Several years ago, Melissa Owen's neighbour Francyne loaned her a cookbook called Quinoa 365 by Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming, where she came across a recipe for a chocolate cake made with quinoa. The recipe calls for cooking quinoa and blending it into a batter, resulting in a cake that’s deliciously moist and gluten-free. She immediately loved the idea of making a cake using quinoa instead of flour, and was inspired to create something similar at Epiphany Cakes, her bakery in Nelson, British Columbia. People go crazy for this cake’s dense texture and luxurious dairy-free ganache glaze.

Chocolate Quinoa Cake

serves 10-12
gluten-free, dairy-free

INGREDIENTS

Cake

1 cup (135 g) cocoa powder
1½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
4 eggs
¾ cup (180 ml) vegetable oil
⅓ cup (80 ml) full-fat coconut milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups (300 g) cooked organic white quinoa (see note)
1½ cups (300 g) sugar 

Dairy-free Ganache Glaze

1 cup (250 ml) full-fat coconut milk
1½ cups (250 g) dark chocolate callets
1 tsp coconut oil 

Garnish (optional)

Fresh blueberries

INSTRUCTIONS

Cake

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Prepare an 8-inch round × 3-inch tall cake pan.
2. Sift the cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.
3. Place the eggs, oil, milk, and vanilla in a blender. Add the quinoa and blend until completely smooth.
4. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and use a silicone spatula to fold in the sugar, followed by the rest of the dry ingredients.
5. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan and bake until a knife inserted in the centre of the cake comes out mostly clean, 40–50 minutes (there may be a few wet crumbs on the knife; that’s fine, as long as the cake itself is set.)
6. Place the pan on a cooling rack. Allow the cake to cool completely before removing from the pan. This cake has no gluten, so it will be quite fragile and prone to breaking while it’s warm. Handle with care.

Dairy-free Ganache Glaze

1. Once the cake is completely cool, prepare the dairy-free ganache glaze. Place the coconut milk into a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Place the chocolate into a bowl with the coconut oil. Pour the coconut milk into the bowl with the chocolate and allow to stand without stirring for 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth and then allow the ganache to cool at room temperature for 10–15 minutes.

Assembly

1. Remove the cooled cake from the pan and place it on a cooling rack. Place the cooling rack over a large bowl or a cookie sheet. Pour the ganache over the cake, allowing the excess to fall into the bowl or tray below. Place the cake, still on the cooling rack, in the refrigerator for 10–15 minutes, just long enough to allow the ganache to set.
2. Use an offset spatula to carefully transfer the cake to a serving plate. Top the cake with fresh blueberries (if using). They pair beautifully with the colour and the flavour of the dark chocolate in this cake. If not serving immediately, store the cake in the refrigerator.

Notes: 

To make 2 cups (300 g) of cooked quinoa, place ½ cup (80 g) dry quinoa into a saucepan with 1 cup (250 ml) water. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat to low, cover, and cook until all the water is absorbed, and the quinoa is tender, 10 minutes. Allow the quinoa to cool completely before using.

A high-powered blender works best for this recipe, but a regular blender or food processor can get the job done too. Just be sure that all the quinoa is well-blended and the batter is smooth.