Mexican bean cake

24 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
⅓ cup Butter or margarine
¾ cup Sugar
1 Egg
2 cups Unseasoned pinto bean puree*
2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
1 cup Flour
1 teaspoon Baking soda
½ teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon Ground cloves
½ teaspoon Ground allspice
2 cups Peeled and diced apple
1 cup Raisins
½ cup Chopped nuts
1½ cup Icing sugar (optional)
Milk or fruit juice

Directions

"Mexican meals don't usually include cake, but this one--made with bean puree and lots of fruit and spices--would fit right in with Mexican food!" Jean's Beans by Jean Hoare page 112.

BEAN PUREE Start with 1 cup of dried beans or a bit more if using large white limas and you plan to take off the skins. Extra bean puree may be frozen-it looks like mashed potato. Quick Soak - Wash beans, use 3 cups of cold water for each cup of beans and bring slowly to a boil. Boil gently for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 1 hour. Drain off soaking water.

Cover with fresh cold water, bring to a boil for 10 min, reduce heat and simmer about 30 min until tender. Drain. Remove lima bean skins and discard any hard beans. Grind through a foodmill, puree in a blender or food processor. You may have to add a bit of liquid saved from the cooking process to get the mixture moving. Force the puree through a sieve about ¼ cup at a time if you want a very smooth puree. Puree only keeps a day or two in fridge so freeze any that you are not going to use for the recipe.

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour the bottom only of a 9x13 inch rectangular pan.

Cream butter with sugar. Add egg and beat well. Blend in bean puree and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Mix with the apple, raisins, and nuts. Add dry ingredients and fruit to creamed mixture and blend well. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 35-45 min or until cake tests done when tried with a toothpick.

Mix icing sugar with enough milk or fruit juice to make a thin glaze; drizzle over the still-warm cake. Keep in the refrigerator.

(My notes - I would make this again but leave off the glaze as it is quite sweet.) Shared by Elizabeth Rodier

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