A Southern Grace: presto change-o avocado (and a little disney magic)

March 27, 2014

presto change-o avocado (and a little disney magic)

Yum

Are you as fascinated by magicians as I am? I want to know all their secrets, but at the same time, I don't want to have my awe spoiled by some simple explanation.


There's show magic involving cards and mirrors and rabbits in hats, but there's also magic in the real world. My favorite kind is kitchen magic. How amazing is it that runny, mucous-y egg whites will become so smooth and fluffy and luxurious when a little bit of air is incorporated? Isn't it fantastic that some high heat will make a floppy, bland piece of white bread become crunchy and flavorful? And who guessed that passing hot water through ground up berries would result in the most magical beverage in all of creation? I'd like to give that dude a big hug...even if he is an Ethiopian goat-herder or long-dead Middle Eastern sheik.

I stumbled onto another example of kitchen magic not too long ago. When I think about buttercream frosting, the words "rich," "creamy," and "luscious" come to mind, and I realized that the same adjectives could be applied to a little green fruit called the avocado. This frosting recipe is quite a find. By using avocado to replace some of the butter in a traditional buttercream frosting recipe, you not only lighten up the whole batch (calorie-wise and weight-wise!), but you also add a subtle nutty flavor and an awesome green hue.

If you’re making something for the vegan in your life (or if you ARE the vegan in your life), feel free to replace all of the butter with avocado. You could also add a little lemon extract for a citrusy twist or perhaps some almond flavoring for an even more nutty effect. I went with mint here because I find it to be a great partner to chocolate. I filled the cupcakes with sweetened whipped cream because...well, it's sweetened whipped cream.

There was a time when I thought avocados were limited to Mexican entrees or just added to a sandwich to make it "California-style," but those days are behind me now. The avocado can be appropriate in just about anything! What magic have you discovered in your kitchen lately?

FYI, there's an all-new new Disney movie being released on Blu-ray™ and Digital HD April 1, and that's no joke. It's called The Pirate Fairy and it looks like a lot of fun, even to a 30-year-old. Buy it here or read more here.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Magical Mint Avocado Frosting
Makes 24 cupcakes
Ingredients:
Chocolate cupcakes:
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup warm water
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Minty avocado frosting:
  • 2 ripe avocados yielding about 8 ounces of actual fruit
  • 2 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon mint extract
  • Pinch of salt
Whipped cream filling:
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners; set aside. Sift together cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Add eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla, and mix until smooth, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl to assure batter is well mixed. Divide batter evenly among prepared cups, filling each 2/3 full. Bake until tops spring back when touched, about 20 minutes, rotating pan once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.

To make the filling, simply whip the cream and sugar until stiff, then blend in the vanilla extract.

To make the frosting, peel and pit the avocado, then cream the avocado and butter together until smooth. Blend in the lemon juice. With the mixer on low speed, add powdered sugar one cup at a time. Sprinkle in a pinch of salt and add extracts. If desired, add more sugar to make the frosting thicker.

To fill the cupcakes, carve out a cone-shaped hole and squirt the whipped cream inside. Apply frosting generously to the cupcakes, top with sprinkles, and, after giving the components a few minutes to get to know each other, devour.

37 comments:

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

Very tempting, as always!

Cheers,

Rosa

Beth said...

I love avocado, although I've never thought of using it in a dessert recipe. Food for thought! Thanks for the links.

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

This frosting has to be good for you too!!!!!!!

Joanne said...

I've done avocado buttercream before but yours looks way better. OFf to check it out!

Louisa said...

Sounds lovely, and what a pretty colour!

Elizabeth said...

I love avocados! I bet these are amazing.

~~louise~~ said...

Way to go Grace! Another keeper. The possibilities are endless!!!

Thanks for sharing...

Parejas Disparejas said...

That is rich, I want

Anonymous said...

Such a lovely color for the avocado frosting, I bet it is delicious!

Choc Chip Uru @ Go Bake Yourself said...

Avocado frosting? Definitely want to try :D

Cheers
Choc Chip Uru

Blond Duck said...

I'm obsessed with avocados and the ones here suck. It's the most frustrating thing in the world. 100 miles from Mexico and my avocados and tomatoes are crap.

Pam said...

Fun... I'll go check it out. I would never have thought to add avocado to frosting.

The Squishy Monster said...

This seems like such a natural way to go--LOVE IT!

Jeff @ Cheeseburger said...

This looks very yummy. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

lisa is cooking said...

Avocado buttercream! Sounds amazing, and what a great color.

Angie's Recipes said...

Gorgeous swirls...as I have said before, you are a cupcake queen!

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella said...

That looks really nice and fluffy! :D

Erica said...

I am a huge avocado fan and eat them everyday! This sounds interesting,Grace!

Carolyn Jung said...

Wow, at first glance, I thought that was mint frosting. Avocado is inspired!

Unknown said...

Love recipes like this that use avocado in unexpected ways

Rosita Vargas said...

Exquisito frosting luce absolutamente tentador,abrazos hugs,hugs.

Lynda said...

I've been seeing other sweet avocado recipes on the web, so I think your frosting sounds awesome Grace-I bet it is super creamy!

Lucy @ Lucyeats said...

mmmm I bet the avocado brings a lovely creamy flavour to the frosing. Amazing colour too :)

foodhoe said...

that does look delicious, is there more than frosting, a creamy filling perhaps? Avocado frosting on devils food cupcake?

Anonymous said...

I used to work with someone who had eaten avocado ice cream so it is interesting to see it used in another sweet treat. And the green flecked frosting is really lovely!

vianney said...

~~WOW~~~

Bianca @ Confessions of a Chocoholic said...

I love this! Growing up in the Philippines, I used to just think of avocados as desserts because avocados were always just incorporated in sweets (never savory) foods. It's so great seeing dessert recipes like this. And I'm all for the green color!

Rosita Vargas said...

Ohhh su pastel se ve refinado me encanta como te ha quedado el frosting,abrazos:)

Angie's Recipes said...

You are the cupcake queen, Grace. The avocado frosting sounds fascinating.

Cristina Pop said...

I like your blog very much and I`m nominating it for a Liebster Award! Check out my blog http://makeeasycake.blogspot.ro/ for more details. Cris!

Amy (Savory Moments) said...

This is a terrific idea, Grace! I've used avocados in ice cream and pudding before and they turned out really creamy and delicious, so I have no doubt they'd work beautifully in the frosting.

pam said...

I haven't jumped on the avocado for sweets yet, but this may pull me over!

I Wilkerson said...

A former coworker talked about eating avocado ice cream in the past (while living somewhere exotic), but this is even more unique. It looks lovely and light and what a perfect shade of green. May have to try this sometime!

Judit+Corina@WineDineDaily said...

That frosting does look good and how unique to use avocado! Cheers!

Pam said...

I would never think to make frosting with avocado... the cupcakes look terrific Grace!

Jeff @ Cheese-burger.net said...

The mint avocado frosting is very delicious and elevates the flavor of an already delectable chocolate cupcake.

Becki's Whole Life said...

I need to step out of my mexican avocado eating ways and try your frosting. It sounds delicious - love chocolate and mint. I'm sure that the avocado is a great sub for the butter.