Bean Cake Based Tortes & Muffins/Cakes (Recipelover's)

[recipelover]

Well I tried using a bean cake base for my husband's favorite cake and it worked great. He wanted more!!! I think that it would be great for serving to company. You could tell them it is sugar-free and they would never know what the cake was made of. Just let them try it.

We love using the bean cake/muffin recipe so often because it allows us to save our "grains" for the day for something else, like cereal or bread.

I got the original recipe from allrecipes.com: Orange Cream Cake I http://cake.allrecipes.com/az/CreamsicleCake.asp

Here is my version.

Orange Cream Cake (Creamsicle cake), P2 because of pudding

Cake base:
4 large eggs(or one whole egg and 4 egg whites if you are watching cholesterol)
1 14.5 - 15 oz. can Great Northern or Cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp. baking powder
scant 3/4 c. bulk Splenda
2 T. canola oil
3/4 tsp. orange extract (I used pure orange extract)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
(I added some freshly grated nutmeg)
(1/4 c. flaxmeal or almond meal for better texture)

Blend all ingredients in a blender until well blended. Spray an 8 x 8 cake pan (could also use a pie plate); bake cake at 350 for about 25 min. Remove cake and immediately using a meat fork, poke holes all over the top of the cake. Let cool.

Rest of the Ingredients:
1 sm. pkg. sugar-free orange gelatin (divided in half--about 2 tsp. of dry mix is half))
1 sm. pkg. sugar-free vanilla (or cheesecake) pudding
1 c. milk
8 oz. Cool Whip

Stir half of the package of sf jello into 1/2 c. hot water until dissolved. Let cool a little, like 5 min.. Slowly pour over cake trying to get it to soak into the holes. Refrigerate while you make the pudding mixture.

Mix remaining 1/2 pkg. jello into the pkg of pudding mix. Beat in the 1 c. milk, beating well. Fold in 3/4 of the Cool Whip. Spread this mixture on top of the cake. Top with a thin layer of remaining Cool Whip. Chill

Note: I think that you could make this with any flavor jello. I plan to make it again real soon and I may choose a raspberry or strawberry flavor this time. But, I think that lemon or lime would be super!

I will be adding this into a link in my recipe summary sticky soon. I am working on a combined link.

[onesunshinerider]

That sounds wonderful. Definately going to give this a try.

[Dolly-VA]

I made this today and ate 1/3 of it for lunch. It is SO yum.

I made it almost as stated, (using only 1/4 c splenda and 1/4 c whey low.) It was plenty sweet, imo, and I'll probably use 3T of each next time. Also, I didn't add the pudding/cool whip topping (I'm on P1 atm and, even so, I don't really care for coolwhip.)

Recipelovr, this was SO GOOD. And without the topping, it's really just an interesting way to fix beans and eggs (rationalizing my eating it for lunch, hehe!) I might have undercooked mine, but it had a breadpudding kind of texture to it. I love bread pudding.

Anyway, this is definitely a keeper for me. I think it might even be a good breakfast substitute (again, WITHOUT the pudding/cool whip topping.) There's a chance that's what I'm having tomorrow morning, in fact. (Mmm!)

[recipelover]

Dolly, you might want to try my lemon poppy seed muffin as the cake base and then use some sf lemon jello with it. Or, you may want to try these combinations that I made into muffins. We love them and the cake base is the same but with different flavorings. I am having a banana nutmeg pecan muffin right now with my morning coffee.

[Dolly-VA]

Mmm! Thank you for posting these! I will definitely try them. DEFINITELY. (Pretty funny how exciting beans can be. )

[Dolly-VA]

I wanted to add that I decided to try eating the orange snackcake like bread pudding. I put a couple pieces in a bowl (I'd cut pan into 12 pieces, btw,) heated it a little in the microwave, poured on a little skim milk and, WOW, totally delicious! This will make a great cold weather breakfast! (Maybe I'll add dried fruit like in a couple of the other recipes added above. Apples, apricots, etc. Mmm!)

[alliemac]

RECIPELOVER, YOU ARE AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[recipelover]

Here are the bean cake tortes that I have made and we absolutely love. I am also including the original one that got me started on this new bean cake cooking spree:

I took this from the bean muffin thread. It was originally posted by Angedf2 and I made a couple of changes. It was delicious.

