Chocolate and Black Bean Cupcakes

I've been meaning to share this beautiful recipe with you for a couple of weeks now, I wanted to share it with you around the time I posted my Chunky Black Bean and Chicken Soup recipe adapted from A Girl Called Jack. It seemed appropriate that your dinner and dessert should both contain black beans and dark chocolate...yum!

I have tested this recipe about four or five times over the past two months, each time without fail the entire batch would be devoured before I had a chance to photograph them! I tell you they are that good, when I brought a batch home to my parents for a family get together over the Easter....they lasted one sitting! 

My family's reaction when I told them what was in them was a polite smiles all round, when a brave few soles tasted them out of politeness (thank you for that!) the politeness changed to genuine surprise. They taste really good, moist and brownie like almost, definitely no beany-ness about them. I am fairly sure that if you bring these to work or to a friends house for tea they won't be any the wiser as to their secret ingredient. Enjoy! 

*Recipe adapted from A Tasty love Story 

Makes 12

Ingredients

1 x Can 400g Cooked black beans in water, drained and rinsed (or 150g dried black beans, soaked overnight and cooked) 

3 Large free range eggs

200g Caster sugar

1 tsp Vanilla extract

3 Heaped tablespoons of cocoa powder

1 tsp Baking powder

Pinch of salt

100g Dark chocolate chips (50% cocoa solids) 

Method

Preheat the oven to 170ºC /345ºF/Gas Mark 4. Line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper cases.

Place the cooked black beans into a mini chopper or a food processor with a blade attachment.

Add the eggs,caster sugar and vanilla extract and whizz for 1 minute, add the cocoa powder, baking powder and a pinch of salt. 

Whizz until the batter is smooth and lump free, the batter is very runny this is normal. 

Pour the batter into the paper cases, filling each case just over half way (about two thirds full). Sprinkle a generous amount of the dark chocolate chips over each cupcake. Bake in the middle of the preheated oven for 23-25 minutes (each oven is different) or until a skewer comes out clean. You might find the skewer comes out covered in chocolate if it passes through a chocolate chip, test again in a different spot.  

Cool the cupcakes in the tray as they will firm up and sink slightly as they cool, this only adds to their rustic charm!