blissful eats with tina jeffers: Chocolate hazelnut avocado cake
This cake has a secret ingredient that you don’t need to share if you don’t want to. That’s right, a cake made with avocados.
I made a version of this cake last year for a friend’s birthday. Since she is a vegan I wanted to make a cake that was delicious but not filled with weird chemicals and preservatives so I was really intrigued by the idea of using an avocado in place of the usual butter that traditional cakes call for.
It’s a really quick, super easy cake to make since you don’t need to worry about creaming butter or whipping egg whites. The frosting couldn’t be easier and more delicious, avocado, cocoa powder and powdered sugar come together to make the richest, creamiest frosting I’ve ever tasted.
With the addition of whole-wheat pastry flour and ground hazelnuts this cake is rich, dense and has a brownie like texture that is sinfully delicious. I have to admit that if I made this cake and left off the frosting I would gleefully eat a slice of this for breakfast. That is such a great idea I think I’ll head to the kitchen right now to whip one up for our weekend breakfast.
Be sure to visit me at www.scalingbackblog.com for more recipes and kitchen inspiration!
Chocolate hazelnut avocado cake
Ingredients:
For the cake:
2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1 cup hazelnut meal
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups granulated sugar
¼ cup vegetable oil
½ cup soft avocado, mashed, about 1 medium avocado
2 cups water
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ cup chopped hazelnuts for garnish
For the frosting:
1 large ripe avocado, peeled and seeded
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ¾ cup powdered sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Method:
For the cake:
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans. Set aside.
Sift together all the dry ingredients except for the sugar.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, place the avocado and mix on medium speed until smooth. Add the rest of the wet ingredients and the sugar and mix until combined.
Add the dry ingredients and beat until smooth.
Divide batter between the two prepared cake pans. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Let cakes cool in pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto cooling racks to cool completely before frosting.
Once the cake is completely cool spread the frosting on the top of one layer, place the other layer on top and cover with remaining frosting. Sprinkle the hazelnuts over the top and serve.
For the frosting:
In a stand mixer whip the avocado until it forms a smooth mixture. In a medium bowl sift the cocoa powder and powdered sugar together and then add to the bowl along with the salt and vanilla extract. Whisk the mixture until you get a smooth frosting.
