This delicious recipe is extracted from Kate Hackworthy’s Veggie Desserts + Cakes.
I know – avocado is a fruit. So, what’s it doing in a vegetable desserts book? Well, since, like the tomato, it’s mostly used in savoury dishes, I think it’s earned its place here. Avocado makes a wonderful replacement for butter in cakes, cookies and other desserts, reducing the calories somewhat and adding extra nutrients. I’ve topped these rich and fudgy cupcakes with a fresh cherry icing, in homage to that 1970s classic, Black Forest Gâteau.
Makes 12
For the cakes
1 ripe avocado, peeled and pitted
3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
100g/3½oz/½ cup granulated sugar
2 large free-range eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
115g/4oz/generous ¾ cup plus 1 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour
30g/1oz/¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
For the cherry icing
5 cherries, pitted
75g/2½oz/1⁄3 cup unsalted butter, softened
150g/5¼oz/scant 1¼ cups icing (confectioners’) sugar
2–3 tsp milk (if necessary)
To decorate
12 cherries
To make the cakes
Preheat the oven to 170°C/150°C fan/325°F/gas 3. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper cases.
In a large bowl, beat the avocado flesh with an electric mixer for a few minutes until creamy. Add the butter and sugar and beat again until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and beating each one in well, then beat in the vanilla.
Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt, and stir gently to combine.
Fill the muffin cups three-quarters full and bake for 15–20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the cherry icing
Pulverize the cherries with a pestle and mortar until well smashed. Place them into a sieve (strainer) over a bowl and press to extract the juice. You should have at least 1 tablespoon of cherry juice.
In a large bowl, cream the butter with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add the cherry juice and beat until smooth. Sift in the icing sugar, then beat until thick. Add the milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, to make a thick frosting consistency. Spoon the icing into a piping bag and pipe over the cupcakes as desired, topping each one with a cherry.
The featured recipe is from Veggie Desserts + Cakes by Kate Hackworthy.
