If you’re looking to add new healthy recipes to your cooking repertoire, look for nutritional foods that contain vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and other healing agents for your body. Refined food, including refined sugar, salt, and grains, contains little or no healthful nutrients. It may be a little more expensive and take a little longer to find fresh ingredients, but definitely worth it.
TWO LAYER GLUTEN FREE CHOCOLATE CAKE RECIPE
(EDITORS NOTE: You can not taste the black beans… Just moist chocolate goodness)
Prep time: 15 minutes. Cooking time: 45 minutes. Serves: Many
12 tablespoons unsalted butter OR unrefined coconut oil OR puree apples, bananas or dates
1-1/2 cups sugar OR 1 cup honey + 2 teaspoon pure stevia extract
10 large eggs
2 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp sea salt
2 (15 oz) cans of unseasoned black beans, drained and rinsed
12 Tbsp cocoa powder
2 tsp gluten free baking powder
1 tsp gluten free baking soda
2 Tbsp water (omit if using honey)
Preheat oven to 325ºF. Spray two 9-inch cake pans with extra virgin olive oil cooking spray, or just grease it with a thin layer of butter.
In a large bowl, beat butter with sugar, until light and fluffy. Add four of the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Shake off excess water from beans. Place beans, remaining 6 eggs, vanilla, and salt into blender or food processor. Blend on high, about one minute, until beans are completely liquefied. No lumps!
Pour bean batter into egg mixture and mix. In a small bowl mix together cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder and add to bean and egg mixture. Mix thoroughly.
Pour batter into prepared cake pans and smooth the top. Grip pan firmly by the edges and rap it on the counter a few times to pop any air bubbles.
Bake for 40-45 minutes. Cake is done when the top is rounded and firm to the touch. Or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes, turn out cakes from pans, 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. For BEST flavor, let cake sit over night. (there is no black bean taste!) If you are stacking this cake, level the top of one, with a long serrated knife, shaving off layers until it is flat and even. Frost just before serving.
Note: Instead of icing the cake, just dust with powdered sugar. Or, you can serve the cake as a dessert with a spoonful or two of unsweetened berries on the side; fresh or frozen (berries that have just thawed will have juice, that will soak into the chocolate sponge – yummy!).
CHOCOLATE BUTTER CREAM FROSTING (ENOUGH TO COVER A 9-INCH LAYER CAKE)
1 cup butter (no substitutes), softened (2 sticks)
4-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1-1/4 cups baking cocoa
1/2 tap vanilla extract
1/4 cup milk (or add a little more for consistency … a little at a time)
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter. Gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar, cocoa and vanilla.
Note: This recipe has enough milk to keep the frosting firm at room temperature.
Note: Double recipe if you would like the same filling in the middle of the two layers.
If you loved this recipe, you have to try Melanie Haraldson’s Wicked Gluten Free Chocolate Chili Cookies