Chocolate Black Bean Cake

The other night my husband and I were wishing for dessert but, as grocery shopping was a long-overdue chore, the larder was missing the Usual Suspects. What we did have were eggs, cocoa powder and a lonely can of black beans. I dug out this forgotten flourless cake recipe and what came out of the oven was light, moist and loaded with flavor. It was so low in calories that I treated myself to a second piece, completely guilt-free!

Chocolate Black Bean Cake
Serves 8
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1 15oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 C splenda
2 T strong brewed coffee OR 1 T instant espresso powder dissolved in 1 T hot water
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
4 large eggs, separated
3 T unsweetened cocoa powder
2 T canola oil
2 T chopped walnuts (optional)

Spray an 8" x 8" baking pan with cooking spray. To make the cake easier to remove, you can line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and spray that.

Blend the egg yolks, splenda, baking powder, oil, vanilla, coffee and salt in a blender. Add the black beans and puree until smooth. Transfer the bean mixture to a mixing bowl.

With a hand mixer, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until still peaks form. fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the bean mixture with a spatula to lighten the batter. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites in two portions with the spatula. It's OK if there are some white streaks left in the batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle the top with the chopped nuts. Tap the pan on the counter a couple of times to release any air pockets. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing.

Note: If you don't like the taste of the splenda (it CAN have a bit of an aftertaste), you can substitute granulated sugar. Just add 45 calories per serving to the nutritional info below.

Nutritional Info Per Serving:
Calories: 148
Fat: 6 grams
Sodium: 320 mgs
Carbohydrate: 19 grams
Fiber: 5 grams
Protein: 5.7 grams

If you want a variation for a Vanilla Bean Cake, substitute a 15 oz can of canellini beans and leave out the cocoa and coffee flavorings. If you come up with other variations, please let me know - I'm always looking for low calorie snacks.

Enjoy!



Copyright What's Cooking Sunday, 2010