Quinoa Chocolate Cake

First off, for the curious, yes I did wake up at 2:30 am to watch the festivities and hats last week. I didn't stay up for the whole wedding, just long enough to see the bride make it the altar, from there I trusted Prince William to take care of the rest. And yes I did enjoy a scone at 3 am, and then at 7 am and then later at... those Royal scones were delicious. I'm not going to wait for another royal event to make another batch.

Quinoa has been nagging me for awhile. I've been hearing the buzz about quinoa - the health benefits and high protein content, but I hadn't gone out and tried any recipes myself. Well, Joan took care of that by gifting me with the quinoa cookbook. I started off with the quinoa pizza dough and then attempted the chocolate cake, which Joan has been giving rave reviews.

According to my fellow blogger, Rachel, the quinoa chocolate cake has been making the rounds in Victoria, ever since this recipe was featured in the Times Colonist. I felt it was my duty as a proud Chilliwack-ian to see what we were missing (note to those in the 'Wack - while I haven't looked around for quinoa at other grocery stores, Superstore carries it bulk in the natural foods aisle).

Kylie and Ty, some of my regular Reems Eats taste-testers was over for tea, and it was time to try out the chocolate cake. I made it in two 9 inch pans, though it was supposed to be in 8 inch, because that's what I had, so it resulted in a slightly lower cake, but it was lovely and moist.

This is a gluten-free recipe

Moist Chocolate Cake
from Quinoa 365, the Everyday Superfood by Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming

2/3 cup white or golden quinoa
1 1/3 cup water
1/3 cup milk
4 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Bring quinoa and water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cover, reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the covered saucepan on the burner for another 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and allow the quinoa to cool.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease two 8-inch round or square cake pans. Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper.

Combine the milk, eggs and vanilla in a blender or food processor. Add 2 cups of cooked quinoa and the butter and continue to blend until smooth.

Combine sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Add the contents of the blender and mix well. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and bake on the centre rack for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool completely in the pan before serving. Frost if desired.

Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to one week or freeze for up to a month.

Special Thanks to my neighbour Laura for coming up with the remainder of the cocoa after I realized mid-recipe that I was a half cup short.