches)
Equipment
- Blender
- Handheld mixer (for making whipped frosting)
Ingredients
For the cake.
- 2 (100 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs at room temperature
- 6 tablespoons (84 g) neutral oil (like sunflower, grapeseed, canola or vegetable oil), at room temperature
- 1 cup (165 g) cooked and cooled quinoa or whole grain teff cooked in water according to package directions (See Recipe Notes), at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ⅝ cup (50 g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
For the frosting.
- ⅜ cup (3 fluid ounces) heavy whipping cream
- 5 ounces dark chocolate roughly chopped
- ½ cup (58 g) confectioners' sugar (optional)
Instructions
Make the cake.
- To make a layer cake, multiply every ingredient by two and bake the batter in two separate 8-inch round cake pans. Double the frosting recipe, too.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch round cake pan, and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper. Set the pan aside.
- In a blender or food processor, place the eggs, oil, cooked quinoa or teff and vanilla, and blend or process until smooth. The mixture should become lighter in color.
- You will still see flecks of the cooked quinoa or teff, but process until it’s as smooth as possible.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the eggs and oil mixture, and mix until well-combined. The mixture will be thick.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan, and smooth into an even layer with a wet knife or offset spatula.
- Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake until the cake is set in the center and springs back when pressed very gently in the center (about 28 minutes).
- A toothpick shouldn’t come out wet, but it won’t be completely clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- The cake may sink a bit as it cools, but it should mostly maintain its shape.
- The finished and cooled cake can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and frozen for storage of up to 2 months. Allow to thaw at room temperature before serving.
Make the frosting.
- In a small, heavy-bottom saucepan, heat the heavy whipping cream until it just begins to simmer.
- Place the chopped chocolate in a medium-size bowl, and pour the hot cream over the chocolate.
- Allow the cream to sit on the chocolate for about a minute, until the chocolate begins to melt. Mix until the chocolate is melted, and the mixture is smooth and glossy.
- Allow the ganache to cool at room temperature until no longer hot to the touch.
- Cover and place in the refrigerator until firm enough to scoop with a spoon, about 2 hours.
- Transfer the cooled ganache to a large bowl and beat with a handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until thickened and fluffy. The ganache will also lighten in color as it whips.
- Add the confectioners’ sugar and whip to combine, if you’d like your frosting a bit sweeter, and a bit more firm.
- Frost the cake as desired, and serve.
Notes
How to prepare the raw quinoa.
To make 1 cup cooked quinoa or whole grain teff, you’ll need about 1/2 cup raw quinoa or teff. Note that teff will require more moisture to cook than quinoa; follow instructions on the package. Do not use grains that have been cooked in anything other than plain water.
You can also soak the quinoa, rather than cooking it, for use in this recipe. Place about 1 cup, by volume, raw white quinoa in a bowl or jar, and add enough tap water to cover by about an inch.
Cover the quinoa and water mixture with a lid or plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator. Allow the mixture to soak in the refrigerator, or for up to 24 hours. Drain the soaked quinoa in a fine mesh sieve or nut milk bag.
Measure the soaked and drained quinoa by weight in place of the cooked quinoa, and proceed with the recipe as written.
Adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe. Originally published on the blog in 2017. In 2022, more resources added to the text, frosting recipe added to the recipe, and more photos added.