Mary Ann's Blog
The New Chocolate Cake!
February 9, 2011
Need to fill a deep craving for something chocolatey and bursting with flavor? How about something along those lines that actually has some health benefits associated with it? Think not only chocolate (dark is best); think avocado.
Yes, you read that right. I have been experimenting for years trying to perfect a moist, lucious mouth feel chocolate cake and I think I finally hit on something. It all started with an avocado that I had tucked away in the refrigerator and had forgotten about. When I did find it, it was soft — too soft to slice. I could mash it, and make it into a dip of sorts but I decided to use it as an ingredient for chocolate cake. I reasoned that avocados are not only good for you, but they are also high in (good) fat, so instead of butter in a cake (bad fat), why not use an avocado?
I played my hunch and in it went with the wet ingredients, and I beat them until they were smooth. Since there were no eggs in the cake, I was really relying on the avocado to create that velvet texture that I was after. Well, I am going to let you be the judge. Make the cake and frost with whatever you like. I used a ganache and for the cupcakes, a simple confectioners icing with toasted coconut on top. It’s a delicious surprise. And I learned that avocados are just not for guacamole anymore!
Chocolate Avocado Cake
Serves 8-10
Butter and flour an 8 x 8, two inch deep square cake pan. Fit a piece of parchment paper in the pan and spray it. Set pan aside. Or to make cupcakes, line cupcake pans with cupcake papers and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350F
3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
6 tablespoons cocoa (Perugina if possible but Hershey’s will do)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large ripe avocado, mashed (about 2/3 cup)
1 tablespoon light olive oil
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 cups cold water
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Mix the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl. With a hand mixer on low speed beat in the avocado oil, vinegar, vanilla, and water until smooth. Pour the mixture into the prepared pans. Or fill paper line cup cake pans 2/3 full with the batter.
Bake for 30 minutes or until a cake skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Do not over bake the cake. It should be firm to the touch, and a cake skewer inserted in the middle of the cake should come out clean. If making cupcakes, bake them for 12-15 minutes or until a cake skewer comes out clean.
Put the cake pan on a cooling rack, and cool for 15 to 20 minutes before removing the it from the pan to cool completely. Frost when cool with ganache below.
Ganache
1 cup heavy cream
7 ounces semi sweet chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon hazelnut, almond or vanilla extract
Heat the cream in a saucepan. Stir in the chocolate and mix until smooth. Stir in the extract. Position the cake on a cake stand lined with wax paper. Pour the ganache over the cake and allow to cover cake freely.
Decorate with berries or candied flowers.
If making cupcakes decorate with a simple confectioners sugar frosting and sprinkle the tops of each cupcake with toasted coconut.
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