Bean Brownies
INGREDIENTS FOR THE BROWNIE:
- 500 g canned red beans
- 3 eggs
- 5 tablespoons cocoa
- 3 tablespoons xylitol
-
3 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 banana
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Buy INGREDIENTS FOR THE FROSTING:
-
4 tablespoons coconut oil
- 4 tablespoons cocoa
- 2 tablespoons vanilla sugar (optional)
- 1/3 cup water
Craving something sweet? Looking for a protein snack? Or maybe you just want to prepare something delicious for a meeting with your loved ones? These bean brownies are perfect for all these occasions and more! Thanks to the fact that its base is beans, and not wheat, refined flour, the cake has much more protein and fiber than classic brownies. In addition, I do not use white sugar in it, and banana and xylitol account for the sweet taste instead. You can also serve this cake to people on a gluten-free diet and believe me that everyone who tries it will be satisfied. 🙂 Enjoy the recipe!
Preparation
I drained the beans from the can and rinsed them with water in a sieve. I separated the egg whites and whipped them with xylitol until stiff. I put the beans into the bowl and blended with the eggs and banana, then added all the other ingredients and blended again. I put the dough into a spring form pan and baked it for about 35 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius. Then I opened the oven and left the cake for about 10 minutes.
After I’ve taken the cake out of the oven, I prepared the topping by mixing coconut oil with cocoa, vanilla sugar and water in a saucepan. Then I poured it over the cake and left it to cool. You can use any ingredients for decoration: raspberries, strawberries or chopped nuts.
Rinse the beans until the water runs clear
This is the step that decides whether anyone can tell there are beans in the cake. The liquid in the can tastes of starch and tin, and it clings to the beans, so a quick pass under the tap is not enough: leave them in the sieve and keep rinsing until the water coming through is clear and no longer foams. Then let them drain properly, because water left on the beans thins the batter.
Blend for longer than feels necessary. Bean skins are what give away a bean cake, and they need a good minute in the blender to disappear completely. If your blender leaves the batter grainy, push it through a sieve before the cocoa goes in; once it is smooth, nothing about the finished brownie says beans.
Why the cake stays in the oven with the door open
Because it is held together by whipped egg white rather than flour, and a cake like that shrinks when the air around it changes temperature quickly. Ten minutes in the switched-off oven with the door ajar lets it cool gradually and keeps the middle from sinking. It is the same reason cheesecakes are cooled that way.
Check it at thirty five minutes with a skewer in the middle: moist crumbs clinging to it mean it is done, a clean skewer means it went a few minutes too far. Bean brownies firm up considerably as they cool, so they always look underbaked coming out.
The frosting, and what to put on top
Coconut oil sets hard in the fridge and stays soft at room temperature, which is worth knowing before you decide when to pour it. Let the cake cool first, or the frosting soaks in instead of sitting on top, and give it a few minutes in the fridge if you want a firm layer to cut through.
Berries are the obvious decoration and they go on after the frosting has set, not into it. One caution worth knowing: xylitol is dangerous for dogs even in small amounts, so a cake sweetened with it should not be shared with the one who begs hardest.
There are other brownies on the blog if you want to compare: an almond flour brownie and a brownie jar with strawberries. And if you would rather have desserts accounted for rather than improvised, the Diet & Training by Ann app plans the week with a shopping list to match.
Bean brownies
Ingredients
Method
- Drain the beans from the can and rinse them in a sieve until the water runs clear, then let them drain.
- Separate the egg whites and whip them with the xylitol until stiff.
- Put the beans into a bowl and blend them with the eggs and the banana until completely smooth.
- Add the remaining brownie ingredients and blend again.
- Pour the batter into a spring form pan and bake for about 35 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.
- Open the oven door and leave the cake inside for about 10 minutes so it cools gradually.
- Mix the coconut oil with the cocoa, vanilla sugar and water in a saucepan to make the frosting.
- Pour the frosting over the cooled cake and leave it to set. Decorate with raspberries, strawberries or chopped nuts.
Notes
Frequently asked questions
Not if two things are done properly. Rinse the beans until the water running through the sieve is clear and no longer foams, because the canning liquid is what tastes of starch and tin. Then blend the batter for longer than feels necessary: bean skins are what give the cake away, and they need a good minute to disappear.
Because it is held together by whipped egg white rather than flour, and a cake like that sinks when the air around it cools quickly. Ten minutes in the switched-off oven with the door ajar lets it cool gradually, the same way a cheesecake is treated.
Check at thirty five minutes with a skewer in the middle: moist crumbs clinging to it mean it is done, and a clean skewer means it went too far. Bean brownies firm up considerably as they cool, so they look underbaked coming out of the oven.
Once the cake has cooled. Poured onto a warm cake it soaks in instead of sitting on top. Coconut oil sets hard in the fridge and stays soft at room temperature, so a few minutes in the fridge gives a firm layer to cut through.
Yes. The base is canned red beans rather than wheat flour, and there is no white sugar in it either: the sweetness comes from banana and xylitol. One caution: xylitol is dangerous for dogs even in small amounts. If you would rather have desserts accounted for than improvised, the Diet & Training by Ann app plans the week with a shopping list.
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