Gluten-free Quinoa Chocolate Cake + Special Announcement!

Hi guys!  First of all, I will get to the special announcement in a little bit after I talk about today's recipe.  Gotta save the best for last 😉!  Second, please do not run away in fear at the title of the cake; I promise that it's good 😊.  Here's all the pics of the recipe from start to finish:

So first off, the cake.  I used this exact recipe .  I'll admit that when I was going to first make this cake, I was pretty skeptical.  I mean, who puts cooked quinoa in a cake?!  Even while I was making the batter, I was suspicious.  My fears finally vanished (for the most part) when I tasted the raw batter.  Yes I eat batter with raw eggs.  I'm not going to say that that is good for everyone, but I've never gotten sick, so oh well.  It actually tasted good!  It reminded me a lot in both texture, color, and taste like brownies which was fine with me.  Post-oven, this cake tasted great, like a brownie, but with a distinct nuttiness from the quinoa.  I liked the nuttiness, but when a couple of my friends who eat gluten tried it, they thought it was just ok.  I say this just as a warning that this cake tastes different from a typical chocolate cake.  Some people, like me, will enjoy this difference while others will think it's weird.  But cover this cake with whipped  cream and nobody will complain!

So for the special announcement.  I'm gonna say it plain and simple:  I'm going to Paris and Holland later this summer 🎉!!

If you're wondering how and why I have this neat opportunity, I'll explain.

There's this really cool organization called The Make-a-Wish Foundation .  This foundation uses donations to grant the wishes of children with serious medical conditions.  I have a congenital heart defect, so I qualified to make a wish and have it granted.  By God's grace, I am living a happy and generally healthy life in spite of my heart condition.  So don't worry about me 😉.  Being the foodie that I am, I wished to go to Paris.  Besides being home to amazing food, Paris is also home to many important landmarks that are intertwined with rich history and deep significance.  So for me Paris was perfect.

I'm going to Holland after that, as I have a really sweet aunt and uncle there and it's not that far from Paris. It'll be really cool to get to see them and learn more about a nice country.

Of course, I won't be able to resist sharing my trip with you, so I'll be logging my adventures on this blog after I'm back.

I need you feedback!  Any travel tips?  How to cope with jet lag?  Good restaurants in Paris and Holland?  Please let me know.  I'm not a world traveler so I'm a little clueless and would appreciate your advice!