Chocolate Chickpea Cake is a fudgy, rich-tasting cake made without any butter or oil. Chickpeas add some protein and fiber, while taking the place of flour. This unique cake is a real treat! {gluten free, depending on baking powder}
Chocolate Chickpea Cake is similar a flourless torte, only healthier! The texture is fluffy but firm, and by the taste, you would never guess there are chickpeas in there. I used semi-sweet chocolate chips, but bittersweet would also work well for a deeper chocolate taste. Espresso powder can also be used to further enhance the chocolate flavor. The hands-on time is just minutes, and then bake for a half hour or so. Serve with a simple dusting of powdered sugar and some fresh berries, and you have a simple, easy and tasty dessert!
- 1½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
- 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
- 4 eggs
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder (optional)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- powdered sugar (for serving)
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-inch round cake pan with baking spray and set aside.
- Place eggs and chickpeas in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add sugar, baking powder and espresso powder (if using) and pulse until combined. Pour in melted chocolate and process until combined, scraping down the sides to make sure thoroughly mixed. Pour batter into prepared cake pan.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (with moist crumbs is ok). Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes and then invert cake on wire rack lined with parchment to cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar before serving, as desired.
This month, C is for Chickpea. This recipe is being shared as part of the Eating A to Z Challenge, where we cook through the alphabet, featuring recipes with a fruit, vegetable, grain or legume. I’m excited to be co-hosting this challenge this year with the original host, Brenda from Meal Planning Magic, and also new this year is Kathy from Sparkles and a Stove.
Bloggers, if you want to join in the fun, find all the details about how to join the Eat A to Z Challenge, click here.
Don’t forget to check out the Eat A to Z Pinterest board. There you can keep track of all the recipes that are added month-to-month but also find new recipes from last year too. Be sure to check out all the other blogs shown in the link up below to discover new recipes and ideas! If you’re a blogger and have a recipe to link up, this month is C or D. We can’t wait to see what you share!
Oooh yum! I’ve had a chocolate chip chickpea cake before, I can’t wait to try this chocolatey one!
I love this recipe and the first time I have seen it done with something other than nuts ( the way I do flourless) I am looking forward to trying it. Thank you, it is truly original!
I HAVE to try this! I love the Eat A to Z idea, I want to join in 🙂
I’m going to make this Saturday. It looks so good and i love chocolate..
This looks amazing! I can’t wait to try it!
Sounds amazing. Can’t wait to try but do you have a suggestion to cut back on the number of eggs?
Thank you Stacy! I think the eggs are an important part of the cake, but you might be able to get away with subbing 2 egg whites per egg for 1…maybe 2 of the eggs.
If youre trying to avoid eggs in your baked goods you could also make flax or chia eggs 🙂 You just grind I think a tablespoon in a coffee grinder, or you can buy them pretty ground, then add I think 3 tablespoons water and let sit for a few minutes.
I can’t wait to try this. I’m a big chick pea fan…and I love chocolate. But, I’ve never tried them together…and I’m going to surprise the kids!
Wish I had a slice of your cake, thanks for posting the recipe.
Love, love, love, love this. Fabulous idea. I’m a huge chickpea fan and can’t wait to try this!!!!
Wow! This looks fantastic! And who would have thought to use chickpeas? I can’t wait to give this a try–it looks pretty simple too.
Thanks for a great recipe. I dubbed it chocolate hummus and made it for a family birthday party so that everyone (including the gluten and dairy intolerant) could share in the dessert. It was a big hit, with a request to share the recipe included. I added the zest of a grated clementine in place of espresso and someone said they thought almond extract would be good too. The top was crinkly and brownie like so we served it upside down so it would be prettier as a cake but I might try this in a square pan and call it brownies next time.
I made this last night. Super easy to make and I followed the directions exactly. It fell apart when I turned it out of the pan! I ended up cutting it into pieces (like you would for brownies) and serving them that way. It was delicious and a HUGE hit!
Hi Meri, good save! Thanks for sharing!
Made this cake last night for the first time to take to a friend’s house for dinner, as I needed something that my husband could also eat now that he is trying to avoid wheat. It turned out beautifully. The texture is rather like a moist, chocolate truffle; firmer on the outside & moister towards the centre. You only need a small slice as it is quite rich. You cant tell that chickpeas have been used at all! Delicious!