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“I made this cake last night – without the frosting. It is divine! Have shared it with friends who couldn’t believe that it is made with quinoa and not flour. I love the light texture and moistness. It tasted perfect with an espresso mid-morning today too.” ~Madhavi
Quinoa Chocolate Cake ~ naturally gluten free and one of the moistest, fluffiest, most delicious chocolate desserts I’ve ever had ~ and it’s all due to an unlikely ingredient. This super food cake also happens to be super easy, just whip it up in the blender and enjoy!
This chocolate cake challenges a lot of what we think we know about cake. There’s no flour whatsoever in this recipe, but it does include an unusual ingredient…quinoa! By now I’m sure you’ve had quinoa in a salad or a side dish, but I’m guessing you’ve never considered it as a dessert ingredient. Here it takes the place of flour and gives this cake a moist, fluffy texture. Quinoa chocolate cake was a huge hit with my family of taste testers, and not one of them suspected there was anything unusual in this luscious dessert.
Try out this quinoa chocolate cake on your friends and family without letting them in on the secret ~ then get ready for the rave reviews!
For this quinoa chocolate cake you’ll need 2 cups of cooked quinoa. (You can use the leftovers from dinner!) Quinoa needs to be rinsed thoroughly before cooking, but after that it cooks up just like rice. It has a light nutty flavor that is lovely in savory dishes but takes a backseat in this chocolaty recipe. The plumped up grains give it a wonderful light texture that you normally don’t get in a flourless cake.
did you know?
Quinoa is referred to as an ‘ancient grain’, but it’s really a seed, so, quinoa is naturally gluten free. Like all seeds, it’s a nutritional powerhouse ~ high in fiber and protein, in fact it’s one of the few plant foods on earth that contains all 9 amino acids. It’s a true super food.
how to cook quinoa
Quinoa comes in red, white, and black varieties. I used the common white variety here, but you can use any of them. The basic ratio is 1 part quinoa to 2 parts water. You can also cook it pasta style and drain after cooking.
- Bring water to a boil in a pot.
- Rinse quinoa well under cold water.
- Add the quinoa to the boiling water, with a dash of salt
- Boil for 15-20 minutes.
how to make quinoa chocolate cake
This cake is a breeze to throw together!
- Combine the quinoa, milk, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla in a blender or food processor and pulse until everything is combined. It’s that easy!
- The cake bakes up beautifully, the texture is dense but very moist, and the top is flat, perfect for frosting.
Speaking of frosting, as you can see, I didn’t skimp on it, so I can’t make any health claims for this dessert. It’s simply sweetened whipped cream with a bit of cocoa powder for a milk chocolate flavor. But there are lots of other options for topping this simple cake, check out my suggestions, below.
variations on quinoa chocolate cake
- Unfrosted cake: Skip the frosting and serve the cake with a sprinkle of powdered sugar.
- Top with berries: Top with seasonal berries for a company-worthy dessert.
- Chocolate ganache topping: Once the cake is baked and cooled, spread a layer of smooth and velvety chocolate ganache on top. You could also use hot fudge sauce!
- Caramel drizzle: Prepare a simple caramel sauce and drizzle it over the cooled cake.
- Dairy-free coconut whipped cream: Serve the cake with a dollop of coconut whipped cream on the side.
- Orange quinoa chocolate cake: Add the zest of one orange to the cake batter to give it a refreshing citrus flavor that complements the chocolate well.
- Espresso quinoa chocolate cake: Dissolve a tablespoon of instant coffee or espresso powder into the milk before making the batter.
- Mint chocolate chip quinoa cake: Add a teaspoon of peppermint extract or finely chopped fresh mint leaves to the batter. Add mini chocolate chips, too.
- Make a layer cake: Double the recipe and make a celebratory layer cake!
- Make cute cupcakes: Bake into cupcakes for kids.
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Delicious Quinoa Chocolate Cake
Equipment
- 9 inch nonstick cake pan or springform pan
Ingredients
cake
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 1/3 cup almond milk, or dairy milk
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
frosting
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoon confectioner’s sugar, sifted
- 2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray and line a 9-inch nonstick cake pan with a round of parchment paper at the bottom.
- Melt butter.
- Put the quinoa, milk, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse to combine and then process until smooth, this will only take about 30 seconds or so.
- Add the sugar, 1/2 cup of the cocoa powder, baking powder, soda, and salt to the bowl and pulse to combine well.
- Turn into the prepared pan and bake for about 40-42 minutes until a toothpick comes out without wet batter sticking to it. Remember that if your pan has different dimensions, your cooking time will vary.
- Let the cake cool on a rack for about 15 minutes before turning out of the pan. Be careful when you flip the cake over as it will be delicate. I like to place a plate over the pan and then gently flip both over together.
- When the cake is completely cool, frost.
- To make the frosting whip the cream until it is starting to thicken, then add the sifted confectioner’s sugar and cocoa powder. Continue beating until thick and spreadable. Don’t over beat!
Notes
- Bring water to a boil in a pot.
- Rinse quinoa well under cold water.
- Add the quinoa to the boiling water, with a dash of salt
- Boil for 15-20 minutes.
I had no idea you could use quinoa in baking, in fact I hadn’t even come across the fact you can get quinoa flour, so this is quite a revelation for me. And it looks fabulous!
You can buy quinoa flour, but what makes this cake really special is that you use the simple cooked grain, and that gives a really lovely texture to the cake.
What a great idea to incorporate quinoa is a cake! It’s healthy and this means I can have an extra slice, right?;)
Kinda sorta, wink wink 🙂
Wow. This sounds incredible. I would have never thought you could make cake with quinoa. This is something I need to try soon!
Wow amazing indeed! Totally pinning this and looking forward to trying it
Ok this HAS to be the absolute most delicious way to use quinoa, haha. This sounds awesome!
Does this cake actually have a ‘cakey’ texture? I just can’t believe you can substitute quinoa for flour, it’s mind-blowing!
Yes, it really does, and it is mind blowing. The texture is very moist, though, like a typical flourless cake.
Dear Sue,
I just printed the recipe, however, the actual recipe didn’t put in the 2 cups of cooked Quinoa. I nearly missed it but was thinking about making this for some friends and it has quinoa in the name. =}
Joyce
It’s been corrected, Joyce, the recipe calls for 2 cups of COOKED quinoa. Sorry about that!
No flour AND quinoa in this cake?? Wow, this is something I DEFINITELY need to try!
I told you it was amazing, lol! I got it in there now ~ I guess I needed a second cup of coffee when I was writing up the recipe 😉
Have re-read recipe more than twice, and can’t find the quinoa in the ingredients….how much?? My blender is out, and ready to go!! thanks!!
Look in the written part on how to prepare the 2 cups quinoa needed.
Same here! I printed the recipe and scrolled up and it says 2 cups boiling water and 1 cup quinoa…So 1 cup uncooked is 2 cups cooked.
So sorry, fixed now!
I love making cakes with quinoa. Isn’t it the most amazing ingredient ever? This one looks delicious and that frosting! Wow!