Recipe: Mexican Bean Cake and Bean Puree (13x9 cake using apple, nuts and raisins)

MEXICAN BEAN CAKE

"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!"

FOR THE CAKE:
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
2 cups unseasoned pinto bean puree (recipe follows)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground allspice
2 cups peeled and diced apple
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped nuts
FOR THE GLAZE:*
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (optional)*
Milk or fruit juice

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 350 degrees F. Grease and flour the bottom only of a 13x9-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.

Bake 35-45 minutes or until cake tests done when tried with a toothpick.

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

*RECIPE NOTE: "I would make this again but leave off the glaze as it is quite sweet." - Elizabeth Rodier

BEAN PUREE

1 cup dried beans
Cold water

Start with 1 cup of dried beans (or a bit more if using large white limas) and you plan to take off the skins.

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 minutes, reduce heat and simmer about 30 minutes until tender. Drain. Remove lima bean skins and discard any hard beans.

Grind through a food mill, 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 1/4 cup at a time if you want a very smooth puree.

Extra bean puree may be frozen-it looks like mashed potato.

Makes 1 (13x9-inch) cake, 24 servings
Adapted from source: Jean's Beans by Jean Hoare