Chocolate Quinoa Cake {vegan, gluten-free}

If you're looking for an indulgent chocolate cake that's vegan-friendly, gluten-free, and entirely flourless, you've come to the right place! This chocolate quinoa cake is totally delicious and easy to make in under an hour.

I know what you’re thinking – a cake without flour? Is that even possible?

Well you’re in for a treat.

Quinoa is the base for this delicious chocolate cake. And this ingredient is just magical. It’s packed with protein and gives the cake a rich, nutty texture that I really love.

This chocolate quinoa cake is:

• 100% vegan
• Flourless – so it’s gluten-free too!
• Easy to make in under an hour.
• Totally delicious!

I was able to pick up all the star ingredients for this cake on promotion at Publix. I just love that Publix is running an entire promotion dedicated to plant-based products. How cool is that?

I was able to grab great savings on Ancient Harvest Organic Quinoa, Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Almondmilk, and Miyoko’s^® Kitchen Organic Vegan Cream Cheese.

And of course, there are tons of other great vegan-friendly brands included. Check out getthesavings.com/plant-based for a full list of savings offers.

How to Make a Vegan Chocolate Quinoa Cake

Start off by cooking the quinoa. I used the Ancient Harvest Organic Quinoa, which is super simple to prepare. Just boil some water, add the quinoa, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. I cooked two cups of dry quinoa, which gave me enough for this cake, plus a little extra.

I love cooking with quinoa – and the Ancient Harvest brand is a staple in our house. It’s great for cooking into chilis, soups, and even vegan “burgers”.

A little tip: You’ll know the quinoa is done, when those little white “tails” appear!

In a food processor or blender, combine the quinoa and the almond milk.

Almond milk is always my preferred substitute for traditional milk, and I really enjoy the Blue Diamond Almond Breeze brand. I drink it in my coffee every morning too!  

Next, add the applesauce to the food processor. Applesauce is a great way to add moisture into vegan baking recipes. It’s a handy substitute for traditional butter.

And lastly, add in the flax meal and water. Flax meal and water can be used to create an egg substitute – you may have heard it referred to as flax eggs or “fleggs”.

To make a flax egg, you simply whisk together 1 tbsp of flax meal and 2-3 tbsp of water and use it to replace one egg in just about any vegan baking recipe. In this case, we can just blend the flax meal straight into our cake batter for the same result.

Process the quinoa mixture in the food processor until smooth.

In a separate large bowl, combine the cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Make sure your cocoa powder is vegan-friendly, as some brands sneak in extra ingredients. Just check the label.

Slowly pour the quinoa mixture into the dry ingredients and stir well to combine everything into a cohesive cake batter.

Line the bottom of two 8” cake pans with parchment paper.

A little trick – I like to place my cake pans on a piece of parchment, trace around the pan lightly with a pen, and then cut it out. Perfect size every time!

Divide the cake batter between the two pans and bake for 50-60 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

When the cakes are done, set them aside on cooling racks and make sure they cool completely before you attempt to ice them.

Make the Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting

Next up is the vegan cream cheese frosting.

Frosting is always the best part of a cake, right?

The star of the show here is this Miyoko’s Kitchen Organic Vegan Cream Cheese. This was my first time working with this particular brand, and I was so impressed!

It’s the perfect consistency – just like traditional cream cheese! I don’t think I would have even known the difference in a taste test.

To make the frosting, simply whisk together the vegan cream cheese and coconut oil in a stand mixer.

Add confectioner’s sugar in one cup increments and continue whisking until you have a thick icing.

And there you have it – a perfect cream cheese frosting with no dairy in sight. Amazing, huh?

Frosting the Vegan Chocolate Quinoa Cake

Ok, now we get to the most important part – putting it all together!

The two vegan chocolate cakes that we’ve baked will become the two layers of our cake.

Remove your cooled cakes from the cake pans, and place one onto a serving dish.

Spread a thick layer of the vegan cream cheese frosting across the top of the first cake layer. Then place the second chocolate cake on top.

Generously frost the outside of the cake, covering the top and all sides.

If the icing seems too soft, you can refrigerate the cake for a few hours before serving. This will help the vegan frosting firm up more.

I decorated my cake with a little dusting of cocoa powder. You could also top it with fresh fruit or dark chocolate chips for a fun variation.

And you’re ready to dig in!

Get the Ingredients at Publix

Don’t forget to grab all the star ingredients for this vegan chocolate quinoa cake on promotion at Publix right now!

From now until 10/11/2019, you can get these great deals:

• 2 for $4 Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Almondmilk (32 oz)
• $7.99 for Ancient Harvest Organic Quinoa (23-27 oz)
• $4.99 Miyoko’s Kitchen Organic Vegan Cream Cheese (8 oz)

And there are plenty of other great savings on plant-based products too. Check out all the offers at getthesavings.com/plant-based.

Recipe