Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Lemon White Bean Cake with Pistachio Lemon Topping (Flourless)

O.M.G. this cake is delectable! It's light, refreshing, moist, and incredibly flavorful. This may very well be the best cake I've ever made!

 
After having so much success baking with black beans, I wanted to try baking with white beans. I searched the internet, but could not find any flourless white bean cake recipes. I took a chance and created my own white bean cake recipe. And, my first attempt was beyond successful!

The lemon flavor does an excellent job of masking the bean flavor. I let the cake sit overnight before frosting and serving, and there was not a single hint of bean flavor. Not only is the flavor delicious, but the texture is perfect - spongy and very moist.

Mike calls this recipe my "most amazing lemon cake!" He really thinks I'm "on to something" and insists that I should sell this recipe. And, he wants half of the profits since the lemon flavor was partly his idea! :) When Mike starts talking about making money with gluten-free recipes, I know without a doubt that this recipe is phenomenal and As Good As Gluten!


Lemon White Bean Cake with Pistachio Lemon Topping
Cake Ingredients:
·2 cups cooked white beans (I soaked ½ cup of dried Great Northern Beans overnight, cooked them the next day, and allowed them to cool completely before pureeing.)
·3 eggs, separated
·2 TBS applesauce
·1 TBS pure vanilla
·2 TBS fresh lemon juice
·Pinch of sea salt
·6 TBS butter, softened
·¾ cup sugar
·1 TBS potato starch
·1½ TBS lemon zest
·1 tsp double acting baking powder
·½ tsp baking soda
Topping Ingredients:
·1 container fat-free whipped topping, thawed
·1 TBS fresh lemon juice
·1 TBS lemon zest
·1 oz. pistachios, chopped in a food processor

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350˚. Line the bottom of a 9” cake pan with a parchment paper round and grease pan with butter. In a blender, puree white beans, egg yolks, applesauce, vanilla, lemon juice, and sea salt until completely smooth. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until fluffy and soft peaks begin to form. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add bean puree to butter mixture and mix well. Stir in potato starch, lemon zest, baking powder, and baking soda. Beat on medium speed until all ingredients are completely combined. Fold in egg whites by hand until just combined.

Pour batter into prepared pan, smooth out the top, and bake for 35-40 minutes. Cake is finished when the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 20 minutes and then remove.

When the cake is completely cool, prepare frosting by mixing one container of thawed whipped topping with lemon juice and lemon zest. Frost cake and then top with chopped pistachios.

I've also shared this recipe on: Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Go Ahead Honey, It's Gluten Free, This Week's Craving

6 comments:

joanna said...

Wow. A whole world of baking cakes with beans is opening up to me. :-) I'm too curious not to try this... I suppose there won't be any difference if I use canned beans? I'll also try a different topping, something dairy-free. Thanks for experimenting and sharing!

As Good As Gluten said...

Joanna, please let me know how it turns out for you. I'm anxious to hear! I would think that using canned beans would turn out just as well (and save you time).

Unknown said...

This sounds great. Can it be doubled and baked in a 13 x 9" pan or should the measurements be adjusted (and how) for this size cake?
Keep up the good work!

As Good As Gluten said...

Yes, you can double the recipe for a larger pan. I'm unsure how the cooking time will be impacted. So I would recommend baking it for 35 minutes and then check to see if it's done. If not, continue baking in 4-5 minute intervals until it's done. Thanks for the good feedback!

Becky said...

I'm so glad to have found your Lemon White Bean Cake recipe. My family is GFCF and they love bean brownies and carrot bean cake and bean spice cake, and I wanted to try a lemon cake. Thank you for saving me from having to experiment (I've never really been successful and anything other than simple recipe substitutions, let alone creating a whole new recipe! Happy Sunday!

As Good As Gluten said...

Thank you, Becky! I'm SO glad to hear this.
Your carrot bean and bean spice cake recipes sound great. I'd love to try them if you send me the recipes at asgooagluten at gmail dot com.