Admittedly, I’m getting a little carried away with this bean puree in baked goods, but this one works for a different reason. The white beans in this cake add texture, moisture, protein, and fiber. The key to using beans in baked goods is to camouflage the flavor. This cake has almond extract and tahini (or almond butter), so it’s rich and rewarding. Fresh apricots and/or sliced pears work best with this flavor. I’m a fan of slivered almonds or pecans as a complimentary nut to the sweetness of the cake.
Of course, the name is meant to inspire you to live with a sense of amazement instead of on the edge of expectations unmet.
Ingredients:
1 can of great northern white beans
1/4 cup almond milk
1/4 cup of nut or seed butter, like tahini or almond butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon almond extract
3 eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup of almond meal
2/3 cup of sugar
This can be a combination of sugars like brown sugar and coconut sugar or you can substitute 1/3 cup sugar with honey, maple syrup, or molasses
fancy stuff for the top:
Fresh apricot slices with slivered almonds
Fresh strawberries or any other berries that are in season
Sliced pears or apples with candied pecans
Nutella and hazelnuts
Grand mariner in the cake with chocolate chunks and orange marmalade on top
Instructions:
Heat oven to 350-375
Drain and wash the white beans
Puree them in a blender with the almond milk, vanilla, and almond extract
Mix in the eggs
Mix all the dry ingredients (cinnamon, almond meal, and sugar)
Combine all the ingredients together
Spread the batter into a baking pan
drop of oil spread on the bottom with a circle of parchment paper on top
Pour batter on top of parchment paper
Bake for 30-40 minutes
If you’re adding a fancy topping, bake for about 20 minutes, then put on the top so you don’t dry it out. This timing depends on what you use for the topping