This recipe was given to us by our patient J.G., and she adapted it from the cookbook Quinoa365 and added her own twists to it. It is a keeper for patients looking for a scrumptious gluten free, grain free option for birthday cakes or other celebrations!
Ingredients:
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 4 whole eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup butter
- ¼ cup melted coconut oil
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
Whipped Chocolate Coconut Cream Frosting
- 1 (13.5 ounce) can of full fat coconut milk, refrigerated overnight
- 1 (10 ounce) bag chocolate chips
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and then line two round cake pans with parchment paper.
- In a food processor combine the eggs, almond milk and vanilla extract blend for ten seconds to combine.
- Add the cooked and cooled quinoa along with the melted and cooled butter and coconut oil, blend until completely smooth, about thirty seconds to one minute.
- Sift together the dry ingredients in a large bowl (cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and sea salt).
- Add the wet ingredients in the blender to the bowl with the dry and mix together until well-combined.
- Divide the batter between the two pans and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool.
- To make the frosting you will need to refrigerate the coconut milk overnight so that the cream separates.
- When you are ready to make the frosting, melt the chocolate in a sauce pan over low-medium heat. Get the coconut milk from the refrigerator but don’t shake the can or turn it upside down before opening. Open the can and scoop out the solid parts with a spoon, placing them into the pot with the chocolate. Melt the coconut cream and chocolate together then transfer to a large bowl that you can later use to whip it in. (note: if the melted chocolate/coconut milk mixture still appears really dark you can add more coconut milk to lighten it up so that the end result isn’t bitter)
- Allow frosting to cool on the counter then cover and refrigerate for several hours, until thickened. Once it has thickened, remove from the refrigerator and beat on high for thirty seconds to one minute, until a fluffy icing has formed.
- Transfer the cakes to a surface for icing with the bottom side up.
- Frost the cake and refrigerate until ready to serve. The icing will melt in really warm conditions but should be fine for a few hours in cooler settings.
Enjoy!
