Birthday Cake!

So, yesterday it was the best mama in the world's birthday - MINE! She is so wonderful and she does so much for me, so I really wanted to surprise her with something she would love. Well, my mom was pretty insistent about me not getting her anything, because I'm a poor college student, but when I found this recipe on Pinterest, I knew I had to surprise her! And the best part is, even though it is sugar-free, gluten-free, and flour-free, it was TOTALLY affordable and didn't have any crazy ingredients.

The recipe blog is copyrighted, so I can't post any of her pictures - they're obviously prettier, but you can see the recipe and her pictures HERE: http://www.healthyindulgences.net/2009/05/healthy-chocolate-cake-with-secret.html

Trust me, you'll want to click that link. DO YOU SEE THAT CAKE?! It looks too good to be true, right? Well, it's absolutely true. When we cut it for my mama's birthday, it was beautiful consistency, and tasted totally NOT sugar free. But it was!

You should try this recipe! It has very few carbs, and is made largely of black beans - although you don't taste them at all - and therefore has lots of protein. I made two and layered them on top of each other, and my roommate from Taiwan could not stop nibbling on the little pieces I trimmed off!

Here are my recommendations:

-If you are going to make this a layer cake, rather than double the recipe, just make the cake twice. I know it will take longer, but I am firmly convinced mine turned out so good because I did it this way? Maybe?

-Follow her advice and let the cake sit overnight, or for at least eight hours. All trace of bean-iness will be completely gone!

-Use the 1/2 cup honey+1 teaspoon of Stevia option in the cake.

-And, finally, I am lazy. And cheap. And didn't want to buy another alternative sweetener besides Stevia to make the frosting listed in the recipe. So... imagine my thrill when I found out Pillsbury makes a Chocolate Fudge, sugar-free frosting!!! I used it, for both the filling between layers and the frosting of the cake. And it was GOOD.

Happy birthday, mama! And to anyone looking for a healthier, just as delicious option. :) Seriously. I promise you. I definitely DO eat sugar, and I would make this again over a regular cake. It is so moist and absolutely DELICIOUS. Just... ignore the fact that it's not all that symmetrical... I shaved off a lot of tiny pieces from the sides to feed my roommate. She was loving this!