Quinoa Chocolate Torte

Saturday night we were invited to our friends house for dinner. They were making their famous Sushi spread. And by the way.....What a spread it was! F and S have perfected making Sushi at home. I felt like I was in the city with a variety of Japanese food beyond my wildest dreams. Tuna Tataki. Venison Tataki with Huckleberry Ponzu . Unagi rolls. Scallops rolls. Salmon rolls. Miso. Sunomono Salad...... That's only naming a few. The table was overflowing with deliciousness!! Take a look....

Now being gluten free and a lover of desserts and sweets, I usually end up bringing a dessert to dinner parties. It guarantees  I can partake in a bit of sinful eating after the main event..... This time around I chose a dessert I've been meaning to try. I first had this dessert at a wedding I helped cater this past summer. One of the guest made it knowing a few of the other guests were Gluten Free. After trying it myself, I hunted her down and asked if she would share her recipe. Weeks later, I found a lovely email explaining how she had come across it herself.

She found it in a cookbook she has titled....."Quinoa 365 by Patricia Green & Carolyn Hemming". Apparently you can double and triple the recipe with no problem.

Luckily I remembered to take a few pictures while eating it. But the picture my friend Francine took was much nicer....

Now I must say this cake is supreme. It's decadent but at the same time not too sweet. You can definitely have seconds.....And thirds!! The recipe makes two 8 inch rounds. We brought over one and I froze the second which we will use this weekend for our own dinner party.

Quinoa Chocolate Torte

2/3 cup Golden Quinoa

1 1/3 cups Water 

1 ½ cups White Sugar

1 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1/3 cup Milk 

4 large Eggs

1 ½ tsp  Gluten Free Baking Powder 

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

½ tsp Baking Soda 

½ tsp Salt

¾ cup Butter( or Dairy Free alternative) ,melted and cooled

Ganache:

¾ cup Heavy Cream( I used soy creamer due to dairy intolerance)

1 cup Semisweet Chocolate Chips ( You can use Vegan chips...again if dairy intolerant)

1 tsp Vanilla

Bring quinoa and water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cover, reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and leave covered saucepan on the burner for another 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and allow the quinoa to cool.

Preheat oven to 350; lightly grease a 10-inch spring form pan (OR two 8-inch round or square pans) and line with parchment paper.

Combine milk, eggs and vanilla in a blender or food processor; add 2 cups cooked quinoa and the butter and continue to blend until smooth.

Whisk together the sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Add contents of the blender and mix well. Pour into pan(s) and bake on center oven rack for 40-45 minutes or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool completely in the pan.

Ganache:

Place 1 cup chocolate chips in a medium bowl. Heat the whipping cream to boiling; pour the hot cream over the chips and whisk until smooth. Blend in vanilla. Let cool briefly (3 minutes) and then pour carefully over the cake continuing until the cake is covered.

I chose to decorate the cake with raspberries. And it did not disappoint!

Store in sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 1 month.