Gluten Free Chocolate Quinoa Cake with Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting

This supremely moist and rich and chocolate quinoa cake with chocolate whipped cream frosting is going to blow your mind. It's the ULTIMATE birthday or holiday cake, and you'd never know that it contains no flour. Best of all, the batter and frosting come together in minutes in the Vitamix or food processor, making it the easiest cake you'll ever make!

Chocolate quinoa cake recipe

Let me start by saying that chocolate cake is my husband's very favorite food. He orders it whenever it appears on a menu or when we visit bakeries. Now would you believe me if I told you that this chocolate quinoa cake, which contains NOT A SPECK OF FLOUR and is STUFFED WITH QUINOA is James's FAVORITE CHOCOLATE CAKE IN THE WORLD? Sorry to yell there, but I'm a little excited. You need to taste it to believe it.

Key ingredients and swaps

This gluten free chocolate cake has a few secret ingredients that give it an amazing flavor and texture:

• Cooked Quinoa provides a supremely tender yet rich crumb (and I promise you won't taste it!)
• Unprocessed (raw) cacao powder lends a deep chocolaty flavor (you can use a good quality cocoa powder instead)
• Virgin coconut oil provides moisture (you can use melted butter or neutral vegetable oil instead)
• Coffee liqueur gives depth of flavor (you can use strong brewed coffee instead)

Vitamix chocolate cake

You won't believe how easy this quinoa cake is to make-the batter AND the whipped cream frosting get whizzed up right in a Vitamix or food processor, meaning you don't even need to pull out your mixing bowls.

How to make chocolate quinoa cake

1. Combine milk, eggs, vanilla extract, coffee liqueur (or strong brewed coffee) and melted coconut oil in a high-speed blender such as a Vitamix (or you can use a food processor).
2. Blend until smooth.
3. Add cooked quinoa along with sugar, cacao powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
4. Blend again on high until the batter is rich and creamy.

Transfer the batter to two parchment-lined 8-inch cake pans. Bake the cakes for 20-23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. Remove the cakes from the pans and let them cool completely before frosting.

Chocolate whipped cream frosting

The chocolate whipped cream frosting is my favorite frosting, period. It's light and creamy, and it comes together in minutes in a Vitamix or food processor using just heavy cream, powdered sugar, raw cacao powder, vanilla and coffee liqueur (which is optional).

Gluten free chocolate cupcakes

You can also use this same batter to make gluten free chocolate cupcakes! The batter will yield 16 rich, delicious cupcakes (be sure to line the tins with parchment liners so that the cupcakes don't stick). Check the cupcakes at 20 minutes - a toothpick inserted in the center should have a few moist crumbs (the cupcakes will slump slightly as they cool).

Tips for making quinoa cake:

• You'll need a high-speed blender such as a Vitamix to make this cake, or you can use a food processor.
• This double layer cake is on the smaller side, but it easily feeds 8-10 people. The cakes get baked in two 8-inch cake pans. Don't be tempted to use 9-inch pans, as the cakes will be too thin.
• You can also make cupcakes! This recipe makes 16 cupcakes (the baking time is the same). Line the cupcake tins with parchment cups so that the cupcakes don't stick.
• You can use any plain white or golden quinoa in this recipe. Avoid red or black quinoa, as the flavor is too assertive.
• The coffee liqueur lends a wonderful flavor to the cake and frosting, but you can swap it out for strong-brewed coffee in the cake and omit it completely from the frosting, if you prefer.
• Raw cacao powder gives the cake an unparalleled rich chocolaty flavor (p.s. it makes the best hot cocoa!). It's a purer form of chocolate compared to regular cocoa powder (and it's higher in antioxidants!), but if you can't find it, you can use the best quality cocoa you can find.

FAQs

*This post contains Amazon and other affiliate links to products I use and love (from which I earn income, at no cost to you). Thank you for supporting From Scratch Fast!

Other gluten free desserts to try:

• One-Bowl Chocolate Almond Cake
• No Bake Chocolate Pudding Tart (Vegan)
• Foolproof Flaky Pie Crust
• Almond Coconut Cake (Naturally Sweetened)
• Pumpkin Pound Cake with Bourbon Cream Cheese Glaze
• Crustless Pumpkin Pie Custards
• Easy Gluten Free Carrot Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
• (The Best) Pavlova with Dark Chocolate

*Thank you to Vitamix for sponsoring this post! I was compensated for this post, but all opinions and recipes are my own and are not endorsed by Vitamix.

