Flourless chocolate cakes are a favorite, so I had to try this recipe with beans and walnuts. It turned out to be delicious! The texture is creamy, and the cake stores well for a few days.
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Surprisingly good
This flourless chocolate bean cake was not my first choice of recipe, and while making it, I still had my doubts. Then I tried it and knew it was perfect for posting.
It was a surprise and a good one and quite different in texture and flavor from our tried-and-true flourless torte recipe.
Using beans in sweet recipes
Chocolate recipes with beans have been around for a while, but they usually involve red beans, like the ones we like with a chili bowl.
This one uses cannellini beans, the medium white ones. They are popular and can be bought canned or dried. They add a lot of texture and balance the sweetness.
Flourless chocolate cakes
I love them; they're one of my favorite chocolate cakes.
Why? They are light but have a lot of chocolate flavor, keep well, look sophisticated, and can be shared with gluten-intolerant friends.
The tricky part is whipping the egg whites well as they give the cake its structure.
This is no ordinary flourless cake.
The white cannellini beans are added to a mousse-like batter together with a considerable amount of ground walnuts.
The result is the tallest flourless chocolate cake I ever made. And it stays that way. It doesn't sink much in the middle, as most do.
Now, I swear by Nigella's flourless chocolate mousse cake, which I already posted served with my favorite caramel ice cream. It's beyond good, not only in flavor but also in texture. I've made it dozens of times and will probably never tire of it.
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Flourless Chocolate Bean Cake
Ingredients
- 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 2 cups walnuts, lightly toasted
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 ½ cups beans, 21 ounces cooked, drained if canned, I used cannellini beans
- 6 eggs, large
- 2 tablespoons dark rum
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- pinch salt
- 2 teaspoons powdered sugar, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
- Lightly butter or spray a 10-inch round cake springform pan.
- Melt 8 ounces semisweet chocolate in a glass bowl or heat-proof bowl over a pan of boiling water, being careful that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Or microwave it (in a microwave-safe bowl) in 30-second intervals, mixing well between each one and being careful not to scorch the chocolate. Let cool to room temperature.
- Grind 2 cups walnuts with ¼ cup of the sugar. Transfer to another bowl.
- Using the same processor, puree 1 ½ cups beans with 2 tablespoons dark rum and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract.
- Separate 6 eggs, put yolks in a small bowl and whites in a clean, dry large bowl.
- Add the egg yolks, one at a time, and process until smooth. Add the melted chocolate and process until smooth. Don't overprocess.
- With an electric mixer, beat egg whites and pinch salt until soft peaks start to form. While beating at high speed, gradually add the remaining ¾ cup sugar and beat until stiff peaks form and the meringue is glossy.
- Add ¼ of the chocolate batter into the meringue, and mix lightly with a rubber or silicon spatula. Add the rest of the chocolate in two more additions, mixing lightly between each one. It will not be even colored.
- Add the ground walnuts and mix with a spatula until it's all one even-colored batter, but careful not to overmix.
- Put into the prepared pan, place an aluminum foil in the bottom of the oven if using a springform pan in case the cake drips.
- Bake for about 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the top is firm and a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack until the cake is at room temperature.
- Remove the springform ring and transfer the cake to a serving plate, dust with 2 teaspoons powdered sugar and serve.
- Store leftovers in the fridge, wrapped in plastic or in an airtight container and return to room temperature before eating.
Lane says
Wow I love flourless chocolate cake. Who would have ever though to put beans in it. So interesting. I must try! PS love that last picture!