Many gluten free cakes benefit from being chocolate as the extra flavouring helps to cover the taste of the substitute flours. This cake does not even pretend. It goes the alternate ingredient route with beans that add moisture, substance and disappear into the batter just like the zucchini does. I added a cube of my frozen blackberry juice (not really needed if not handy and easily left out).
Scott Cunningham in his Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen, wrote that beans were connected to building sexual desire and wealth when combined with visualization and intent. It was such a prevalent thought in England that the church, via Saint Jerome, even forbade nuns beans in their diet as it “tickled the genitals”.
You will need:
15 oz tin of red kidney beans or black beans– drained and rinsed well
4 oz. dark chocolate, chopped and melted
1 blackberry juice ice cube (optional)
1 Tbsp. water, coffee, or rum ( your choice)
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
5 eggs
1/3 cup soft butter or light oil
6 Tbsp. cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups finely grated zucchini
3/4 cup sugar
icing sugar for dusting
flavoured or plain sweetened whipped cream
blackberries if available, raspberries will also work or serve plain
“In my Kitchen filled with Care, I welcome, Earth, Fire, Water Air“, close your eyes and take a deep breath. Release your niggling thoughts and bring focus and intention into the present moment. Take another breath and begin.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and dust your 10 inch spring form pan. Use plain sugar, a combination of cocoa and icing sugar, avoiding flour or bread crumbs if need be. Wrapping with parchment paper is also an option.
Chop and melt the dark chocolate, either over warm simmering water or with shorts bursts in the microwave.
Pull out your blender and add the washed and drained beans, butter/oil, melted chocolate, eggs and flavourings. If you have a good strong blender, it is possible to do the entire recipe in it. Mine worked better on just the “liquid” ingredients.
The picture above shows only 4 eggs as mine were extra large double yokes and 
I had added the melted blackberry juice cube. When using regular eggs use five. Puree until smooth.
Combine the dry ingredients, sugar, cocoa, leaveners and salt in a bowl.
Wash and grate the zucchini. Measure and set aside.
Add the contents of the blender to the dry ingredients and combine. I used a hand mixer but it is absolutely possible to do this by hand and save the washing up.
Do not over mix. Once everything is just moist add the zucchini and fold in.
Transfer the batter to the cake form and pop in the oven.
Bake for 35 – 40 minutes and remove when a tooth pick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool 10 minutes before removing the outside ring and then fully cool.
As this cake bakes it will puff up and then fall a little once it cools, just like the other gluten free option posted earlier this week. There is more bulk in this recipe and ultimately it will not drop as much and should finish up even.
I prepared this cake at a busy time last month. We had guests and I did not get to final pictures until a week after baking the cake.
Honestly, I was wondering what I was going to find after a week in the fridge. The cake was still moist and one of the pickiest most selective eaters I know asked for another piece the next day. I think using a 19oz tin of beans instead of the 15oz size which is also an option and adding the blackberry juice made the difference. If you are looking for something a little drier downsize the amount of beans. The texture of this cake is different from the recipe referenced above, which is more of a meringue batter. The best way to describe it is that this one is more “grounded”.
Try it, Mikey liked it and Mikey does not like much.
To serve, I dusted the cake with icing sugar. You may need to do it just before serving as the cake is moist and it may dissolve.
I whipped cream, adding sugar and some of my Cascade berry liqueur. If you have something else fruity, feel free to substitute or keep plain, followed up with fresh blackberries. Unless you know the full cake will most likely be eaten, serve cream and berries as side dishes. It will give you more flexibility with the remaining cake.
Chocolate Zucchini Bean Cake from My Kitchen Wand.
