The Best Gluten-Free Flourless Chocolate Quinoa Cake
Get ready to make the best gluten-free flourless chocolate quinoa cake!
I started making this cake for my daughter with celiac disease. I wanted her to have a cake that she could enjoy. This cake is a winner! Its super moist and you can’t tell that its made with super healthy quinoa. You would never think these too ingredients would go together and work well. Its a double win! Chocolate and quinoa. MMMmmm!
One day we let grandma try it and she always asks me to make it for her too.
Check out the end of this post for a YouTube video tutorial and FREE printable recipe cards for the Gluten-Free Flourless Chocolate Quinoa Cake and simple icing.
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The Best Gluten-Free Flourless Chocolate Quinoa Cake
Lets see how its made.
First you want to start by added water to a pot and bringing to a boil. Then add the 2/3 cup quinoa. Stir it around for a minute or two at a boil. Bring down to a simmer and cover with a lid. Let it simmer for about 10 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. You can then fork it till fluffy. Take it off the burner and set it aside to let it cool down.
Note: The quinoa will expand when cooked. You need 2/3 cup dry quinoa which will turn into 2 cups when fully cooked. Add the 2 cups of cooked quinoa to the blender when cooled.
While the quinoa is cooling down now is the time to start adding the eggs, milk and vanilla extract to a blender. I like to use my Oster blender for this. Blend these three wet ingredients together until they are combined.
Add the cooled cooked quinoa to the already blended ingredients. It should come out to be 2 cups of cooked quinoa. At this time you should add the melted butter to the blender.
Blend again till its all creamy and smooth. Take a couple of minutes to blend it. Start and stop the blender a few times. It can be a thick batter. This is now the quinoa batter for the cake.
This is the Oster Blender I use, find it here.
In a separate mixing bowl add your all your dry ingredients together. Whisk them together until they are blended well.
Then you want to pour the blended quinoa batter from the blender to add it to the bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir them together too. Still well.
I like using these stainless steel mixing bowls.
Using two 6 inch baking pans to bake them in. From now on I chose to use a smaller diameter baking pan for this recipe because it makes the cake more substantial and moister. In the past I have tried it with the usual 9 inch round baking pans but I found over time that it is to thin and comes out drier. This way when you use the 6 inch pans the final cake becomes taller and thicker.
If you can’t find the 6 inch in the store you can find it here. Wilton 6 inch baking pans.
Bake it!
Separate the quinoa batter evenly into the two 6 inch baking pans. Smooth over the top of the batter to make it lay evenly in the pan. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
Simple Icing
While your cake is in the oven make this icing. Super simple, quick and gluten-free too!
Combine in a bowl the powered sugar, cocoa power and tablespoons of milk.
Whisk it all together. Add milk by the tablespoon until you get the consistency that you like.
Icing the cooled cake
After the cake comes out of the oven I like to put it on a cooling rack. It helps cool it down faster.
Its a good idea to use a cooling rack for these. You can find the ones I like here.
Almost done!
Take one layer of cake and add it to your cake pedestal. Spread some icing in the middle then add the second layer of cake to the top. I like to put the cake upside down on the cake pedestal. (the opposite way that it was baked) This way it gives a nice flat surface to spread the icing on to.
After the icing has settled, slice it up and serve.
Here is a 6 inch cake pedestal stand to display this beautiful gluten-free cake!
Watch the video tutorial here
FREE Printable Recipe Card
Ingredients
Method
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Add water and 2/3 cup dry quinoa in pot, bring to a boil, then bring down to a simmer. Cover and let cook about 10 minutes. (Quinoa will expand when cooked to 2 cups)
- Add milk, eggs and vanilla extract to a blender. Blend to combine.
- Add the 2 cups cooled cooked quinoa and butter to blender. Blend until creamy smooth.
- Mix the cocoa power, sugar, baking soda, baking power and salt in a bowl.
- Add the quinoa batter to dry ingredients and mix well.
- Divide batter into two 6 inch pans that are greased and have wax paper on the bottom.
- Bake for 45 minutes.
- Let cool, add icing, serve and enjoy!
FREE Printable Recipe Card
Ingredients
Method
- Add the powered sugar and cocoa power into a bowl.
- Add tablespoons of milk and mix until desired consistancy.
- Spread over cake and enjoy!
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This sounds delicious! I’m off to check the pantry for the ingredients!
This looks amazing!! I love that it is flourless, as many people are needing that these days!
Whoa! Gotta make this STAT! What a great way to substitute for a healthier ingredient!
Love finding recipes that are delicious yet mostly healthy! We’ve got lots of food allergies here so this is a great way to start with a great ingredient with a few easy swaps!
This looks fantastic! I pinned it for later. I didn’t know that you could use Quinoa as a substitution for flour. Thanks for sharing. It looks so yummy.
How much milk??
Hi Lauren, I like to add the milk tablespoon by tablespoon, mixing it as I go – until I get to the consistency that I like for the icing.
In this particular recipe would subbing the eggs for applesauce or some other egg substitute work?
Hi, I’m not sure. I never made it that way.
If my quinoa is already cooked do you know how much I use
Hi Anita, It should be 2 cups of cooked quinoa.
Tip: I always soak quinoa in water for 15-20 min before cooking to remove earthy flavour. Cake will taste better.
Um, I really want to try making this cake but step 3 of the cake method definitely mentions adding milk, eggs and vanilla to a blender. The picture of that step further up the blog also, at least to me, looks like it has milk in it but it is only mentioned in the icing recipe.
Hi, Kylie. My apologies. I updated the recipe card to include 1/2 cup of milk.
Hi
Step 3 of the cake says add Milk, eggs, etc but there is no measurement given for milk in the cake, only in the icing
Is this an instruction error or an ingredient left off the ingredients list?
I look forward to trying this cake
I Lea, I updated the recipe card to include the 1/2 cup of milk. Happy Baking!
Thank you, I am super excited to try this
Wow! This looks amazing. I am new to the gluten free baking word and can’t wait to try this one. Thanks for including the printable recipe card!
Wow I am drooling! This looks amazing! I never thought of using quinoa in a dessert but it’s genius! Plus you get an extra boost of protein!
Oh. My. Gosh. This looks delicious!
Will have to try this for my husband.
Wow. This looks so dreamy!!
Good morning
Can the quinoa be substituted with quinoa flour?
I don’t have the pans you’re suggesting so I’m wondering would it also work in a rectangular 8×12 pan if I adjust the time for that size? Or would it be dry on the outside by the time the center is firm?
I should try this out. Love things that are gf.
I am excited to try this. I am going to try 1 1/2 times of the recipe so I can use my regular cake pans. What would you suggest for baking time? Thanks
Can coconut oil be used instead of the butter?