Home-cooking Recipe: Moist Quinoa Chocolate Cake for Hitman's Birthday

By now you must’ve heard of quinoa by now…the “superfood”? “Ancient grain”?? Well superfood or not, it is a great substitute for a rice and…..flour!!

I wanted to bake a homemade cake for Hitman’s birthday, so as part of our new healthier diet, I decided to make him a delicious chocolate cake made with quinoa.

I first had this when a coworker made it and brought it to work. It tasted divine. It was dense like a fudge brownie and you can feel sorta good about it as it packs a whole lotta protein. Hey if you’re gonna indulge might as well try to health it up a little right??

Just do a quick google search for “Moist Quinoa Chocolate Cake” and you’ll find a ton of recipes. I just decided to use the one from The Mad Chemist since it came with a recipe for an easy chocolate ganache topping. However you will find that most of the recipes from different sites are actually the same recipe, so it’s hard to say where the recipe originally came from.

Another note, the first time I tried it it was a vegan version. This one is not though. Oh but this IS gluten free.

Moist Quinoa Chocolate Cake (from The Mad Chemist)

Ingredients:

2/3 c. (150 ml) white or golden quinoa
1 1/3 c. (340 ml) water
1/3 c. (90 ml) milk (I used Almond Milk)
4 large eggs
1 tsp. (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
¾ c. (170 g) butter, melted and cooled (I only used 1/2 cup)
1½ c. (375 ml) white or cane sugar (I only used 1 cup)
1 c. (250 ml) unsweetened cocoa powder
1½ tsp. (7.5 ml) baking powder
½ tsp. (2.5 ml) baking soda
½ tsp. (2.5 ml) salt

Instructions:

Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cover, reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the covered saucepan on the burner for another 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and allow the quinoa to cool.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly grease two 8-inch (20-cm) round or square cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper.
Combine the milk, eggs and vanilla in a blender or food processor. Add 2 cups (500 ml) of cooked quinoa and the butter and blend until smooth.
Whisk together the sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Add the contents of the blender and mix well.
Divide the batter evenly between the 2 pans and bake on the centre oven rack for 40 to 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Remove the cake from the oven and cool in the pan before serving. Frost if desired. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or freeze up to 1 month. Serves 8 to 16.

Simple Ganache

Place 200 grams bittersweet chocolate chopped small into a deep bowl. Bring 1 cup heavy (or whipping) cream into a heavy pot. Bring just to a boil…don’t boil long….and pour immediately over chocolate. Hand beat until smooth. Wait until it cools slightly and pour over cake, starting in the center and swirl outwards until the top is coated. It will set nicely and is a great little ‘frosting’ to use on any cake.