A rich melt-in-your-mouth gluten-free chocolate cake topped with a chocolate buttercream that rivals any classic chocolate cake. Your guests will never guess the secret ingredient.
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Gluten-Free Chocolate Quinoa Cake
For someone who has unlocked the secret to the best chocolate cake recipe topped with the best chocolate buttercream frosting, raving about a gluten free chocolate cake might seem like a stretch, but I promise, it’s not!
I’ve made a decadent flourless chocolate cake before, but this time I am using quinoa to give it a less fudgy, more cake-like consistency. If you’ve been looking for a gluten free chocolate cake that is moist, rich, and fabulously chocolaty, this is it!
Why This Recipe Works
- You can’t taste the quinoa. There are some gluten-free recipes that “taste gluten-free” but this chocolate quinoa cake isn’t one of them.
- A beautiful layered cake. Not only is this easy cake mixed mostly in a blender, it is equally as impressive to look at!
Key Ingredients
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Quinoa: Cook it according to package directions and allow it to cool completely. Refrigerate it before using it to provide structure to the cake and deliver a soft crumb.
- Cocoa powder: Look for natural cocoa powder. We’re not using Dutch-processed cocoa powder because it won’t react with the baking soda.
- Baking powder: Reacts with the acid in the cocoa powder to give the cake a beautiful fluffy texture.
- Baking soda: Helps to keep the cake crumb nice and soft!
- Chocolate chips: Dispersed within the batter, they become gooey and melty once baked.
- Baking staples: Melted butter, eggs, milk, pure vanilla extract, white sugar, salt.
Substitutions and Variations
Instead of a chocolate buttercream frosting, switch it up! This gluten-free chocolate cake is so awesome it pairs with almost anything!
- Frosting. Try it with peanut butter frosting, chocolate ganache or cream cheese frosting. Add some mini Reese’s peanut butter cups on top!
- No dairy. To make this cake dairy-free, use any dairy-free milk such as almond milk or oat milk, pick up some dairy-free chocolate chips, and use melted coconut oil instead of butter.
- Level of sweetness. This cake is full of chocolate flavor but you can alter the sweetness with the type of chocolate chips you use. For slightly less sweet go with dark chocolate chips. Otherwise, stick with semi-sweet chocolate.
How to Make Gluten Free Chocolate Cake
In the blender, add quinoa, melted butter, eggs, milk, and vanilla. Blend until smooth. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir both together to make a batter then fold in chocolate chips.
Pour the quinoa chocolate cake batter into the prepared baking pans and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting with a luscious chocolate frosting!
Baking Tips
- Do not replace the cooked quinoa with quinoa flour. Cooked quinoa blends nicely with the wet ingredients. Flour would be considered a dry ingredient, providing a different texture.
- I recommend a high speed blender to ensure the quinoa is pureed fully into the mix. This will help it hold together nicely. You can still use a regular blender, the crumb may just be a bit more crumbly.
- Quinoa should be soft and fluffy once it is cooked. Sometimes soaking it overnight before cooking it can help eliminate the chewiness!
Recipe FAQs
Keep leftover cake stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Since you’ll be going back to the fridge, fork in hand, many times, it’ll be gone before you know it.
Absolutely! Don’t let any of this deliciousness go to waste. Whatever doesn’t get eaten can be kept frozen for up to 3 months.
I would also avoid replacing the quinoa with a gluten free flour blend. It’s a different measurement and a different recipe altogether.
More gluten-free dessert recipes include peanut butter cookies, chocolate mousse, and microwave fudge.
More Chocolate Cake Recipes
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Gluten Free Chocolate Cake
Video
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups cold cooked quinoa
- ¾ cup melted butter
- 4 eggs
- ⅓ cup milk
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups white sugar
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Chocolate Frosting
- 2 cups chocolate frosting
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two round cake pans, cover with parchment paper, and grease again.
- In a blender combine quinoa, melted butter, eggs, milk and vanilla. Blend until smooth.
- In a large bowl, combine sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Stir quinoa mixture into dry ingredients until batter is well combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
- Pour into prepared pans. Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
Frosting
- Make frosting and spread between layers and on cake.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Categorized as: American, Birthdays, Cake + Cupcakes, Chocolate, Desserts, Gluten-Free, Reader Favorites, Valentine's Day
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
Enjoyed this for dessert last night and it was a sweet success! Light, yet rich and decadent; exactly what I needed for my sweet tooth, indeed!
So glad you enjoyed the gluten free chocolate cake!
This cake turned out perfectly, it was very moist and so fudgy.
So rich and fudgy! What a fun new way to use quinoa!
Agreed! The uses of quinoa knows no bounds! :)