There’s a whole chickpea world out there beyond hummus. From crunchy, spicy snacks to main ingredients in baking and cooking. This is a wonderful ingredient that can adapt extremely well with herbs and spices.
Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, grow in hot parts of the world so they are naturally a key ingredient in the cuisine of countries such as India, Mexico, Egypt and the southern part of Italy. Despite their origins, chickpeas are available everywhere, usually in either canned or dried form. There is very little difference in nutritional value between precooked, canned chickpeas and the dried variety you cook yourself.
In our part of the country, I remember these peas/beans first appearing in the restaurant salad bars. Chickpeas were one of several choices set out in bowls to add to salad greens. Then a few years later they became better known when ‘Mediterranean hummus’ became trendy. Then the notion came up to use them in baking. Legumes in cake? Remember the big debate when ‘someone’ decided to put carrots and zucchini in cakes etc. (not to mention tomato soup).
Chocolate chickpea cake has been a success for quite a while now so I decided to try a different take on the idea of the flourless cake.
Servings |
|
- 540 ml chickpeas, rinsed & drained
- 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 4 eggs *SEE NOTES
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 Tbsp ginger, finely grated OR 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp cardamom
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- almonds, sliced for topping
- 1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1/4 cup sugar OR to taste
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 cup raspberries, frozen or fresh
- 2 tsp margarine
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest, (optional)
Ingredients
Raspberry Sauce
|
|
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease 4 custard baking cups or a 9 X 9-inch square baking pan.
- In a food processor, place applesauce, rinsed chickpeas & eggs; blend until almost smooth, scraping down sides as needed. Place in a large bowl.
- In another bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients. Add dry ingredients to wet mixture & stir to combine. Pour into baking dishes & bake for about 50 minutes OR until it tests done with an inserted toothpick.
- To make raspberry sauce: In a small saucepan, combine cornstarch, sugar & salt. Add water & raspberries; cook until clear & bubbling. Remove from heat & add margarine & lemon juice & zest. Cool & serve over chickpea flan.
- In place of one of the eggs I used 1 Tbsp ground flax seed plus 3 Tbsp water.