beans
cake
chocolate
crisp
crumble
dessert
gluten free
good fat
healthy
refined sugar free
vegan
Scorched Earth: Delicate Chocolate Cake with a Secret and Something New to Crumble For
12:42 PM
My family just
celebrated my father's 69th birthday. My dad is a wonderfully gregarious
and generous man. An innovative thinker, sophisticated eater and cook.
He has crafted a host of signature dishes that have burned into my
memories. Much like myself, he is emotionally connected to food. He has a
number of favorite meals, some of the most near and dear to him are the
ones created by his mother who has long passed on. I can relate to this
because many of my all time favorite meals were the ones made by my
dad, who did most of the cooking in my family when I was a child. He is
an excellent cook, and has excellent and particular taste in food and
beer. For all of his birthdays and special occassions, I go out of my
way to provide him either with a splendid meal or beverage and this year
was no exception.
No longer living at
home makes making dinner for my dad next to impossible so I usually
stick to a dessert or two and my mom orders in. My dad loves Indian
food. This year we got take out from my new favorite restaurant --
Banjara. If you haven't been there, I heartily recommend dropping
everything and going there right now. It is nothing short of excellent.
I typically make a
special dessert for everyone in my family for their birthdays. They all
have different favorites. My dad has a particular taste for raspberry
and rhubarb -- a favorite combination of his mother who used it in
everything from pies to marmalades made famous through his fond
memories. He also loves dark chocolate. He is not a fan of anything that
is overly sweet so this year I made two desserts mild in sweetness.
There are a lot of
family celebrations in my family these days, so it seems we are always
eating dessert. I have been possessed by the thought of making great
tasting but healthy desserts. But not everyone shares my open mind.
Often when you tell someone that the cake they are about to eat is
mostly made of beans and bananas, they tend to get a little nervous and
spend the entire time they eat it, trying to taste those strange flavors
and textures. So this time I was careful to announce the mysterious
ingredients post-consumption. They enjoyed the particularly healthy cake
that I made quite a bit, but my sister would have preferred it cold to
hot. The crisp I made, however, was devoured instantly. I make a good
crumble. The crumble I made this time around was healthier than usual
and worked out very well indeed if I do say so myself. It is gluten free
and could easily be made vegan by replacing the very small amount of
butter with vegan margarine or shortening.
The cake, much like
the black bean brownies I made last week, was very different when eaten
cold the next day (today). I ate it for breakfast because as far as
baked goods go, it is remarkably good for you. It is gluten free. It is
flour free. It is high in protein. It is naturally sweetened and far
less sweet than any cake I've every made before. I'm tempted to say that
it is better for you than a bowl of oatmeal -- well, maybe without the
chocolate chips.
I served the cake hot
out of the oven with a little Coconut Creme Anglaise.
I ate it again, alone, cold from the fridge. I like it both ways. If
you don't enjoy banana flavor, eat the cake cold from the fridge. If you
do enjoy banana flavor, eat it hot out of the oven.
My dad had a great
meal and dessert in the end, and everyone liked the cake, so I hope you
do too! I think it may be my new favorite dessert, if only because it
doesn't make me flush the way most desserts do. I find the natural sugar
in it quite tolerable and the flavor and texture delightful. It also
won't leave you feeling too full or weighed down by greasiness.
Bon Apetit
SECRET INGREDIENT FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE CAKE
Part I:
2 -15 oz cans black beans (rinsed and drained)
1 heaping teaspoon organic baking powder
2 organic frozen bananas
1/2 cup organic maple syrup
1 MINIATURE CAN organic coconut milk
2 teaspoons organic cinammon
1/2 cup Ghirardelli cocoa powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
Part II:
2 egg yolks (vegan-ize this recipe by substituting 2 flax eggs)
2 egg whites beaten to firm peaks (vegan-ize this recipe by substituting egg replacer according to package instructions for replacing egg whites OR use 2 flax eggs beaten to soft peaks with an electric mixer)
Part III:
1 large handful organic dark chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 Farenheit.
Blend all ingredients before eggs in a bowl with a hand blender until very smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Blend in egg yolks until very smooth.
Beat egg whites in a separate small bowl
until they form firm peaks. Fold in beaten whites a little at a time
into the chocolate batter. Pour into a 9inch non stick baking pan. Bake
for 30-35 minutes or until top of cake is just set and slightly springs
back to the touch.
Serve hot with coconut creme anglaise for
hot souffle-like mousse cake. OR serve chilled for denser silky
chocolate cake. If you don't like banana flavor, serve chilled.
And don't hesitate to bake a better crumble on a wintery night...
Rhubarb raspberry crisp with millet-oat topping
Berry Filling Recipe
1 package frozen raspberries (I use Stalbush organic)
1 package frozen rhubarb (I use Stalbush organic)
1/4 cup organic light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinammon
3 teaspoons organic butter
squeeze of 1/4 large lemon
Combine all filling ingredients in baking
dish of choice. Break up the butter into little bits and distribute
evenly throughout. Top with "crisp" and bake at 350 F for 20-30 minutes.
Crisp recipe
1/3 cup ground wild brown millet
2/3 cup organic quick cooking oats
1/3 cup organic oat flour
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup organic dark brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup organic dark brown sugar
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp vegan margarine
2 tsp organic ground cinammon
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
Mix all "crisp" ingredients together to a crumbly consistency in a medium sized bowl using a fork. Top "filling" with "crisp" and bake until top is slightly brown and fruit bubbles red at the sides of the pan.
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