web analytics

Rustic Amaranth Chocolate Cake

Rustic Amaranth Chocolate Cake

You never know what you’ll see posted on Facebook or Twitter, but once in a while you find something that really inspires you. The other day I found a recipe that I knew I wanted to try immediately. Rick Bayless posted a recipe for Rustic Chocolate Cake that looked easy and sounded delicious, so I got together the ingredients to give it a try.

The cake is a gluten free cake that is similar to many flourless chocolate cake recipes that I’ve tried. The bulk of the cake is made with chocolate, butter, sugar and eggs – but it also included amaranth flour. Amaranth is a gluten-free grain that is commonly used in Mexican and South American cuisines.  Amaranth is high in protein, calcium and fiber, as well as many other vitamins and minerals, and with the growing popularity of gluten free grains, it is easier to find than ever these days. When ground into a flour, amaranth is often included in gluten free flour mixes. It absorbs water easily and can help baked goods to stay nice and moist, although it can lead to dense baked goods if not used in the right recipe.

This particular cake was easy to make and turned out beautifully, although I did find it needed a little extra time in the oven to set up completely. There are only a few ingredients, so the only unusual ingredient you might need to pick up is the amaranth flour (which I just happened to have on hand, by random luck, when I read his post ). It was dense, but not heavy, and had a tender texture that just kind of melted in your mouth. It is very, very moist  and that just makes it seem even more decadent than it is. The chocolate flavor was great and the cake wasn’t too sweet – and it was a huge hit with the crowd I served it to.

The crisp crust on the cake will crack a bit as you slice it, so I dusted mine with cocoa powder before serving. It would also be great served with a little whipped cream. If you don’t have amaranth flour, you can bake this cake using other gluten free flour mixes (I tried it with Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Mix and it turned out beautifully) as well, so it is a great choice for any kind of gluten free baking. It is so good and so decadent, that people will never know that they are eating gluten free when you serve this to them.

Rick Bayless’s Rustic Amaranth Chocolate Cake
8-oz dark chocolate (60-65% cacao), coarsely chopped
8-oz butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
6 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp salt
1 cup amaranth flour

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease an 8-inch springform pan.
In a medium sized, microwave-safe bowl, melt together dark chocolate and butter, stirring every few seconds until mixture is smooth. Allow to cool slightly.
In a large bowl, combine sugar and eggs and beat at medium-high speed until mixture is fluffy and has doubled in volume, about 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla and salt.
Stir in the chocolate mixture, then sift in the amaranth flour and stir it in until no streaks of flour remain visible and batter is uniform. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake for 40-45 minutes, until cake is set and jiggles only slightly when the pan is gently shaken. Allow to cool completely before slicing. Cake may fall as it cools.

Serves 8-10.

Share this article

12 Comments
  • Jennifer
    April 5, 2013

    Saw this recipe when Chef Bayless posted it on Twitter as well! Definitely giving it a shot, looks great!

  • Alejandra
    April 7, 2013

    Oh wow…this looks so gorgeous and fudgy! I can’t wait to try it. I haven’t done anything with amaranth yet, but have been wanting to!

  • Sarah
    April 8, 2013

    Got to say – I saw this too and have already made it. Sooooo simple and deliciously moist. Worth a bake by anyone who loves chocolate yummy cake….that’ll be everyone then right!?

  • Dana
    April 8, 2013

    A pleasant surprise from facebook, how about that. Eager to try this cake, as a close family member has been eating gluten free for years already. Nice to know even many people not eating exclusively gluten free said this cake is delicious.

  • Sarah
    June 26, 2013

    This cake was AMAZING! I made it for boyfriend and we couldn’t stop eating it. I will definitely make this again. I had featured u in the post of Here Are Seven New Ways To Make Romantic Chocolate Cakes For Fathers on AllFreshRecipes. Except ur more Eats!

  • Lily
    November 7, 2013

    I made it and it was amazing to eat with the texture of amaranth.It is more of Amaranth brownie than a cake for its richness and denseness and is much better than the brownie made with the usual flour. For cake I would reduce the amount of chocolate and eggs…I havent tried it yet but would surely come back with it.

  • as
    November 28, 2013

    Just to addto your domain amaranth grain is known as ram dana (literally means gods grain) and rajgiri (meaning royal grain) and used widely especially when celeberating navratri, shivratri and othwr festivals

  • martha barnes
    February 2, 2014

    Does this cake need icing on it? Or is it perfect without?? Doesn’t anyone know the calories per slice??

  • Nicole
    February 3, 2014

    Martha – This cake doesn’t need any icing, but you can finish it with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar if you want to dress it up.

  • Monica
    March 28, 2015

    I like everything that says Chocolate Cake so I am definitely trying this 🙂 and by the looks of it am sure I will like it. Thanks.

What do you think?

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *