Belgian Dark Chocolate and Quinoa Cake

Although I have been meaning to bake this chocolate quinoa cake since I read the book “Quinoa365” almost a year ago, I’ve been hesitant to bake a cake with quinoa.  I mean I like quinoa and belgian chocolate separately, but wasn’t sure about their combination in a cake!! After modifying the recipe and doing further research, I decided to bake it and conduct a taste test without telling anyone that the cake is gluten free and has cooked quinoa instead of flour. One of the testers also include the  cake expert in town, who is renowned for baking the most delicious cakes.

If you love chocolate and are a health freak (or Not), this cake, my friends is just what you need for a guilt-free indulgence. It tastes scrumptious on its own, but if you want to get fancy, feel free to double the quantity and bake two cakes, layer with desired frosting or serve it plain with a side of Orange Brandy Syrup or ice cream!!

Ingredients
1 Cup Quinoa, cooked and cooled
2 Tablespoons Unsweetened Almond Milk or Whole Milk
2 Eggs
1 Teaspoon Kahlua, optional
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 Cup Butter, room temperature
2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil or Coconut Oil (melted)
1/2 Cup Organic Cane Sugar or Raw Coconut Sugar
1/4 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa powder, I used Valrhona 
1/4 Cup Dark Belgian Chocolate Chips
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder
Pinch of Salt

Process

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 9″x 5” cake  pan with parchment paper.
2. In a blender, combine the eggs, milk, Kahlua  and vanilla extract, and blend for ten seconds to combine.
3. Add quinoa along with butter and oil (could also use all regular butter) and blend until completely smooth, for a minute.
4. Sift together the dry ingredients in a large bowl (cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and sea salt) and add belgian chocolate chips.
5. Add the wet ingredients in the blender to the bowl with the dry and mix slowly until well-combined.
6. Pour the batter in the pan and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool.

Enjoy! 🙂