Cooking From Cookbooks is a series where I showcase innovative plant-based recipes from my favorite cookbooks. (This post has been updated from its original December 2016 version.)
This chickpea chocolate chip cookie cake comes from Danny Seo’s cookbook, Naturally, Delicious. I had the pleasure of editing the recipes for the book since it was a collaborative project between Danny and Natural Gourmet Institute during the time I was working at NGI.
While planning the recipe list with the recipe developers, this vegan cookie cake was one of the titles I was most excited about. First off, it’s a cookie cake, and I just love the extravagance of that concept. Secondly, it’s made with whole chickpeas (whaaat…?!) and is vegan, gluten-free, and has zero refined flour.
Lastly, it’s ridiculously easy to make: you simply puree all the ingredients in a food processor and transfer the batter to a cake pan. Admittedly, the hardest part of the recipe is waiting for the cake to bake and cool, because the smell that fills the kitchen throughout this time is unreal.
In a nutshell, this recipe is the perfect upgrade to the ever-alluring store-bought cake mixes for those of us who are dessert-challenged.
This vegan cookie cake has a texture similar to a blondie – chewy and dense in the center, crispy on the top and sides. Aside from dessert (maaaybe served with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream?), the cake can easily pass for breakfast or as a midday snack. Although, the cake is best (and gooey-est) eaten the same day as it’s made.
At this point, you may be wondering if you can taste chickpeas in the final product and the answer is: not really. Although they do provide a savory note to the cake, the chickpeas’ taste is masked by sugar, vanilla, and chocolate.
When buying chickpeas for this recipe, look for “no salt added” on the label – like Eden Organic or Whole Foods’ 365 brands. Alternately, you can cook chickpeas from scratch.
More dessert ideas…
- Tahini-Miso Brownies
- Magical No-Churn Banana Ice Cream
- Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies
- A Healthier Vegan Banana Bread
Let me know if you try this recipe! Give it a rating below and leave a comment, and don’t forget to tag your creation with @thenewbaguette on Instagram.
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Chickpea Chocolate Chip Vegan Cookie Cake
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This vegan cookie cake is [slightly] adapted from Naturally, Delicious by Danny Seo (2016, Pam Krauss Books | Avery). When buying the chickpeas, look for “no salt added” on the label – like Eden Organic or Whole Foods’ 365 brands.
Ingredients
- Two 15-ounce cans “no salt added” chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup turbinado (raw) sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for sprinkling
- One 3.5-ounce bar dark chocolate, roughly chopped OR 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a round cake pan with parchment paper; set aside.
- In a food processor, combine the chickpeas, oats, applesauce, coconut oil, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 1 cup sugar. Puree until smooth and homogeneous. Remove the processor blade and stir in the chocolate by hand.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake until the cake is browned around the edges and golden on top, 40-50 minutes. Cool the cake for about 15 minutes – it will firm up a bit as it cools.
- Place a large plate on top of the cake and flip to invert it onto the plate. Gently peel off the parchment paper. Place a serving plate on top of the inverted cake and flip again so the cake is right side up. Slice into wedges and serve. (Store leftovers in the fridge.)
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 299
Bree says
I haVe made this before and it was delicious. I just noticed though that the iNgredients call for baking poWder and the instructions list Baking Soda. Can you please clarify which ingredient is correct? Thank you!
Alexandra says
Hi Bree! Glad you like this recipe 🙂 It actually calls for both powder and soda, and both are listed in the instructions as well. Hope this helps!
Bree says
Oops, thank you! Guess i need to slow down a little!
Alexandra says
Haha, no problem! I do that all the time 😉
Alex says
Is it possible to use stevia instead of sugar?
Do you think it would be rules of I put VEGAN marshmallows in the middle of 2 layers? Either doubling the recipe or just splitting it in half to fit marshmallows in the middle?
Alexandra says
Hi Alex! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Yes, I am sure you can use Stevia here.
For the marshmallows, I would suggest spreading half of the batter into the baking pan, lining the top with marshmallows, then adding the rest of the batter and smoothing out the top.
Let me know how that turns out!
Pooka Harvey says
what is the nutritional value of these cookies? Its impossible to cook alone, let alone know if my doctor would allow this on the cholesterol maintenance diet.
Alexandra says
Hi Pooka. Thanks for stopping by! Could you clarify your question, please?
Phoebe @ Feed Me Phoebe says
This looks ridiculous. Also, I think my editor worked on that book – Pam krauss? i still need to get my hands on it, but will be tapping this cookie cake in the meantime!!!
Alexandra says
Yep – this is def. a Pam Krauss book. I managed the project from the NGI side. Small world! 😉