Cake.



Chocolate cake!

Chocolate cake made without flour, sugar, or dairy. Low carb and gluten-free, of course. Cake made out of a surprise ingredient, one that will make you wrinkle you’re nose upon hearing it. This cake is good. So good, in fact, that I had to have a mug of stevia-sweetened pomegranate tea and go to bed, so I’d stop shaving off “test” slices.

You know those feelings that come over you when you play around a bit with a recipe, adding a pinch of this and a tablespoon of that? The nervousness as you put the batter in the oven, the fiddling around with the baking time, the checking and rechecking for doneness? The anticipation as you’re cutting the cake, hoping upon hope that’s it’s not too dry, too mushy, too crumbly?

It’s always a rollercoaster of emotion… this time, with a very sweet ending. Why was this particular culinary journey so nerve-wracking?

The cake is made out of black beans. Beans, seriously!

Even if you’re the fiercest of bean haters (like I am), you’ll fall head over heels for this moist chocolate cake. I haven’t have a flour- and sugar-based chocolate cake in a very long time, so my roommates had to confirm this cake’s rockstar status. Safe to say they agreed with me, and hungrily polished off the slices I provided for them. Served with a cold glass of almond milk, it was all the more refreshing after a day spent soaking up the Carolina sun.

Note: I cut 1 single layer in half, width-wise, and stacked the semicircular halves on top of one another to achieve the 2 layer cake shown here. Just double the recipe to make a whole 2 layer cake. The frosting gets its rich dark coloring from Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder .





The best part about this cake is that it’s totally budget-friendly. It’s basically beans, eggs, and cocoa. That gives you no excuse to not try it, ya hear?

Secret Ingredient Healthy Chocolate Cake 2013-11-01 20:27:20 Yields 1 This gluten-free chocolate cake is so decadent and moist, you’ll never guess its secret ingredient – black beans! The key to making a sugar-free cake taste good is to use a blend of sugar-free sweeteners (stevia, Splenda, Truvia, erythritol, etc.). You can also use honey in place of the sugar-free sweeteners, if you like. Just taste make sure the batter is sweet enough before you bake it!

Write a review Save Recipe Print Ingredients One 15 ounce can (or 15 ounces, cooked) unseasoned black beans 6 large eggs 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 6 tablespoons unsalted organic butter OR 5 1/2 Tablespoons coconut oil 1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons honeyOR Truvia* 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 2 teaspoons baking powder Instructions Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (163 degrees Celsius). Spray a 9″ cake pan with extra virgin olive oil cooking spray, or just grease it with a thin layer of butter. Dust cocoa all over the inside of the pan, tapping to evenly distribute. Cut a round of parchment paper and line the bottom of the pan, then grease the parchment lightly. Alternatively, you can make cupcakes. If you’d like to bake the batter as cupcakes, line 16 cupcake tins with paper liners. Drain and rinse beans in a strainer or colander. Shake off excess water. Place beans, 3 of the eggs, vanilla, stevia (if using) and salt into blender. Blend on high until beans are completely liquefied. No lumps! Whisk together cocoa powder and baking powder. In a bowl, use a mixer to cream the butter with sweetener (erythritol or honey) until light and fluffy. Mix in the two remaining eggs, beating for a minute after each addition. Beat the bean mixture the rest of the batter. Finally, stir in cocoa powder and water (if using), and beat the 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. If you are baking the cake as a single round layer, bake for 40-45 minutes. If you are baking the batter as cupcakes, bake for 35 minutes. Cake is done when the top springs back when you press on it. Remove cake to a cooling rack to cool for 10 minutes. Turn out cake from pan, and flip over again on to cooling rack. Let cake cool until it reaches room temperature, then cover in plastic wrap. For BEST flavor, let cake sit overnight! If you are stacking this cake, level top with a long serrated knife, shaving off layers until the cake round is flat and even. Store cake or cupcakes in the refrigerator. For the best flavor and texture, warm the cake to room temperature before serving. Notes *You can use a blend of Erythritol and stevia in place of Truvia. Use 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons of erythritol, and 2 teaspoons of pure stevia extract (I like Trader Joe’s brand). Experiment with various combinations of sugar-free sweeteners, if you like. Be sure to combine multiple sugar-free sweeteners for the best taste! Nutrition Facts for one slice (1/8) of a Single Layer Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 182 Calories; 13g Fat; 8g Protein; 10g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 156mg Cholesterol; 474mg Sodium Nutrition Facts for one slice (1/12) of a Double Layer Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 242 Calories; 17g Fat; 10g Protein; 13g Carbohydrate; 6g Dietary Fiber; 208mg Cholesterol; 592mg Sodium. By Lauren Benning Adapted from Low Carb Friends forum Adapted from Low Carb Friends forum Healthy Indulgences http://healthyindulgences.net/

