Avocados - The Great Green Superfood

Avocados – possibly the biggest food internet sensation of the past year. Everyone and their mother have been talking about the little green super-fruit and its health benefits. They contain vitamins B5, B6, C, K and the list goes on, they contain more potassium than a banana and there has even been studies to suggest that they can prevent cancer, as well as aid in weight-loss. What more do you want from a fruit?  

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My first introduction to the fruit was actually found within Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar, where they are seen as a significant symbol for the protagonist Esther Greenwood.

“Avocados are my favourite fruit. Every Sunday my grandfather used to bring me an avocado pear hidden at the bottom of his briefcase under six soiled shirts and the Sunday comics. He taught me how to eat avocados by melting grape jelly and French dressing together in a saucepan and filling the cup of the pear with the garnet sauce. I felt homesick for that sauce. The crabmeat tasted bland in comparison.”

With The Bell Jar having been originally published in 1963, this coincided with the release of these little green gems into shops everywhere in the U.S.A and U.K. Avocados, were the most fashionable party piece at any dinner party, more commonly known to be stuffed with prawns and Marie Rose sauce to be known as the staple 70’s dish of ‘Prawn Cocktail’.

As you can see, Esther did not like to conform to the conventions of those around her. Rather than swooning at the traditionally chic presentation of the soft crabmeat mounded into the small well of the creamy avocado fruit, Esther longed for the rather unusual combination of melted grape jelly and French dressing. Avocados invoke an almost comforting memory of Esther’s grandfather, this is a great example of food summoning memories of the past. Many people would most certainly turn their nose up at the thought of hot grape jelly and French dressing, yet it fills Esther with great comfort as the strong flavours propel her back to a fond memory that she shared with her grandfather. Food has the ability to take you back; it is as though every time you eat something it leaves a reference on your taste buds, one that can only be reignited when those tastes hit the palette once more. 

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Thanks to the social media movement we are currently faced with, we too are no longer conforming to the traditional standards of food. No longer do we now fear the word ‘fat’, it has now been proven that mono-saturated fat (the ‘good’ fat found in Avocados) can lower cholesterol if consumed often enough. Avocados are now a staple part of a healthy diet in today’s society, they are versatile and adaptable. Due to their intense creaminess, they can be used as a dairy substitute for many, there isn’t many things you can’t do with an avocado now. As you can see from my recipe below, you can even use them to make delicious cupcakes! Hopefully they can be as comforting for you, as avocados were to Esther! 

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Dark Chocolate & Avocado Cupcakes 

I first made these little gems with my cousin Michaela, we were just trying to find a healthy alternative to our favourite snacks. We were so surprised by the outcome of these, they are surprisingly delicious! 

They only take 25 minutes to cook and roughly 15 minutes to prep - so in 40 minutes you have got yourself a delicious snack that not only tastes great but is good for you as well! 

Ingredients

100g Dark Chocolate (I would suggest nothing higher than 70% cocoa as they may become bitter)

200g Caster Sugar 

4 Large free range eggs (make sure they are at room temperature) 

100ml Soured cream 

200g Self raising flour (if you want to be even healthier you could even use wholemeal flour)

300g Ripe avocado flesh 

180g Icing Sugar

1½ r tsp Lemon juice  

    Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180 C / Gas mark 4 and line your muffin tin with some paper cases 

2. Break up your chocolate into small pieces and melt gently over simmering water (you can do this in the microwave, but be careful not to burn the chocolate). Remove the bowl from the heat and allow to cool. In another bowl, beat together your butter and sugar until light and creamy. Once they have been beaten together, begin to add the eggs. one at a time (if you add them all at once there is a risk that the mixture will split)  making sure everything is well combined. 

3. Now you can begin to stir in the soured cream, do this slowly. Shortly followed by the flour and the cooled melted chocolate (please ensure this has cooled down enough as if it is too hot it will end up melting the butter you have spent a lot of time and effort to make fluffy). Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases and bake for 25 minutes until they are firm to the touch. Once cooked allow them to cool on a wire rack (this stops soggy bottoms and nobody likes a soggy bottom) 

4. Whilst they are cooling you can now make the topping. Using an electric whisk, combine the avocado with the lemon juice until you have a smooth consistency, making sure there are no lumps. Now slowly add the sugar, slowly increasing the speed of the mixer as you go (if you would like to make the icing sweeter just add more sugar, it's completely up to you!) 

5. Once you have achieved the consistency and taste you like spread the icing over the cooled cakes. If you want to make them look pretty you can shave some dark chocolate over the top and Voila! Healthy (ish) cupcakes for you to enjoy! 

Leave me a comment if you manage to have a go at these cupcakes! I promise they are really delicious! Follow me onto my next post where I talk about another famous blogger and their food!