Super Moist Chocolate Cake

4.60 from 5 votes

This incredibly moist chocolate cake is naturally gluten-free and made with cooked quinoa instead of flour—but you’d never guess it. Rich, deeply chocolatey, and tender, it’s delicious on its own with a dusting of cocoa or dressed up with chocolate whipped cream and a silky chocolate ganache.

Prep Time30

Cook Time35

Total Time1 5

Course: Dessert

Keyword: cake, chocolate, gluten-free

Servings:

Calories: 566kcal

Author: Sally Humeniuk

Ingredients

For the chocolate whipped cream frosting:

⅔ cup good semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 pint whipping cream

For the Cake:

⅓ cup milk
4 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups cooked and cooled quinoa lightly scooped and leveled, not packed
¾ cup butter melted and cooled
1 ½ cup sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½ tsps baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt

For the ganache:

1 cup good semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup heavy whipping cream
½ tsp instant coffee granules optional

Instructions

Prepare the chocolate whipped cream mixture: Melt ⅔ cup chocolate chips in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring between each, until smooth. Stir the melted chocolate into the whipping cream. The mixture may look slightly speckled or have small bits of chocolate; this is fine. Refrigerate while you make and bake the cake.
⅔ cup good semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1 pint whipping cream
Prepare the pans: Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
Blend the wet ingredients: Add the milk, eggs, and vanilla to a high-powered blender or food processor and process just until combined. Add the cooked quinoa and melted, cooled butter. Blend until very smooth.
⅓ cup milk, 4 large eggs, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 2 cups cooked and cooled quinoa, ¾ cup butter
Mix the batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, sifted cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the quinoa mixture and stir until well combined. The batter may look slightly grainy; this is normal.
1 ½ cup sugar, 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 ½ tsps baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, ½ tsp salt
Bake: Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake on the center rack for 32 to 35 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 15 minutes. The tops may crack slightly; this is normal.
Cool the cakes: Invert the cakes onto cooling racks and remove the parchment paper. Cool completely before assembling.
Whip the chocolate cream: Whip the chilled chocolate-cream mixture as you would regular whipped cream, until it reaches a spreadable consistency. Spread over one cake layer, then place the second cake layer on top. Leave the assembled cake on the cooling rack.
Make the ganache: Place a baking sheet under the cooling rack to catch drips. In a double boiler, heat 1 cup chocolate chips, ½ cup heavy whipping cream, and the optional coffee granules, stirring until smooth.
½ cup heavy whipping cream, 1 cup good semi-sweet chocolate chips, ½ tsp instant coffee granules
Finish the cake: Slowly pour the warm ganache over the top of the cake, spreading it toward the edges and allowing it to run down the sides. Leave the drips as they are or smooth the ganache around the sides with a spatula. Using two large spatulas or pancake turners, carefully transfer the cake to a serving platter.
Store: Cover leftover cake and refrigerate for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 1 month.

Notes

Measure the quinoa after cooking. Cooked quinoa should be loosely scooped into the measuring cup and leveled without packing. One cup of uncooked quinoa will make more than the 2 cups cooked quinoa needed for this recipe.
Make it ahead for even better flavor. This cake is especially delicious the next day, when the chocolate flavor has had time to deepen. Refrigerate the finished cake overnight, then remove it about 30 minutes before serving.
Don’t worry if the chocolate whipped cream looks speckled. When the melted chocolate is stirred into the cold whipping cream, some of the chocolate may firm up into tiny bits. This is normal and won’t affect the flavor or texture of the finished cake.
For a smoother chocolate whipped cream: Melt the ⅔ cup chocolate chips together with the whipping cream instead. Refrigerate the mixture for about 1 hour, or until thoroughly chilled, before whipping.

Nutrition