Black Bean Chocolate Cake

We celebrated my brother's birthday a few days ago. And I, as usual, had trouble figuring out what to do for the celebration. Luckily, my coworker told me about a chocolate cake his aunt used to make for him as a kid. He said that his aunt refused to tell him what was in the cake because if he knew, he probably wouldn't want to eat it anymore. It turns out the cake was made with black beans instead of flour.

I grew up in a family where eating "healthy foods" was the rule: organic, whole grains, no processed sugars, etc. Frankly, I didn't care much for it as a child. As an adult, I tend to shy away from "hippie" food, but still retain an appreciation for healthy eating. I believe that food should taste good in its own right, and that the goal of using healthy ingredients shouldn't be to replicate something else that already exists like bacon (tofurky).

Even though I was skeptical about this bean cake, I decided to try it since my coworker isn't on the health foods band wagon. The end result was a moist, rich chocolate cake, healthy enough to eat for breakfast! On top of that, it's flour less, gluten-free, (vegan), and has low sugar content (healthier if you use unrefined).

I made the following recipe which I found online as well as some homemade whip cream. Since I don't have any dietary restrictions, I used butter. But, you can make this a vegan recipe with equal deliciousness.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Makes a 9" one layer cake

Ingredients:
1-15 ounce can of unseasoned black beans
OR 1 1/2 cup cooked beans, any color
5 large eggs
1 tbs vanilla extract
1/2 tsp sea salt
6 tbs unsalted butter
1/2 - 1 1/4 cup sugar (sugar substitute)
6 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tps baking powder
1 1/2 tps baking soda
1/2 tps water (omit is using honey or other liquid sweetener)
5 large eggs


Preparation:
Drain and rinse beans. Shake of excess water. Place beans, 3 eggs, vanilla, sugar and salt into blender. Blend on high until beans are completely liquefied. Whisk together cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder. Beat butter with sweetener until light and fluffy. Add remaining two eggs, beating for a minute after each addition. Pour bean batter into egg mixture and mix. Stir in cocoa powder and beat batter on high for one minute, until smooth. Scrape batter into pan and smooth the top. Grip pan firmly by the edges and rap it on the counter a few times to pop any air bubbles. 

Preheat oven to 325F. Grease 9" round pan with olive oil and dust with cocoa powder on the inside of the pan, tapping to evenly distribute. Cut a round of parchment paper and line the bottom of the pan and grease lightly. 

Bake for 40-45 minutes. Cake is done with the top is rounded and firm to the touch. After 10 minutes, turn out cake from pan, and flip over again on to a cooling rack. Let cool until cake reaches room temperature, then cover in plastic wrap or with cake dome (I use an overturned plastic chip bowl). For BEST flavor, let cake sit over night. I promise this cake will not have a hint of beaniness after letting it sit for eight hours! If you are stacking this cake, level the top with a long serrated knife, shaving off layers until it is flat and even. Frost immediately before serving.