Quinoa and Pineapple Spice Cake

Amarante

Thu, Mar 30 2023, 12:42 pm

Quinoa and Pineapple Spice Cake

Quinoa (pronounced keenwa, not kwinoa, unless you are my dad and really obstinate about such matters) is a modern addition to many people’s Passover repertoire, as it was recently discovered that, despite its appearance, it is not a grain but a sprout, related to the beetroot family. This cake is wonderfully retro – like a classic upside-down cake – easy to make, flour-free, and reminds me that there is a vibrant Jewish community in South America, where quinoa is a staple.

Excerpt From: Shooter, Anne - Sesame & Spice

Serves 10

125g dry quinoa
250ml water
1 x 435g can pineapple rings, juice drained and reserved
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
65g unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus extra for greasing - use vegan butter for pareve
80ml neutral oil -
110g light brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
½ pomegranate, seeds removed (optional)

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4. Grease a 23cm cake tin with butter and line the bottom with baking parchment, then grease again.

Rinse the quinoa well (otherwise it tastes bitter) and place in a small saucepan with the water. Bring to the boil, then simmer gently for 10 minutes until the little white shoot unfurls from each grain. Strain through a sieve, discarding the cooking water, and rinse well under cold water until cooled to room temperature.

In a food processor or blender, purée the quinoa and 100ml of the pineapple juice together. (If you don’t have a food processor or blender, put the quinoa and pineapple juice in a jug and whizz together using a stick blender.)

Add the eggs to the purée, one at a time, beating well after each addition, then add the vanilla extract, butter and oil and beat again. Add the sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and ginger and stir to combine.

Arrange seven pineapple rings in the bottom of the cake tin and fill the centre of each ring with some pomegranate seeds, if using. Pour the cake batter over the top. Bake for 45 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 160°C/Gas 2 and bake for a further 20 minutes, until slightly risen and golden brown, and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn onto a plate and serve warm or at room temperature. Fill the holes with more pomegranate seeds, if you like.

Amarante

Thu, Mar 30 2023, 2:18 pm

naomi2 wrote:

This sounds really interesting I wonder if anyone who tried it can tell if it was worth the work

I made it last year. It is an easy cake to make except that you cook the quinoa ahead of time.

I am not sure what part you think is difficult.

Difficult to me is a cake that requires folding in beaten egg whites perfectly or making puff pastry or even making a layer cake with even layers and nice frosting Smile