Chocolate Quinoa Cake (gluten-free, dairy-free)

Chocolate Quinoa Cake (gluten-free, dairy-free)

Ingredients

2 cups cooked quinoa

1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk

4 whole eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup butter (organic, grass-fed)

1/4 cup melted coconut oil

1 cup coconut sugar

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Whipped Chocolate Coconut Cream Frosting

1 (13.5 ounce) can of full fat coconut milk, refrigerated overnight

1 (10 ounce) bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cake Instructions

  1. 1 cup dry quinoa will yield 2 cups cooked quinoa. Cook it in 2 cup water by bringing the water to a boil, adding the quinoa and then reducing to a simmer. Cover and cook for 10-12 minutes. Quinoa should be soft and fluffy. Let quinoa cool.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350°F and then line a 9×12 cake pan with parchment paper.
  3. Sift together the dry ingredients in a large bowl (cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and sea salt).
  4. In a blender, combine the eggs, almond milk and vanilla extract.  Blend for ten seconds to combine.
  5. Add to the blender the cooked and cooled quinoa along with the melted butter and coconut oil then blend until completely smooth, about thirty seconds to one minute.
  6. Add the wet ingredients in the blender to the bowl with the dry and mix together until well-combined.
  7. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool.

Frosting Instructions

  1. Refrigerate the coconut milk overnight so that the cream separates.
  2. Melt the chocolate in a sauce pan over low-medium heat. Open the can of coconut milk and scoop out the solid parts with a spoon, placing them into the pot with the chocolate (do not shake the can or turn it upside down before opening). Try to get as much of the thicker portions of the coconut milk as possible. Melt the coconut cream and chocolate together then transfer to a large bowl that you can later use to whip it in.
  3. Allow to cool on the counter then cover and refrigerate for several hours, until thickened. Once it has thickened, remove from the refrigerator and beat on high for thirty seconds to one minute, until a fluffy icing has formed.
  4. Transfer the cake to a surface for icing with the bottom side up. It’s recommended you only transfer the cake once as they are fragile and difficult to hold together once removed from the parchment paper.
  5. Frost the cake and refrigerate until ready to serve. The icing will melt in really warm conditions but should be fine for a few hours in cooler settings.