Flourless Chocolate Cake

Adapted from Eating Well, Living Thin
Makes 1 9" cake

• 1 14.9 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed OR 10 ounces cooked black beans
• 1 tablespoon strong coffee
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons butter, softened
• 24 packets Truvia (about 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp)¹ OR 1 cup granulated sugar OR Splenda (See note 4)
• 5 eggs

Preheat oven to 300F. Grease and flour² a 9" cake pan.

Process or puree beans, coffee and vanilla until smooth. Cream together butter³ and Truvia (or sugar or other substitute). Add eggs and beat on medium until the color lightens and the mixture becomes fluffy (a few minutes). Add bean mixture and mix until combined, then add cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Beat until smooth and creamy.

Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40 - 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (cake test). Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely on the rack.

Cake keeps best tightly wrapped or covered. (It started going stale for me about 24 hours later without being wrapped.)

Notes:

1. I used the conversions specified by Truvia on their site. If you don't want to use artificial sweeteners (and here I do not blame you), use 1 cup of sugar instead.
2. The original recipe called for spraying the pan with nonstick spray. I did this, it failed miserably (about 1/3rd of the cake was left in the pan) and worse, the cake bits left in the pan were so greasy! My method of greasing and flouring the pan thus makes this not quite a true flourless cake, but it does get the cake out in one piece. I can live with that.
3. I also managed to have problems getting my butter soft enough. I wound up with bits and chunks of butter instead of a nice, creamy mass. Next time, I'll remember to leave it on the counter for a couple of hours.
4. To use Splenda, try 24 packets or 1 cup of the No-Calorie Granulated Sweetener, or 1/2 cup of the Sugar Blend.