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Gluten Free Chocolate Quinoa Cake with Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting (Gluten Free)

By Nicki Sizemore

This is my VERY FAVORITE chocolate cake to make and eat, and you would never know that it doesn't contain a speck of flour and that it's made entirely in the Vitamix or food processor (meaning no mixing bowls)! The cake is made with cooked quinoa, which provides a wonderfully moist texture, but you can't taste it AT ALL. Take note that you'll need to cook the quinoa before starting the cake (check out the notes below). Raw (unprocessed) cacao powder lends an unparalleled deep chocolate flavor-if you can't find it use the best quality cocoa powder you can find. The light and creamy chocolate whipped cream frosting also gets made in the Vitamix (or you can use hand beaters). The frosting is also fabulous on cupcakes, crepes and hot chocolate. This double layer cake is on the smaller side, but it easily feeds 8-10 people (you can also make cupcakes - see the Notes below!). It's the ultimate birthday, holiday or special occasion dessert!

Servings: 1 8-inch cake

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 25 minutes mins

Cooling Time: 1 hour hr

Total Time: 1 hour hr 55 minutes mins

Ingredients

Chocolate Quinoa Cake

• Cooking spray or oil, for pans
• ½ cup milk
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons coffee liqueur or strong brewed coffee
• ½ cup (100 g) virgin coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
• 2 cups (290 g) cooked quinoa, see notes below*
• 1 cup (190 g) organic cane sugar
• 1 cup (90 g) raw cacao powder (such as Navitas Naturals brand)
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt

Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting

• 2 cups cold heavy cream
• ⅓ cup (44 g) powdered sugar
• ⅓ cup (30 g) raw cacao powder
• 1 tablespoon coffee liqueur (optional)
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• Pinch fine grain sea salt

Instructions

Make the cake

• For the cake, preheat the oven to 350˚F. Lightly grease two 8-inch cake pans with cooking spray or oil, and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
• In a Vitamix or food processor, combine the milk, eggs, vanilla, coffee liqueur and coconut oil. Blend until incorporated. Add the quinoa, sugar, cacao powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Blend, increasing the speed to high, until smooth, stopping and scraping occasionally.
• Divide the batter between the prepared pans and spread in an even layer. Bake 20-23 minutes, or until the cake springs back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean with a few crumbles (don't over-bake otherwise the cake will be dry). Let the cakes cool in the pans set on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert the cakes onto racks, and peel off the parchment. Let cool completely before frosting. Make it Ahead: Once cooled, the cakes can be wrapped well and stored at room temperature for up to 1 day (take care when moving the cakes, as they are very tender and can break fairly easily-I find it easiest to slide them onto the plastic wrap instead of picking them up.)

Make the frosting and assemble

• For the cocoa whipped cream frosting, place all of the ingredients in a clean Vitamix (or you can use a bowl with hand beaters). Blend on low until fully incorporated. Slowly increase the speed, and blend until the mixture is thickened and no longer moves around the blade (if using hand beaters, beat on high until thick and creamy). Take care not to over-blend, otherwise the frosting will turn a bit grainy (but it will still taste great).
• To frost the cake, very carefully slide one of the cake layers onto a cake stand or serving platter (the cake is very tender and has a tendency to break if it's handled too much, so go slowly. That being said, if it does break, simply patch it back together on the cake plate-nobody will know!). Spoon about a quarter of the frosting on top, and spread it in an even layer. Place the second cake layer over top, and spoon on the remaining frosting. Spread the frosting in an even layer on top and around the sides of the cake. If possible, cover the cake with a dome or large bowl and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour before serving.

Notes

Do Ahead: The frosted cake can be refrigerated for up to 6 hours before serving. Leftovers (if you have any!) are also delicious the next day.

Tips:

• *You'll need to start with ¾ cup of dry quinoa to yield at least 2 cups of cooked quinoa (be sure to use golden quinoa, not red or black quinoa, which will be too assertive in flavor). Rinse the quinoa well, then place it in a small saucepan with 1 ½ cups of water and a pinch of salt. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook 15 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. Remove the pot from the heat and let sit 10 minutes, covered, to steam. Fluff the quinoa with a fork, then transfer it to a bowl and let it cool completely. Once cool, measure out 2 cups of cooked quinoa for the cake (you will have leftover quinoa, which you can toss is salads or use in grain bowls).
• The cake batter and frosting gets made in a high-speed blender such as a Vitamix, or you can use a food processor. 
• You'll need two 8-inch cake pans for this cake. Don't be tempted to use 9-inch pans, as the cakes will be too thin.
• You can also make cupcakes! This recipe makes 16 cupcakes (the baking time is the same). Line the cupcake tins with parchment cups so that the cupcakes don't stick.
• Using raw cacao powder in this cake gives it a richer chocolate flavor. You can find it online or in many grocery stores (p.s. it makes the best hot chocolate!).
• You can swap out the coffee liqueur in the cake batter for strong brewed coffee (you can also omit it completely from the frosting if you prefer).
• Before frosting the cake, I like to slide narrow strips of parchment paper under the edges of the cake so that I don't get my serving platter dirty (see the video for reference!).

Loved this recipe? Check out @nickisizemore for more!

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cake recipe in Vitamix, Chocolate quinoa cake, easy gluten free chocolate cake recipe, Quinoa cake recipe