Decadent Chocolate Cake with Whipped Chocolate Frosting {Shockingly Gluten-Free!}

Before I start talking about how awesome this cake is, I want to say thank you. I just realized through this post, this little ole blog of mine will hit 20,000 pageviews. I know that's not a whole lot compared to big name blogs out there who get at least that many hits per post, but to me it's pretty rad. So thank you to anyone who took 2 seconds out of their day to take a peak at my little recipe journal. You rock!

Anyhoo, my birthday was August 15th. I ended up celebrating on the 17th and had a great time with friends...and margaritas! However, the original plan was to celebrate with my friend, Katelyn. See, her birthday is August 16th, and we were born the same year! Our original plan of having a double birthday bash didn't really work out (though I think we may still need to get a piñata girl!), so I thought it would be fun to have a mini celebration when she came back. Enter: this awesome cake.

Katelyn can't have gluten, and Chris has been gluten free for the past month, so coming up with a gluten-free birthday dessert, especially a birthday cake, seemed daunting at first. As if she read my mind, Mel from Mel's Kitchen Cafe wrote about a chocolate cake that didn't require any special flours (which are usually so expensive I can't justify buying them), and is gluten-free! The only special ingredient is quinoa, and I just bought some after being out for months. Trippy, right?

So Sunday I baked the cake for us. Katelyn came over, and we were both blown away. This cake isn't good considering it's a gluten free cake, it's just good...period...and don't even get me starting on the frosting. Chris and I were licking the bowl clean, and I want to put it on every cake, gluten free or not, for the rest of my life. The cake as a whole is rich, decadent, and super chocolatey. It would probably be outstanding with some raspberries on top, or raspberry jam/puree in the middle. I'm sure you could also make several adjustments to fit your dietary needs. Make it dairy free by swapping out the milk for soy or almond milk, the butter for oil (mmm..coconut oil!), and for the whipped frosting, did you know you can make whipped cream from coconut milk??

I am so happy I found this recipe, and that I was able to share it with one of my best friends. Happy belated birthday to us, girl!! xoxo

Decadent Chocolate Cake with Whipped Chocolate Frosting

Ingredients

Frosting

2 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream

1 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cake 

2 cups cooked and cooled quinoa (From about 1/2 cup raw quinoa. Be sure to cook in water, not broth!)

1/3 cup milk

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup butter, melted and cooled

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

First, prep the frosting. Place the chocolate chips in a medium bowl. Heat the whipping cream in a saucepan until it gently simmers. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips and let the mixture sit for five minutes. Whisk to combine until it is glossy and smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely chilled and cold (2-3 hours). You can speed up this process by placing the bottom of the bowl in an ice water bath and stirring until cool. 

Next, preheat your oven to 350F. Lightly grease two 8-inch round cake pans. Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper.

Combine the milk, eggs and vanilla in a blender or food processor. Process just until combined. Add the cooked quinoa and the butter. Blend well until smooth. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the contents from the blender and mix with a wooden spoon or whisk until combined.

Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and bake on a rack in the middle position for 28-30 minutes or until a knife or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and cool for 10 minutes. Invert the cakes onto cooling racks (remove the parchment paper stuck to the bottom of the cakes). Cool completely.

To finish the frosting, remove cooled cream mixture, and use an electric mixer (stand mixer or handheld) to whip the mixture to soft peaks.

Place one cake layer upside down on a serving platter or plate. Top with a generous portion (about half) of the whipped frosting, spreading to within 1/2-inch of the edge of the cake (it will press to the edge when the top cake layer is put on).  Gently put the other cake layer upside down on top of the frosted layer. Spread the remaining frosting over the top of the cake. Chill the frosted cake in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving to let the frosting set up a bit.

Stick your entire face in the cake, and dig in!

Recipe Source: adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe