Chocolate Quinoa Cake Recipe

(The Nosher via JTA)-I had heard the myth of chocolate cakes made with cooked quinoa and didn't quite believe they would actually be tasty. This cake is surprisingly moist and delicious.

Note: This recipe is gluten- and dairy-free, and Passover friendly. You can make this cake up to three days in advance, and it also freezes well.

This recipe is excerpted with permission from Paula Shoyer's cookbook "The Healthy Jewish Kitchen."

Ingredients:

For the cake:

3/4 cup quinoa

1 1/2 cups water

Cooking spray

2 tablespoons potato starch

1/3 cup orange juice (from 1 orange)

4 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup coconut oil

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup dark unsweetened cocoa

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate

Fresh raspberries, for garnish (optional)

For the glaze (optional):

5 ounces bittersweet chocolate

1 tablespoon sunflower or safflower oil

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Place the quinoa and water into a small saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover the saucepan and cook the quinoa for 15 minutes, or until all the liquid has been absorbed. Set the pan aside. The quinoa may be made 1 day in advance.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Use cooking spray to grease a 12-cup bundt pan. Sprinkle the potato starch over the greased pan and then shake the pan to remove any excess starch.

3. Place the quinoa in the bowl of a food processor. Add the orange juice, eggs, vanilla, oil, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt; process until the mixture is very smooth.

4. Melt the chocolate over a double boiler, or place in a medium microwave-safe bowl and put in a microwave for 45 seconds, stirring and then heating the chocolate for another 30 seconds until it is melted. Add the chocolate to the quinoa batter and process until well mixed. Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and bake it for 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.

5. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes, then remove it gently from the pan. Let the cake cool on a wire cooling rack.

6. To make the glaze: Melt the chocolate in a large microwave-safe bowl in the microwave (see above) or over a double boiler. Add the oil and vanilla and whisk well. Let the glaze sit for 5 minutes and then whisk it again. Use a silicone spatula to spread the glaze all over the cake. Serves 12.

Paula Shoyer, "the kosher baker," is the author of four cookbooks, most recently "The Healthy Jewish Kitchen" [Sterling Epicure, November]. Shoyer is a freelance writer who has competed on Food Network's "Sweet Genius" and appeared on television over 26 times before major Jewish holidays.

The Nosher food blog offers a dazzling array of new and classic Jewish recipes and food news, from Europe to Yemen, from challah to shakshuka and beyond. Check it out at wwwTheNosher.com.