I bet you don’t hear about a chocolate bean cake every day now do ya? Who said you couldn’t have your cake and eat your beans too? My new favorite flour to work with is garbanzo bean flour. It adds a nice rich and hearty texture to baked goods. The chocolate and orange flavors really shine through in this recipe and I swear no one will know they are eating beans, and brown rice flour too! Wait a second, is this sounding more like a burrito? The beauty is you can enjoy these beans and grains for dessert or as a meal… or both!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup garbanzo bean flour
• 1 cup brown rice flour
• 2/3 cup Sucanat (or evaporated cane juice)
• 1/2 cup: cocoa powder and chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup flax seed meal
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
  
• 1/2 cup almonds (or other nuts)
• 2 apples
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/3 cup orange juice concentrate
• 2 Tablespoons orange zest

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Lightly oil a 6-bundt pan or a 12-muffin tin.
3. In a bowl, combine the first eight dry ingredients.
4. Blend the almonds into a coarse flour.
5. Core the apples (leave skins on) and blend with the almonds, water, and orange juice concentrate until smooth.
6. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones, sprinkle in the freshly grated orange zest, and mix until just combined.
7. Bake 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Yield: 12 cupcakes or 6 bundt cakes