Chocolate Black Bean Cake

"Happy Birthday insert name here!"

A few years back when my best friend, Sam, first became a vegetarian, she experimented with some guilt-free dessert recipes for fun, and because both her and I have a serious sweet tooth. She stumbled across a black bean brownie recipe online, and ever since then, the recipe has been a favorite of ours, and has been tweaked throughout the years. Whether we are meeting up on a Monday night to watch The Bachelorette, or we simply need an easy dessert to bring to a party last minute--Sam and I always turn to these black bean brownies, or black bean cake if you add some frosting!

One of the main alterations I've made to the original recipe is that I've substituted coconut oil for vegetable oil. Coconut oil is great for baking, and it contains fatty acids that give you energy and increase brain function! Coconut oil even has a natural SPF of 8-10, which comes in handy during these summer months! I also decided to frost the black bean brownies, especially when celebrating a birthday, to give this dessert a traditional flare. I made this dessert for my boyfriend John's 23rd birthday which was two weeks ago, and I made it for my Grandma's birthday which was today! Having a second slice of cake is sinless with this recipe!

Black Bean Brownies/Cake:

-2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained

-4 eggs

-6 tbsp coconut oil

-1 cup granulated sugar

-1/2 cup cocoa powder

-1/4 tsp salt

-2 tsp vanilla
-2 tsp baking powder

-handful of chocolate chips (optional)

-vanilla frosting and sprinkles (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and grease a 13x9" baking pan with coconut oil.

2. Combine all ingredients in a blender for 30 seconds. Pause and mix all ingredients with a wooden spoon to ensure everything is being well-blended. Blend for another 30 seconds or until smooth.

3. Pour batter in pan, top with chocolate chips, and bake for 22 minutes. After the timer goes off, test the cake with a fork and continue cooking for another 3-5 minutes if fork does not come out clean when cake is pierced.

4. Cool completely, ice, and enjoy! 

Something fun to try: if you want to make a heart-shaped cake, rather than using a 13x9" cake pan, pour half of the batter in a 8x8" square cake pan, and the other half in an 8" circular cake pan. Once both cakes are done and have cooled to room temperature, carefully flip both cakes onto a larger dish or cutting board, and cut the circular cake in half. Turn the square cake so that one of the corners is pointed up (almost like a diamond shape), and place the flat sides of the half-circle cakes onto the top left and top right sides of the square cake. Voila! You have a heart shaped cake--and once you ice it, it'll look like the Cake Boss himself made it!

HAPPPPPY eating :)