Chocolate and beans? You wouldn’t think to mix these two ingredients together but they truly work. Pinto beans are a commonly used to make refried beans and you can pick them up, tinned, in most supermarkets. Adding beans to your cake gives it extra protein and a dense finish. This recipe is perfect if you want to give a classic chocolate cake a new twist.
Ingredients
- 1 can of pinto beans (175g drained)
- 150g butter
- 100g milk chocolate
- 100g dark chocolate
- 100g soft brown sugar
- 50g caster sugar
- 1tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 2 eggs
- 100g self-raising flour
- ½tsp baking powder
WEIGHT CONVERTER
Method
- Preheat oven 160C/325F/Gas Mark 6. Grease and line an 8 inch cake tin.
- Melt both the milk and dark chocolates in a large bowl resting on a smaller saucepan containing 1 inch of water. The water should be simmering very gently on a low heat. When most of the chocolate squares are melted give it a stir and take off the heat and set aside. It will continue to melt without any more heat.
- Drain and thoroughly wash the pinto beans and blend until completely smooth. Place into a large mixing bowl.
- Measure 2 tbsp of cocoa and sift into the bowl with the beans. Mix together to make a chocolaty paste.
- Put the sugar, flour , baking powder, and salt into the mixing bowl with the pinto bean paste. Melt the butter in the microwave for 20-30 seconds.
- Moving swiftly add the melted butter, chocolate and the eggs to the rest of ingredients in the bowl and whisk until completely combined.
- Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 40-45 minutes in the preheated oven. Check the cake after 25-30 minutes as some ovens are quicker. Remove from the tin and dust with cocoa powder or vanilla infused icing sugar.
Top Tip for making Chocolate and pinto bean cake
Have a packet of vanilla-infused icing sugar in your store cupboard at all times, it’s so easy to make. Just take 2 vanilla pods and open out and drop them into a 1kg box of icing sugar and stir every day until fully infused. By one week its ready to use.
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