Hello everyone!
Today's recipe is a healthy treat with a secret ingredient: It is hard to believe that there are beans in this moist cake. This recipe is perfect for vegans, people with allergies and anyone who wants to eat consciously.
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Taste and Occasion
I've already created this vegan and gluten-free chocolate cake in 2015. At that time, my enthusiasm for baking with natural ingredients began. Maybe you know my eBook on this topic? It's about how health and indulgence don't have to be mutually exclusive. And it works, as you can see in this gluten-free, sugar-free and vegan chocolate cake without flour, eggs, butter and co.
Admittedly, this recipe's development was a bit tricky; but I am more than happy with the result. I love regular, luscious chocolate cakes. But I also like experimental, healthy treats like this bean cake. So the secret ingredient is vegetables! With this recipe, you get a creamy "fudgy" texture, a great mouthfeel, and a slight sweetness. It reminds me a bit of the sweet potato brownies.
Ingredients
This vegan gluten-free chocolate cake is very special. It's unusual in terms of ingredients and preparation, but also incredibly delicious. It is a cake without flour, butter, egg, milk and industrial sugar. Probably you are wondering how that is supposed to work 😉 . You are right to wonder!
So, what's exactly in this healty cake with chocolate? Besides the vegetables (kidney beans or black beans), you need mainly ground oats, cocoa powder, coconut oil, chocolate, and sweeteners. There are several options for sweetening.
The first alternative is a chocolate cake with rice syrup or agave syrup and dark chocolate with very high cocoa content, with coconut blossom sugar, with stevia or with date sweetener. Of course, even alternative sweeteners are not always sugar-free. The second alternative is an actual sugar-free vegan chocolate cake without flour: You can use chocolate with xylitol or erythritol drops as well as liquid sugar-free sweeteners like fiber syrup.
How to make the Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake
Let's get started! First of all, grind the rolled oats finely in a kitchen chopper for the cake "dough". Now, prepare a strong espresso and measure out 1 tablespoon. Rinse the canned beans very well with water and drain. After that, preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C.
Line the bottom of a small springform pan (8 in/20 cm) with baking paper and lightly grease the sides.
Then, chop the chocolate into small pieces and melt in a hot water bath. Place all ingredients in a high-powered food processor or blender and blend for a few minutes until smooth and creamy. Taste and – if it's necessary – sweeten the dough. Pour the dough into the springform pan and smooth it out.
Now it's time for some decorations: Spread some chocolate drops on the cake and then bake it for 15 to 20 minutes. Attention: Do not overbake!
After baking, refrigerate the cake for a few hours or overnight, then it will firm up even more and set up nicely. Before serving, dust your vegan gluten-free chocolate cake with cocoa powder and sprinkle with cocoa nibs, if you like. The cake pieces taste great cold or briefly reheated and freeze well – a real allrounder!
Top Tip
The preparation of the dough in this recipe is different than usual. You need a powerful blender or food processor. You have to try this unusual recipe!
Recipe Card
Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake
Equipment
- Small Springform Pan (8 in/20 cm)
Ingredients
For the dough
- 50 grams (⅔ cups) rolled oats
- 1 tablespoon espresso, or oat/almond milk
- 300 grams (1 ¾ cups) black beans or kidney beans, canned
- 15 grams (3 tablespoons) cocoa powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 80 grams (4 tablespoons) rice syrup
- 40 grams (3 tablespoons) coconut oil
- 1 piece ground vanilla bean, or vanilla pulp
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 80 grams (⅓ cups) dark chocolate without sugar
For decorating
- 30 grams (4 tablespoons) chocolate drops without sugar
- baking cocoa, for dusting
- cocoa nibs
Instructions
- For the cake "dough", finely grind the rolled oats in a kitchen chopper. Prepare a strong espresso and measure out 1 tablespoon. Rinse the canned beans very well with water and drain.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C. Line the bottom of a small springform pan (8 in/20 cm) with baking paper and lightly grease the sides.
- Chop the chocolate into small pieces and melt in a hot water bath. Place all ingredients in a high-powered food processor or blender and blend for a few minutes until smooth and creamy. Taste and sweeten if necessary. Pour dough into the springform pan and smooth out, decorate with chocolate drops.
- Bake the cake for about 15-20 minutes. Do not over bake. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight, then it will firm up even more and set up nicely. Before serving, dust with cocoa powder and sprinkle with cocoa nibs, if desired. The cake pieces taste great cold or briefly reheated and freeze well.
Notes
- If the beans are already pre-cooked from a can or jar, the drained weight should be 260-300g. Of course, you can also take dried beans, soak them and cook them.
- To bake the cake with only natural ingredients, you can use dark chocolate with a very high cocoa content & without industrial sugar. For example, chocolate with coconut sugar, stevia chocolate or chocolate with date sweetener. To sweeten, you need a liquid sweetener like rice syrup or agave syrup. Cacao nibs are great for folding in or topping.
- To make the cake completely sugar-free (but not 100% "natural"), use xylitol chocolate, sugar-free chocolate drops and fiber syrup.
Ingredient substitutions
Variations
You suffer from an allergy or food intolerance? You live vegan? You want to eat healthier? Then I have many suitable recipes for you, like the moist gluten-free carrot cake, the flourless low carb waffles, the keto chocolate cake or the oatmeal pancakes without eggs, flour and sugar. Just browse through my blog a bit and get inspired! You will definitely find the right recipe for you.
About Kathrin & Jan
It's like a little miracle to me every time. Seemingly simple ingredients are made into something that can brighten up your life. Butter, sugar, eggs, and flour melt into an airy biscuit, a fine tart, a juicy cake, or a crispy biscuit. Baking simply makes you happy. Welcome and enjoy our blog!
Kathrin & Jan
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