Right away I was thinking of a few variations, just to mention a few:

1--use sugar-free chocolate pudding instead of the banana pudding
2--add a layer of sliced bananas between the pudding the the Cool Whip
3--add a little cocoa to the batter and use sf chocolate pudding for a real chocolate fix
4--use sf butterscotch pudding and use Chocolate whipped topping.
5--can add chopped peanuts sprinkled over the top
6--use other nut butters in place of the peanut butter
7--use pistachio pudding and chopped up pistachios over the top (omit peanut butter)
-------------------------------------------

No Flour Chocolate Chip Banana Peanut Butter Dessert, Phase 2 (because of the pudding)
(originally posted by Angedf2, but changed by recipelover)

1 (14 1/2 or 15 oz.) can great northern beans (or cannelini), rinsed & drained
4 large eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2- 3/4 c. bulk splenda
3 T. SB friendly oil
4 T. natural peanut butter (smooth or chunky)

Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth. (I use this order to help the blender completely blend everything together: 2 eggs, pbutter, beans, bpowder, vanilla, splenda, oil and then 2 remaining eggs)

Stir in 1/4 c. dark chocolate chips.
Bake in a sprayed 8X8 pan for 25 min at 350.
Let cool for about 10 min; poke holes in top (I used a wooden spoon handle).
Spread sf/ff banana pudding (made as directed on pkg.) on top.
Put a layer of Light Cool Whip over the top.
Chill in refrigerator.

The original one--Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter Dessert (phase 2--because of the pudding) [posted by Angedf2]

Take recipelover's base for "mock cornbread" and add some other things.

1 can--great northern beans
4 eggs
1/2 tsp baking powder
1tlb vanilla
3/4 cp splenda
2tlb of canola oil or smart balance
4 tlb peanut butter, I used chunky carb smart

Blend in blender until smooth
add 1/4 cp dark chocolate chips
Bake in an 8X8 pan for 25 min at 350.
Let cool for about 10 min, poke holes in top.
Spread sf,ff banana pudding on top
Then Cool whip on top--use your judgement, I found the new sf kind
Chill in fridge.

this is so good it is nuts!!! My husband just about ate the entire dish

--------

Lemon Poppy Seed Torte, Phase 2 (because of the pudding) [posted by recipelover]

Cake:
1 (14 1/2 or 15 oz.) can great northern beans (or cannelini), rinsed & drained
4 large eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp. lemon extract
2 pkts True Lemon (can omit or add freshly grated lemon peel)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2- 3/4 c. bulk splenda
3 T. SB friendly oil
1 T. poppy seeds
(1/4 c. flaxmeal or almond meal for better texture)

Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth. (I use this order to help the blender completely blend everything together: 2 eggs, beans, bpowder, lemon extract, vanilla, splenda, oil and then 2 remaining eggs). Stir in poppy seeds;bake in a sprayed 8X8 pan for 25-30 min at 350. (could also use a springform pan for a more decorative presentation.

Let cool for about 10 min; poke holes in top (I used a wooden spoon handle).

Layer 2: Make one sm. box of sugar-free lemon pudding as directed on pkg. Immediately spread over top of cake (slowly to allow pudding to fall into the holes a little). I refrigerate mine for about 1/2 hour and then--

Layer 3: Put a layer of Light Cool Whip over the top. Chill in refrigerator.

NOTE: I really like the poppy seeds in this torte, but they can be expensive, so if you wish to omit them, the cake would still be good without them.

Also as I stated in my prior posting about this type of torte--be creative with different flavorings. Here is my new attempt:

Chocolate Butterscotch Torte, P2 [another version by recipelover]

Cake:
1 (14 1/2 or 15 oz.) can great northern beans (or cannelini), rinsed & drained
4 large eggs
1 tsp baking powder
3 T. unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2- 3/4 c. bulk splenda
3 T. SB friendly oil
chopped walnuts
(1/4 c. flaxmeal or almond meal for better texture)

Blend all ingredients (except nuts) in blender until smooth. (I use this order to help the blender completely blend everything together: 2 eggs, beans, bpowder, lemon extract, vanilla, splenda, oil and then 2 remaining eggs). Stir in nuts; bake in a sprayed 8X8 pan for 25-30 min at 350. (could also use a springform pan for a more decorative presentation).

Let cool for about 10 min; poke holes in top (I used a wooden spoon handle).

Layer 2: Make one sm. box of sugar-free butterscotch pudding as directed on pkg. Immediately spread over top of cake (slowly to allow pudding to fall into the holes a little). I refrigerate mine for about 1/2 hour and then--

Layer 3: Put a layer of Light Cool Whip over the top. Chill in refrigerator.

(you can also stir in some dark chocolate chips into the cake for a special treat)

[kjj3kids]

Mmmm....I made recipelover's Chocolate Black Bean Brownies last night and they were so good! I used chopped toasted almonds with chocolate chips - very good!

