Prep 15 mins | Cook 30-40 mins (oven dependant) |
The trend with cakes and baking recently has been to use vegetables or things you wouldn’t normally think to make a cake with, bringing a new nutritional angle and flaunting how versatile some ingredients can actually be. This butter bean cake does exactly that. The beauty of the beans are that they guarantee a moreish moist cake at the end. Delicately flavoured with desiccated coconut removes the need for flour making this a winner for anyone on a gluten-free diet.
BUTTER BEANS – 100g of cooked butter beans is the equivalent of around 77 calories. High in protein the butter bean is also a good source for ; iron, zinc, magnesium, and some core B-vitamins which help turn carbohydrates into energy. Beans in general are renowned for helping lower cholesterol levels and care for the colon. (SOURCE: http://www.foods-healing-power.com/health-benefits-of-beans.html )
Ingredients.
3 eggs
2 ½ tsp baking powder (gluten-free)
260g caster sugar
75g desiccated coconut
100 ml vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
350g cooked white beans, drained weight. – I use 1 can butter beans and top up to 350g with cannellini beans. Any beans that don’t make it into the cake I reserve in the fridge and incorporate into dinner somehow!
Method.
Preheat your oven to 200c / 180c (fan) / Gas Mark 6
- Blend the beans in a small food processor until they are smooth. You may have to stop and scrape the sides a few times to achieve the smooth paste you’re after.
- Transfer the bean paste to a large mixing bowl and add the vanilla extract and eggs. Whisk to combine thoroughly.
- Now add in your sugar and whisk again.
- Add the coconut, baking powder, and oil and combine thoroughly.
- Lightly oil a 22cm loose-bottomed cake tin, pour in the cake batter and bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean after testing the centre.
- Leave the cake in its tin to cool before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Serve along-side some fruit and light cream, although the cake will be moist enough to enjoy without cream.
If you don’t have a 22cm loose-bottomed cake tin then you could use a small roasting tin, just ensure that your cake batter doesn’t come too close to the top otherwise it will overflow as it rises.
