Looking for something different and guilt-free for Easter? Look no further than these Chocolate Cupcakes with Avocado Frosting.
Perfectly light and moist – a great alternative to the heavier Easter treats around. Using avocado in icing might sound strange, and I suppose it is a little strange, but surprisingly it works! And they’re egg and dairy free so even your vegan friends can enjoy a treat at Easter!
Have a look at our Publicity Assistant, Gemma, making up her batch at home:
The Recipe, in black and white
Makes 24 mini cupcakes (12 servings)
Per serving:
Fat: 4.5g (of which saturates: 0.8g)
Calories: 111kcal
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 12 minutes
For the chocolate cakes:
240ml/8fl oz/scant 1 cup almond milk, plus extra for the frosting
1 tsp cider vinegar
185g/6½oz/heaped ¾ cup granulated sugar
3 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp almond extract (optional)
250g/9oz/2 cups self-raising flour
30g/1oz/ ⅓ cup cocoa powder, sifted
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
For the avocado frosting:
2 ripe avocados
4 tbsp cocoa powder, sifted
2 tbsp clear honey
a little almond milk, to loosen
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4 and line two 12-hole mini-muffin tins with paper cases.
- Mix together the almond milk and vinegar in a large bowl and stir well, then leave to one side for a few
minutes to curdle. - Beat in the sugar, oil, vanilla extract and almond extract, if using, and whisk until frothy.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix together well.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin tins, filling the sections three-quarters full. Bake for 10–12 minutes until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- To make the frosting, scoop out the avocado flesh into a small blender or food processor (or bowl and
work with a hand-held blender). - Add the cocoa powder and honey and process until smooth, then gradually add a little almond milk, a drop at a time, until the mixture just begins to hold its shape.
- Spoon the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm star nozzle and pipe the frosting onto the centre of the cakes in a nice high peak. (You don’t need to cover the entire surface as this would add too much icing and therefore too many calories.)
- Peel back the paper and enjoy – the great thing is they are so mini you can eat two!
Gee Charman
£16.99 | available from Nourish Books
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