Vegan black bean chocolate cake with pistachio butter

Vegan chocolate cake made from black beans, cocoa powder and almond butter, sweetened with dates and topped with pistachio butter. No refined sugar, with protein from the pulses.

At a glance

• Serves 4
• Prep time: 15 min
• Cooking time: 25 min
• Total time: 40 min
• Calories: 281 kcal per serving
• Protein: 11 g
• Fat: 13 g
• Carbs: 28 g

Ingredients

• 250g black beans
• 80g dates
• 50g almond butter
• 50g cocoa powder
• 100ml oat milk
• 30g pistachio butter
• 1 tsp baking powder

Method

You’ll need: oven · cake tin · blender · sieve

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C (160 °C fan).
2. Rinse the black beans under running water and leave to drain.
3. Put the beans in a blender with the dates, almond butter, cocoa powder, oat milk and baking powder. Blend everything until you have a smooth batter.
4. Pour the batter into a small tin lined with baking paper.
5. Dot the pistachio butter over the batter and swirl it with a fork to make a marbled pattern.
6. Bake the cake for 25 minutes. Let it cool completely before cutting.

Good to know

Fancy chocolate cake without white flour and without refined sugar? This one binds the batter with black beans and gets its sweetness from dates alone. The result is dense and fudgy, more like a brownie than a classic sponge.

Swaps

Almond butter → tahini (sesame-based, an option if you have a nut allergy). Dates → 3 ripe bananas (less sweet, more potassium). Pistachio butter → cashew butter (milder in flavour, cheaper). Oat milk → almond milk (fewer carbs).

Cooking tips

Rinse and drain the beans very thoroughly, otherwise the cake tastes of beans instead of chocolate. Let it cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting, or it will fall apart.

Storage

Keeps for 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge, or up to 2 months in the freezer.

Allergens

Contains almonds and pistachios (tree nuts) – not suitable if you have a nut allergy. The oat milk contains gluten unless it is certified gluten-free. Fine for children from 1 year and during pregnancy. Contains: gluten (oats).

Frequently asked questions

How long does black bean chocolate cake keep in the fridge?

Keeps for 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge, or up to 2 months in the freezer.

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