MODERATE 18 SERVES 30 MIN PREP 20 MIN COOKING

They are gluten and dairy free, but not bound together by flour. These little morsels are surprisingly made using tinned beans and yet the cake texture and flavour is as good as any traditional chocolate cake. As for the icing, which is as silky as buttercream, it’s made using avocado and is sooo good!!


Ingredients

Chocolate cupcakes

  • 400g tin black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 shot espresso (approximately 30ml)
  • 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
  • ½ cup (125ml) coconut oil
  • 5 extra-large eggs
  • ⅔ cup (70g) cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ⅔ cup (150g) dark brown sugar
  • 75g Haigh’s dark chocolate pastilles, roughly chopped

Chocolate icing

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 160°C (140°C fan-forced). Line a standard 12-hole muffin pan with paper cases.
  2. Place drained beans, coffee, vanilla, coconut oil together in a food processor, blending until mixture is smooth. Add egg's, one at a time, blending well between additions.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, combine cocoa, baking powder, bicarb soda, salt, sugar and chocolate, stirring until well combined. Pour over bean mixture, stirring until well combined.
  4. Fill each prepared paper case 2/3 full. Place muffin pan in preheated oven and cook for 20 minutes or until a skewer comes out of the centre of a cupcake clean. Remove from oven and cool cupcakes on a wire rack. Repeat process with remaining mixture.
  5. For the icing, combine avocado and vanilla together in a food  processor until smooth and creamy. Add icing sugar and cocoa, blending until well combined. Add melted chocolate and blend again until combined.
  6. To finish cupcakes, pipe icing on top and serve