Love your heart with this Chocolate Black Bean Cupcake recipe
Be young at heart – literally and figuratively. Heart Disease is the number one cause of death in the United States and claims about 600,000 lives in the US every year.
February is Go Red Month, and we’re here to remind you about the Power of Food in heart health. We’ve all heard of heart-healthy diets, but did you know there are specific foods like oats, legumes and avocados that you can begin incorporating on a regular basis to give your heart some more love? Even if you have a chronic sweet tooth, there are options for you: some of these heart-healthy foods can be used to create tasty treats.
Check out this article and recipe from Chef Norbert Bomm to learn how to make a healthier and delicious chocolate cupcake.
Chef Norbert’s Heart-Healthy and Delicious Black Bean Chocolate Cupcakes
I’ve been baking black bean cupcakes for the last 10 years and every time people eat one, I get that “Ahhhh” no way look.
The pinnacle of a fortified food and stealth health on steroids, these cupcakes are a delicious way to add beans and fiber to your diet. They are a Dietitian’s dream come true. Baking a healthier version of an edible cupcake is also pretty exciting to me.
My first reaction when I was asked to try this recipe was most likely was the same as yours: a black bean chocolate cupcake must be gross.
However, as the saying goes, you should never judge a book by its cover.
They are awesome! These cupcakes are light, moist, and a definite crowd-pleaser. The only recommendation I have is that you find the best Cocoa powder possible. I use Belgian Callebaut 100% cocoa powder – what a difference in quality and flavor!
Black beans are a simple addition to your diet. Black beans are functional food with potentially positive effects on health beyond basic nutrition, promoting optimal health and helping reduce the risk of disease. They are an amazing example of a fortified food that adds protein and fiber to your diet and that is low in fat.
Beans are exceptional for vegetarians, vegans and other individuals needing more protein in their diet.
I hope you enjoy baking and eating them as much as I do.
Black Bean Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe
Makes 9 Cupcakes
Ingredients
15 oz. cooked black beans
5 eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
Cooking Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Light spray muffin tins with cooking spray or line with cupcake liners.
Using a blender, blend black beans, eggs and vanilla until completely liquefied with no lumps. In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add baking soda, baking powder and cocoa powder. Set aside.
Combine black bean mixture with butter mixture and beat until smooth.
Scoop batter into prepared muffin tins. Bake for 14-18 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes. Remove from muffin tins; cool completely on baking rack.
Chocolate Frosting for Black Bean Cupcakes
Ingredients
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 ½ oz. Neufchatel cream cheese
1 1/3 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 1/8 teaspoons skim milk
Instructions
In mixing bowl, cream together the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time. Add the cocoa powder. Stir in the milk and mix well. Beat at high speed for about 30 secs.
Using about 1 tablespoon of frosting, garnish each cupcake with frosting and seasonal berries.
About Chef Norbert Bomm
Chef Norbert Bomm, Corporate Executive Chef started with Morrison Healthcare in Chicago as Executive Chef and then moved to Atlanta as the Corporate Chef of R&D, where he led the Great Living and Children’s Hospital menu concept and worked with retail recipe development.
Chef Bomm entered the culinary world in Hamburg, Germany and from there carved an international career for himself as Chef de Cuisine and Executive Chef with Hilton International. This propelled him into a kaleidoscope of posts in four continents: Europe, Middle East, Africa and the Americas. Bestowed with multiple honors and awards, as well as, the gold medal for the Culinary Olympics in Frankfurt, Germany; he actively exploits his own talents for the benefit of charity and has raised significant dollars doing so.
Before joining Morrison, he was for ten years the leading culinary force at the prestigious Fairmont Hotel in Chicago and the DIRONA award-winning restaurant Entre Nous, one of the top three rated restaurants in Chicago.
Chef Bomm has a very simple food philosophy: using fresh wholesome seasonal ingredients, thoughtfully prepared food that reduces the intake of excessive fat, calories and sodium, while delivering high-quality meals with satisfying flavor and solid nutritional values. He owns approximately 170 cookbooks, loves everything about food, cooking and food photography.
His food blog http://www.norbertskitchen.com/ focuses on balance as well as preparing food that just happens to be healthy and isn’t too complicated. For him, it’s important to create real food that is full of flavor: not too much, not too little; that’s what he calls perfection.
