Quinoa Chocolate Cake

Amateur1

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I've come across this recipe and would like to make it healthier without adversely affecting the flavour or texture.

Am I OK using dairy milk and butter?
Can I replace the coconut oil with rapeseed or Sunflower oil? If so, would it be a 1:1 replacement?
If I replace the cup (200g) coconut sugar with 70g or Truvia, should I add extra milk or something else? If so, what?
Any suggestion as to how I can replace or at least reduce the amount of butter?

Best-Ever Chocolate Quinoa Cake - Making Thyme for Health

Chocolate Quinoa Cake



Ingredients

2 cups cooked quinoa*
1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk (or preferred milk)
4 whole pasture-raised eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegan butter, melted
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1 cup organic evaporated cane juice/ or organic white sugar/ or coconut sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

FOR THE WHIPPED CHOCOLATE COCONUT CREAM FROSTING

1 (13.5 ounce) can of full fat coconut milk, refrigerated overnight

1 (10 ounce) bag chocolate chips



Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F and then line two round cake pans (or a 9×13” pan) with parchment paper.

In a food processor or blender, combine the eggs, almond milk (or preferred milk) and vanilla extract then blend for ten seconds to combine. Add the cooked and cooled quinoa along with the melted and cooled butter and coconut oil then blend until completely smooth, about thirty seconds.

Sift together the dry ingredients in a large bowl (cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and sea salt). Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry and mix together until well-combined. Divide the batter between the two pans and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the cakes from the oven and set aside to cool.

To make the frosting you will need to refrigerate the coconut milk overnight (in the coldest part of your refrigerator) so that the cream separates. Grab the coconut milk from the refrigerator but don’t shake the can or turn it upside down before opening. Open the can and scoop out the solid parts with a spoon then place them in a medium size saucepan. Add the chocolate chips to the saucepan then warm over medium heat, until the coconut cream and chocolate melt together. Whisk until smooth then transfer to a large bowl that you can later use to whip it in. (note: if the melted chocolate/coconut milk mixture still appears really dark you can add more coconut milk to lighten it up so that the end result isn’t bitter)

Allow to cool on the counter then cover and refrigerate for several hours, until thickened. Once it has thickened, remove from the refrigerator and beat on high for thirty seconds to one minute, until a fluffy icing has formed. (I made mine the night before baking the cake).

Transfer the cakes to a surface for icing with the bottom side up. I recommend that you only transfer the cakes once as they are fragile and difficult to hold together once removed from the parchment paper.

Frost the cake and refrigerate until ready to serve. The icing will melt in really warm conditions but should be fine for a few hours in cooler settings.

*approximately 3/4 cup dry quinoa will yield 2 cups cooked quinoa. I like to soak it overnight, rinse and then cook it in 1.5 cup water by bringing the water to a boil, adding the quinoa and then reducing to a simmer. Cover and cook for 10-12 minutes. Quinoa should be soft and fluffy, you don’t want any crunchy pieces in the cake!

note: using light coconut milk may result in undesirable results for the icing
 
I've come across this recipe and would like to make it healthier without adversely affecting the flavour or texture.

Am I OK using dairy milk and butter?
Can I replace the coconut oil with rapeseed or Sunflower oil? If so, would it be a 1:1 replacement?
If I replace the cup (200g) coconut sugar with 70g or Truvia, should I add extra milk or something else? If so, what?
Any suggestion as to how I can replace or at least reduce the amount of butter?
I´m not quite sure what you mean by "healthier", and your substitutes are a little confusing.
For me, a good cake has to have flour, eggs, butter and a raising agent - plus sugar. You have quinoa (which works), eggs, vegan butter (which is basically a margarine made with plant-based oils), baking soda and coconut sugar. Sounds pretty "healthy" to me; so why do you want to sub the almond milk with cow´s milk, the vegan "butter" with real butter, and the coconut oil with other vegetable oil. Respectfully, I don´t see where you´re going. Do you want fewer calories? Less fat? Less protein? What does"healthier" mean to you?
 
I´m not quite sure what you mean by "healthier", and your substitutes are a little confusing.
For me, a good cake has to have flour, eggs, butter and a raising agent - plus sugar. You have quinoa (which works), eggs, vegan butter (which is basically a margarine made with plant-based oils), baking soda and coconut sugar. Sounds pretty "healthy" to me; so why do you want to sub the almond milk with cow´s milk, the vegan "butter" with real butter, and the coconut oil with other vegetable oil. Respectfully, I don´t see where you´re going. Do you want fewer calories? Less fat? Less protein? What does"healthier" mean to you?
I'm with KK and MG on this one. You seemed to be very confused about what healthy is or means. I think a lot of the confusion starts with people advocating a plant based diet for health reason, believing sugar is not healthy, believing grain is not healthy, there so many others as well where more investigation is required for a better understanding, and a simple concept of 'context and dosage' needs to be applied. imo
 
I want less saturated fat hence replacing coconut oil with sunflower or rapeseed oil.
I want less sugar hence the truvia question.
I don't have any kosher vegan butter hence the use of dairy butter. I'm also sceptical that the non dairy alternatives to milk and butter actually provide the same nutrients as dairy milk and butter.
Will the recipe freeze? If so, what's the best way to thaw and serve?
 
I want less saturated fat hence replacing coconut oil with sunflower or rapeseed oil.
I want less sugar hence the truvia question.
I don't have any kosher vegan butter hence the use of dairy butter. I'm also sceptical that the non dairy alternatives to milk and butter actually provide the same nutrients as dairy milk and butter.
Will the recipe freeze? If so, what's the best way to thaw and serve?
Wanting something is not an argument for something being healthier.

Anyway, saturated fat isn't unhealthy. There are no studies now or ever that have shown saturated fat to be the causation for heart disease and it's mostly it's association to cholesterol, which as well has be villainized over the decades with good intentions, which were also wrong.

Adding refined sugar generally in small quantities is not unhealthy, unless very high amounts of refined sugar in their diets that represent a large proportion of their carbohydrate intake to be of added sugar, then you can have problems, maybe.

Also an alternative with less or different nutrients like vegan butter shouldn't be classified as less healthy or unhealthy simply because they don't match or equal the nutrients.

Not sure about freezing this particular recipe with cooked quinoa. Let us know if you decide to do that.
 
OK - you know what I´d do? Make one, with all the changes if you want. Try it. Does it taste good? (that has to be my first criterion)
If it does, then proceed to the next stage - freeze some. Thaw it. What does it taste like? What´s the texture like? Approve or disapprove. I´ve never, ever frozen a cake - nor would I do so. A freshly baked cake is there to enjoy immediately if possible.
Personally, flavourings like Truvia , IMHO, leave a nasty aftertaste, but that´s irrelevant.
"I'm also sceptical that the non dairy alternatives to milk and butter actually provide the same nutrients as dairy milk and butter."
I´m curious as to why you write this. Have you already investigated the subject? If it´s "nutrients" you´re talking about, that´s got to be good, so why are you sceptical?
 
Take a look at The 7 Healthiest Milk Options
There are definitely nutrients in dairy milk that are not in other milks. Therefore, we need to take this into account and plan our diets accordingly.
I ask questions here, so I can avoid any obvious pitfalls. As you say, there is a time when I just need to try it out.
 
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