I feel like there are a few foods that every home cook should be able to pull off: a good chocolate chip cookie. A baked chicken breast that isn’t too dry or too bland. And a nice chocolate cake.

For years, I’ve relied on the one-bowl chocolate cake recipe from the back of the Hershey’s box for mine. Apparently, that’s also the one my grandma used to make her kids’ birthday cakes. I didn’t know that until after I “discovered” it for myself, but it makes total sense.

Why mess with success?

But of course I do mess with success. It’s one of my favorite things, actually.

That’s how we discovered wacky cake, which is an egg- and milk-free cake that was apparently developed during the Great Depression. It’s a fun recipe for kids and a perfect option for those who are allergic to eggs or dairy.

But of course none of us is allergic to eggs or dairy around here.

However, I do have a couple of family members who cannot eat wheat.

I try to accommodate everyone’s food restrictions when we have family events. But many flour alternatives aren’t safe for nut allergies, and it’s hard to know whether a cake made with a flour alternative is going to taste like cake … or like sawdust.

So up to this point, I’ve kept it pretty simple. This Christmas, I made a cheesecake with a crust made of gluten-free Oreos.
That one is pretty hard to screw up.

But then I ran across the blog post of a woman who said she had three favorite chocolate cake recipes. One was the Hershey’s one-bowl cake; one was wacky cake.

We were two for two so far.

And then she said she had discovered a third cake recipe, one that was wheat-free. It was made with quinoa. Cooked quinoa. Cooked quinoa that was whirled in a blender to make a smooth batter.

I was not sold.

But then she said she found the recipe by way of Mel’s Kitchen Cafe.

And I’m just going to tell you right now that if Mel promised me that jumping off a bridge would not hurt me but would make my cookies chewier, I would absolutely jump off that bridge. She is a kitchen goddess.

So I tried it.

I wasn’t sure what to expect, so I did keep it fairly simple. I baked it in a single layer and topped it with a ganache, as opposed to making a layer cake filled with chocolate whipped cream and then topping it with ganache. And then I took it to my sister’s house in hopes that it would be worthy of sharing.

Y’all. It was. It totally was. It was a hit even with those of us who can eat regular flour, and I consider that an accomplishment.
And when my wheat-free sister tried it, she yelped, “This is QUINOA?”

Three days later, she was making another one in her kitchen. I’d call that a success.

GLUTEN-FREE CHOCOLATE CAKE

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked and cooled quinoa (about 1 cup uncooked quinoa)
1/3 cup milk
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Ganache:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
8 ounces (by weight) semisweet or dark chocolate chips

Note: I cooked my quinoa in a multicooker using 1 cup uncooked quinoa and 1 1/2 cups water, cooking on high pressure for 1 minute with a quick release.

Instructions:
■ Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9-by-13-inch metal baking pan. (Reduce temperature to 325 if pan is dark or coated.) Pour milk, eggs and vanilla in a blender and blend until combined. To measure out cooked and cooled quinoa, lightly spoon cooked quinoa into a measuring cup and level off, taking care not to pack the quinoa into the cup. Add the measured quinoa and butter to the blender. Blend well until smooth.
■ In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Pour in the quinoa mixture and mix until combined.
■ Pour into prepared pans and bake on a middle rack for about 25 to 30 minutes. A toothpick or knife inserted in the middle of the cake will come out clean when cake is done. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
■ To make ganache, pour whipping cream into a glass mixing bowl and microwave on high for 1 minute. Pour the chocolate chips into the hot cream and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Allow to sit for a few minutes and then whisk together until smooth and glossy. Allow ganache to cool for a few minutes and then pour over cake. (It will get thicker as it cools, so wait until it’s thick enough to spread evenly but not so thick that it will tear the cake.)

Amelia Plair is a mom and high school teacher in Starkville. Email reaches her at [email protected].

Amelia Plair is a Starkville resident who writes occasional food columns.

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