For a long time I have wanted to somehow pair chocolate and avocado so when I read an article {I think on MSN} not too long ago about using avocado in place of butter in baking recipes, I was eager to try it. Though chocolate and avocado seem an unlikely pair, they share some rich, comforting qualities and I have often thought about incorporating avocado into a chocolate cake. And on a nutritional level, as the article pointed out, it makes sense to substitute a “good” monounsaturated fat for a “bad” saturated fat.
My husband’s birthday was the perfect chance to experiment because one of his favorite desserts is my family’s chocolate cake and one of his favorite foods is avocado. According to the MSN article I used mashed avocado in place of half of the shortening called for in the recipe. I used low-fat Greek yogurt in place of the rest of the shortening but you could keep the shortening in there if you would like.
The cupcakes were a hit in my family and my son devoured them plain. For the birthday treat, I furthered my experiment and made a chocolate avocado glaze as the finishing touch. The icing was like a cross between a powdered sugar glaze and a buttercream frosting. I mixed in a little bit of avocado instead of butter which gave the icing some substance and made the resulting chocolate avocado glaze rich, creamy and silky smooth.
- 2 squares unsweetened chocolate
- ½ cup boiling water
- ¼ cup mashed avocado
- ¼ cup shortening or low-fat Greek or other plain yogurt
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3-4 Tbsp avocado
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ½ tsp vanilla
- 1-2 Tbsp milk
- Pour the boiling water over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate melts.
- Cream the avocado, yogurt {or shortening} and sugar.
- Add in the eggs and then the melted chocolate/water mixture.
- Add the flour and baking soda alternately with the buttermilk and vanilla, mixing the ingredients until a smooth batter forms.
- Pour the cake batter into lined cupcake pans and bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes at 350 degrees or until the cake springs back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Or pour the batter into a greased and floured 9 x 13 pan and bake the cake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees or until the done.
- Or pour the batter into smaller pans to form a layer cake and bake them for 35 minutes.
- Mix the ingredients together until a smooth glaze forms.
- Adjust the amount of milk and sugar to reach your desired consistency.
- Spoon the glaze onto the cooled cupcakes/cake and top with chocolate sprinkles if desired.
