Lentil Chocolate Cake

You know you have been waiting for this. For some reason I had the overwhelming desire to make a lentil dessert yesterday. I almost made cookies, but they only took 1/2 c of lentil puree, and I wanted to go all out, so I made the chocolate cake, which took 1 1/2 c lentil puree.

Lentil Puree
1 Cup lentils
2 1/2 cups water

Rinse Lentils.  Cover with water in saucepan.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat.  Cover and simmer until lentils are very tender (40-45 minutes).  Drain lentils, reserving stock. 
When cool, transfer lentils to blender or mixing bowl, whip on high speed for one to two minutes.  As puree forms, stop and scrape the side of the container.  Add some of the stock as needed and continue whipping until lentils form a smooth puree the consistency of canned pumpkin.  It can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days or frozen for later use.  Makes about 3 cups.

Cake
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup oil
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups lentil puree
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp salt

Cream sugar, oil, and eggs on medium speed of mixer for two minutes.  Add lentil puree, water, and vanilla and beat on medium speed for one minute.  Mix dry ingredients together and add to creamed mixture.  Beat for two minutes at medium speed.  Divide batter between two well-greased 9 inch round cake pans.  Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched in middle.
Cool and frost as desired.

I was confused because the original recipe never says to add the water. You must add the water, or it will not be a batter. I was really, really tempted to substitute some of the oil with applesauce because if you are going to make lentil cake, why not make it healthier? I didn't do it for the sake of sticking to the recipe, but in the future I will.

The verdict: Not bad. Brian, who really likes chocolate cake, liked it, especially how moist it is. I didn't tell him the secret ingredient until after he ate because I didn't want a biased review. I think the cake has a slight off taste from the lentils, but it is almost completely covered by the other tastes. It is also quite heavy, but I often make cakes from mixes, so it isn't a good comparison. I'm eating a piece right now, the day after I made it, and it is still nice and moist. This cake will make an appearance again, maybe in the form of a sheet cake or cupcakes. Hooray for lentils!