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Red White and Blue Quinoa Berry Cake

This is a delicious berry cake, not too sweet, allowing the berries to shine.  A bit of quinoa adds some texture and protein - my excuse for having this for breakfast!

Serve with vanilla ice cream for a great 4th of July treat.


1 stick butter (1/4 lb) at room temperature
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup cooked rainbow quinoa, cooled to room temperature

1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

1 pint blueberries
12 oz strawberries, trimmed and quartered

1-2 Tbsp coarse sugar for topping (if you have it - otherwise regular cane sugar)

vanilla ice cream - the ‘white’

Preheat oven to 350F.

Cream the sugar together with the butter with a mixer.  Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well.  Mix in the quinoa.  Then mix in the flour, baking powder and salt.  

Fold in 3/4 of the berries into the batter.  
Transfer to a buttered 9- or 10-inch springform pan.  
Top the cake with the remaining berries and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
Bake about an hour, until nicely browned and the sides have pulled away from the edge of the pan.  
Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes.  Remove springform mold.

Slice and serve with vanilla ice cream.

Makes one cake.

Cook's Note: Don't worry - if you don't have a springform pan, use whatever you have and enjoy!

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