[moochinski]

First of all, thanks so much for these ideas recipelover! Bean cake is awesome! One question: Is the cake supposed to rise in the oven and then fall in the middle after it cools? Or is it supposed to stay puffy? Mine keep falling.

[recipelover]

When I make the torte type bean cakes, mine has not fallen in the middle. But, I used real eggs. Maybe too, you needed to bake them longer.

Most of the time I make muffins. Now that my DH can't have real eggs as much anymore, this is what I have found. If I use egg substitute, they fall or when I take them out of the pan, they tip over a little. I think that the yolks help hold the texture. I also never liked the texture when I ate them as much.

So, now I use real egg whites and then I add about 1/4 cup of ground nuts (that I buy in the baking aisle). It seems to give them better texture.

I never have had trouble with the brownies falling though.

Here is what I wrote in the other bean muffin thread:

How to improve the texture of bean muffins:

Recently we decided to cut down on the amount of eggs that we eat and use egg substitute instead. However, when I made these muffins with egg substitute and/or egg whites only, we did not like the looks or the texture of them. So, I haven't been making them as often.

But.....

I have been trying to come up with a Phase 1 way to make the texture better and I think I found a winner. I also think that it would work when using real eggs and make them even better.

I use 6 egg whites (because I don't use yolks, I add more) and I have been adding 1/4 cup of finely ground almonds (or also called almond flour/I used Bobs Red Mill Almond flour). The only thing to remember is that this would be a little bit of your nut allowance for the day. However, if you make 6-7 muffins and only eat one, the amount of nuts is quite small.

You can use any finely ground nut that you can find. The ones in the baking aisle (in bags) are ground, but are not quite as finely ground as the almond flour/meal. I may try them too in the future.

Note: I use real eggs and just throw away the yolks. I calculated the cost and it is cheaper for me right now to use real eggs and waste the yolks than to pay for someone else to do in the egg substitute. I also wonder if the type of egg substitute makes a difference.

[nygirl22]

mine falls sometimes, now that i think about it, and sometimes it doesn't... does not make a difference in taste though.

i didn't like the texture of the original. now whenever i make them (not including the chocolate brownies)... i use only 1 T. oil and add 1 T. flour (whole wheat). the texture is so much better IMO. before it was often spongy or too wet. i have seen recipes on the internet (in a goolge search) where they use the same recipe but with no oil at all. im thinking of trying it with 1 or 2 teaspoons and no flour (or maybe some oat or wheat bran) and making muffins (b/c i usually make cakes). when i used ot use the original recipe, and i tried making muffins, i could not get them out of the muffin cups without completely falling apart (even with lots of cooking spray..).

[moochinski]

I have been using 1 Tbl of oil and 1 Tbl of ground flax seed instead of the full oil amount. After reading recipelover's response, I think that my sunken bean cakes have to do with using egg substitute and not cooking them long enough. I'm going to try baking them longer and using some real egg and some substitue to see if that helps.

[kjj3kids]

We love Recipelover's Chocolate Black Bean Brownies.

I made a wonderful mistake with these last night. An idea for something different - under cook these and you have chocolate pudding cake!

I forgot that my gas oven requires additional cooking time. After we finished our dinner and the brownies had been sitting out for about 15 minutes, I cut into one for my daughter. It was a bit runny. She said - that's ok, I will eat it anyway. Well, it was WONDERFUL!!! It was like a chocolate pudding cake. (It looked done on the outside; the top and the edges were set but the middle was a runny.)

Also, here is another thing I did different with the brownies this time. I mixed the beans, eggs and oil in my Magic Bullet. It mixed up very nicely. I poured that into a bowl and then added the rest. I will probably still use the blender or food processor though as the Bullet got really full. It seemed like stirring in the cocoa powder didn't mix as well as in the blender and I did not feel I had enough room to add the cocoa powder to the Bullet. I suppose I could have tried a wisk though...

(My version - for sweetener, I use a little honey and 1/2 c. mini choc chips. I also like mine with 1/2 t. almond extract and 1/2 c. chopped toasted almonds.)

[Ditdah]

Last night I decided to try a bean cake. I made recipelovers Dreamsicle cake. It was pretty good! The topping was amazing - I could eat all of that myself.

I need to work on the cake a bit - tweak the measurements or something. It was really flat and dense. It tasted good, but it seemed nothing like a cake at all. I made it just as listed, though based on a suggestion I saw I added 2TB of ground almonds. I think I may try whipping the egg whites next time, and also getting some new baking powder - I know that stuff really looses it's effectiveness after a while, and I bet mine is pretty old.