Nutrition Facts:

The entire cake (made with erythritol and stevia, not frosted) contains 2,077 calories, 150g net carbs (fiber subtracted), 131g protein, and 103g fat.

The entire cake (made with honey, not frosted) contains 2,720 calories, 324g net carbs (fiber subtracted), 102g protein, and 103g fat

Sugar-Free Chocolate Buttercream Frosting 2013-11-01 20:47:34 This low carbohydrate frosting can be made dairy-free using non-hydrogenated shortening. It is rich and VERY chocolatey!

Write a review Save Recipe Print Ingredients 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted organic butter, softened, OR 7 tablespoons non-hydrogenated shortening 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon erythritol, powdered, OR 1/4 cup xylitol, powdered 5-6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 2 tablespoons half and half OR coconut milk 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract Pinch of sea salt Pure stevia extract , to taste Optional addition for a glossy finish 1 fresh organic egg yolk Instructions Cream the butter in a small bowl until fluffy. Powder erythritol or xylitol in a coffee grinder or Magic Bullet for a minute or two, until extremely fine in texture (reminiscent of powdered sugar). Let sweetener settle in grinder before opening the top. Stir powdered sweetener into butter with a spatula, then beat until smooth. Slowly (unless you want to redecorate your kitchen!) blend in the cocoa powder, vanilla, and sea salt. Beat in the half and half and egg yolk, if using. Add stevia, starting with 1/16 teaspoon. You’ll probably use less than 1/4 teaspoon. Just keep tasting and adjusting the sweetness to your liking. Notes For best results, use 1/4 cup erythritol and 1 Tablespoon of xylitol. To find out why you should combine these sweeteners in recipes, check out the Healthy Indulgences Cookbook. By Lauren Benning Healthy Indulgences http://healthyindulgences.net/

Nutrition Facts:

The entire batch of frosting (made with erythritol and stevia) contains 939 calories, 9g net carbs (fiber subtracted), 10g protein, and 105g fat.

Update: The vanilla version of this cake is posted here.

Update #2: As of 2012, this cake has spread its chocolaty lovin’ all over the blogosphere! Here are some of the versions of this cake I’ve stumbled upon at other blogs. Feast your eyes and try not to drool too much looking at the phenomenal creations from some very talented food bloggers! 😀

Dark Chocolate Cake (or cupcakes) with Dark Chocolate Frosting @ Healthy Living How-To

German Chocolate Cake @ The Healthy Advocate

Vanilla Bean Cake @ The Spunky Coconut

Healthy Flourless Chocolate Cake @ Dolly Madison Designs

Flourless Chocolate Cake @ Eating Well… Living Thin(er!)

{Secret Ingredient} Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake @ Chocolate and Carrots

Flourless, Sugarless Chocolate Cake!! @ Fully Balanced

Grain-Free Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Drizzle @ Natural Noshing

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Icing @ Low Carb Cookie Jar

Healthy Chocolate Cake @ Blessed In Bliss

**If you’ve made a version of this cake, feel free to email me a link to your post for inclusion in the list!** 🙂