Did you know google has almost 4.4 million search results when you enter in “chocolate cake recipe”. Yes, I know that’s about as broad as you can get with a recipe search, but sometimes you don’t have time to come up with an articulate and accurate google search. So “chocolate cake recipes” it is!

Of those 4.4 million results it seems that almost every recipe is ‘the best’ or ‘perfect’, so what’s the point in adding another recipe to the ever-growing mound of chocolate cake recipes? Well, this one is gluten free! And not in the “tastes like a regular chocolate cake that you accidentally added sand and sadness into before baking” gluten free kind of way. This is the type of chocolate cake recipe that you make even though it’s gluten free.

This is one of those recipes that you keep silently in your recipe book and break out from time to time but don’t really tell anyone about. Maybe it’s because you don’t entirely want to share that recipe – but hey no one really reads your blog anyway so you may as well put it up here, right? Or maybe it’s because you still remember (a little too vividly) when your boss’ mom reenacted the deli scene from When Harry Met Sally while eating the cake.

But then when you make it again you remember just how easy it is to make it and just how damn good the cake turns out every time and it all comes flooding back to you. You think “I should really make these more often” as you stuff the first one into your face. Thankfully, there are coworkers who will gladly take almost any baked good that comes into the office stopping you from eating all twelve of the cupcakes in the course of 24 hours. But even if you did eat all of them, no one would judge you.

Oh, did I mention it also has beans? Black beans to be exact. That’s what makes this recipe “healthy-ish”. Don’t worry, you can’t taste them at all. If you aren’t neurotic like me and nervous that everyone else somehow has a bean allergy because your nephew has one you wouldn’t even need to say anything.

Here’s what you’ll need (recipe adapted from here):

-1  15oz can of unseasoned black beans

-5 large eggs

-1 tablespoon vanilla extract

-1 teaspoon kosher salt

-6 tablespoons (85 g) butter, melted  (vegetable oil, coconut oil, or canola oil will work)

-1 cup sugar

-6 tablespoons (30 g) unsweetened cocoa powder

-1 teaspoon baking powder

-1/2 teaspoon baking soda

-1 tablespoon water

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a food processor combine beans, eggs, vanilla, salt, butter, and sugar. Puree until smooth, about 1 minute.

Add cocoa powder and leaveners. Pulse until combined. Add the water and pulse again. The batter will feel very loose, but don’t worry it will bake up fine.

Scoop the batter into lined muffin tins and bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating halfway through. Cupcakes will be done when a toothpick inserted into the cupcake comes out clean.

Place the cupcakes to cool on a cooling rack.

For the frosting (adapted from here):

1 3/4 cups (220 g) confectioners sugar

1/2 cup (60 g) cocoa powder

1/8 tsp kosher salt

6 tablespoons (85 g) butter, very soft

1/4 cup (55 g) whole milk

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a large bowl, combine sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Mix in the butter until it begins to blend with the cocoa mix.

Add the milk and vanilla, and whisk until smooth and free of lumps. The color will lighten slightly.

Spread frosting onto cupcakes and enjoy!

-1  15oz can of unseasoned black beans

-5 large eggs

-1 tablespoon vanilla extract

-1 teaspoon kosher salt

-6 tablespoons (85 g) butter, melted  (vegetable oil, coconut oil, or canola oil will work)

-1 cup sugar

-6 tablespoons (30 g) unsweetened cocoa powder

-1 teaspoon baking powder

-1/2 teaspoon baking soda

-1 tablespoon water

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a food processor combine beans, eggs, vanilla, salt, butter, and sugar. Puree until smooth, about 1 minute. Add cocoa powder and leaveners. Pulse until combined. Add the water and pulse again. The batter will feel very loose, but don’t worry it will bake up fine.

Scoop the batter into lined muffin tins and bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating halfway through. Cupcakes will be done when a toothpick inserted into the cupcake comes out clean.

Place the cupcakes to cool on a cooling rack.

For the frosting:

1 3/4 cups (220 g) confectioners sugar

1/2 cup (60 g) cocoa powder

1/8 tsp kosher salt

6 tablespoons (85 g) butter, very soft

1/4 cup (55 g) whole milk

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a large bowl, combine sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Mix in the butter until it begins to blend with the cocoa mix. Add the milk and vanilla, and whisk until smooth and free of lumps. The color will lighten slightly.

Spread frosting onto cupcakes and enjoy!