Apple & Garbanzo Cake

 Apple & garbanzo cake. Did you just wrinkle your nose? If you did, you're not alone - I definitely did when I came across this interesting entity. Yet, I was simultaneously intrigued. This is definitely not your every day cake. After all, who thinks "You know what would be great in this cake? Beans." 

I maintained a high degree of skepticism while I was making this, quite convinced that something was going to taste "off" in the finished product. I was (happily) completely wrong. Different? Yes. But it was so delicious! It's a little bit difficult to describe the texture of this cake. It's very soft and tender, but in no way fluffy like a traditional cake. It's meltingly soft, apple-y, and cinnamon-y, and you cannot detect the chickpeas (tested on my husband - he had no clue and loved the texture!). 

This is a wonderful, healthy recipe, especially for those who are avoiding gluten. Although I love baking with whole wheat flour, sometimes it's nice to give the grains a rest and try something different instead! This is healthy enough to eat for breakfast. Clocking in at approximately 90 calories per piece (this recipe makes 12 pieces), you won't break the calorie bank either. You'll definitely want to give this a try - it's absolutely delicious and a perfect guilt-free dessert or breakfast (pictured here with a dollop of greek yogurt)! 

Apple & Garbanzo Cake

adapted from ibreatheimhungry

Ingredients

One 16 oz can of no-salt-added chickpeas

4 eggs, beaten

1 tsp lemon zest

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp salt

2 small granny smith apples (or 1 medium apple), finely grated

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Drain and rinse chickpeas; pat dry

2. Process chickpeas in food processor until they become a paste (see photo below)

3. Finely grate your apples. They will be very watery; this is fine! (see photo below)

4. Combine chickpeas and apples in a mixing bowl

4. Beat 4 eggs, add to bowl and stir

5. Add salt, cinnamon, cloves, sugar, and lemon zest

6. Mix until thoroughly combined

7. Grease a 9x13 inch pan. Add batter to pan

8. Bake at 350F for 50 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean 

9. Allow cake to cool completely. Cut into 12 squares and enjoy! 

 You'll see a beautiful, shiny top to your cake when it's done. So pretty! 

Of note,  I will likely reduce the sugar from 1/2 cup to 1/4 cup next time. I prefer to avoid over-sweetness, and 1/2 cup sugar is pushing it. Of course, this depends on your preference, but I'll cut it back to 1/4 in the future; the apples pack a lot of sweetness on their own! 

 Have you tried baking with any unusual ingredients? I'd love to experiment more...

Thanks for reading! 

-R

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