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Leave a comment if you have any questions, or let me know how it came out.
Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wah) is a gluten free very healthy grain. It contains a complete set of amino acids, making the grain a complete protein on its own.It’s important to rinse quinoa before cooking because it has a bitter coating, which is a natural insect repellant. It’s not harmful, but just doesn’t taste good. Rinse it well in a sieve.
This cake is gluten free and can be made dairy free and Kosher Parve as well
Ingredients:
2/3 cup quinoa
1 1/3 cup water
4 eggs
1/3 cup of milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Boil quinoa and water in a saucepan. Cover, reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 min. Turn off and leave the saucepan covered for another 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and allow it to cool.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two 9 inch round pans. I bought Silicone Round Cake Pans
Combine milk, eggs and vanilla in a blender or food processor. Add 2 cups of cooked quinoa and melted butter and continue to blend until smooth.
Whisk together sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt in a medium bowl. Add these contents to the blender and mix well. Divide the batter evenly between 2 pans and bake for 20 min. If you use smaller cake pans, then adjust the baking time accordingly. When a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, it’s ready.
Remove the cake pans and cool. I usually put them in the refrigerator and then frost the next day.
Dark chocolate butter frosting:
This frosting is so good, you won’t be able to stop licking the pan
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups confectioners sugar (make sure you sift it)
1/3 cups of milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (sifted)
Cream butter in a bowl. Add sifted sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, milk. Beat it really well with a mixer.
If you want a softer consistency frosting, then add a little more milk.
For dairy free, kosher parve, I used Earth Balance Original – Natural Buttery Spread. Make sure it’s the original flavor – buttery spread, other flavors of Earth balance won’t whip very good for frosting. And instead of regular milk, I used almond milk, and the cake tasted great too.
( Here’s a slice of it, if you’re interested in seeing the texture).
This cake is perfect for Valentine’s Day, or any other occasion. I usually make a different design with mini chocolate chips depending on the occasion. It freezes well too.