Yes, you really do. And it makes your house smell wonderful. This is one of the strangest cakes I've ever made, but also one of the most delicious. I got the recipe from Orangette, and as it's the most recent thing she's posted, I feel rather presumptuous posting about it myself, but I figured that since I'd made a few changes to the recipe, I could allow myself to do it.
The fun thing about this cake, besides boiling an orange and a lemon for half an hour and filling your house with the most amazing smell, is that it's lactose-free. Olive oil is the fat, and you have to beat the eggs a LOT. I didn't beat them enough, and, while the cake still tasted amazing, it had a dip in the middle. Aim for a very pale yellow and you should be good. I also didn't have almonds on hand, but a ton of pecan meal, which I used instead. The color was darker, of course, but just as tasty. And it got me thinking about other substitutions one could make in this recipe--bergamot and macademia nuts, anyone?
Or some of these and roasted pine nuts...
My brother was pleased with the cake. So was everyone else.
~The Weng
...If you have one, of course. If not, you could just sit down and eat this pan of brownies all by yourself, and not feel one bit guilty.
Well, maybe a little. But the fact remains that these are some of the healthiest brownies I've ever made. And some of the easiest. It's one of those stick-everything-in-the-food-processor-and-push-the-fun-button recipes. I, food-processor-less, made do quite well with a blender.
The recipe comes from a friend back home in Michigan, who made them with dried cherries. I put chocolate chips in mine, and the next time I make them, I'm going to make a mint icing for the top. Feel free to accessorize your brownies as you wish.
Here is the trick, though. These brownies have a (15-oz.) can of black beans in them. No flour + beans apparently equals delicious. I was skeptical at first, dear reader, but believe me when I say I am no longer.
Here's the recipe, from the Whole Foods website.
Flourless Brownies
makes 16
Ingredients
1 (15-once) can unsalted black beans, thoroughly rinsed and drained
3 eggs
1/3 c. melted butter
1/4 c. cocoa powder
pinch salt
2 tsp vanilla extract (for a truly gluten-free dessert, make sure the extract is gluten-free as well)
1/2 c. plus 2 Tb sugar
1/2 c. chocolate chips
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
Procedure
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter an 8-inch baking pan. Put everything in the blender except the nuts and chips, and blend until smooth (make sure the bean skins are broken up really well). Stir in the nuts, chips, cherries, what-have-you. Put in the pan, and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until just set in the center. Et voila! A delicious and nutritious treat. Your high-school health teacher would be so proud.
~The Weng
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