Chocolate Avocado Cupcakes with Avocado Buttercream Frosting

The idea for these cupcakes visited me in a dream. A real, honest-to-god, its-three-in-the-morning-and-I'm-under-the-covers dream. When I groggily woke up the next morning, I sweetly remembered dreams filled with chocolate cake and green avocados. As consciousness slowly regained, I remembered I had made an apple cake the night before, so I threw the idea of the avocado cake to the wayside as the prospect of a sugar-laden, pretend-healthy cake breakfast whispered to me from the kitchen. But the more I thought about it, the more delicious a chocolate avocado cake sounded. So delicious, in fact, that I couldn't think clearly the rest of the day.
My curiosity was piqued. After work, I immediately ran to the supermarket and rummaged around for the ripest avocados I could find. It took me 15 minutes and several hundred fruit handling assaults to find the ripest avocados. I was a mad woman with a mission. After all, these cupcakes had come to me in my dreams, clearly it was destiny!
By themselves, these vegan chocolate avocado cupcakes are a perfect representation of a delicious, moist cupcake with the perfect crumb. But with the avocado buttercream? Game changer. This combination is absolutely lethal. The avocado taste in the buttercream is subtle, yet present, and has such a fantastic natural coloring. I would seriously take this avocado buttercream over the traditional buttercream any day. Any day. It is that good.

I shared these cupcakes with my fellow grad students and they were unanimously a hit. I need to dream about pastries more often.

Chocolate Avocado Cupcakes
Adapted from Joy the Baker

Yields 30 cupcakes

3 cups whole wheat or all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup soft avocado, well mashed, about 1 medium avocado
2 cups water
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set that aside too.

In a large bowl beat together the sugar, applesauce, mashed avocado, water, vinegar, and vanilla until well blended.

Mix the dry ingredients into the wet with all at once and and beat with a whisk (by hand) until smooth.

Pour batter into cupcake tins and bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting with avocado buttercream.

Avocado Buttercream Frosting

2 small to medium ripe avocados (8 ounces)
1 pound powdered sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Peel and pit the soft avocados, scraping the contents into a medium bowl. If the avocados have brown spots, avoid those spots when you scoop the meat into the bowl. You want nice and green avocado meat.

Add lemon juice and beat the avocados with a mixer on medium speed until the avocados are slightly lightened in color and smooth in texture, about 2-3 minutes. The lemon juice prevents the avocados from turning brown so you will have nice green frosting.

Add the powdered sugar a little at a time and beat. Add vanilla extract until combined. Store the frosting in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Comments

[Lisa]

I've heard so much about these cupcakes and how good they are. Plus, the color of that buttercream is awesome.

[Jennifer]

Love the combination of chocolate and avocado! What gorgeous treats!!

[Molly Drexelius - Drexelius Ch]

The colors really pop on these cupcakes -- great job!
I made some avocado pudding a while back, which didn't turn out so well. This makes me think avocados can be dessert friendly.
These would be great for Halloween, too :)

[Stella]

Wow, Meghan. These are beautiful. I love how you used apple sauce and avocado as your fats in the actual cake too-that's really nice!

[moonglowgardens]

I love avocado reinvented. Avocado has always been dessert material to me, and this is so amazing!

{scientists rock! - kitchen is just another name for laboratory}

Oh, and the cakes look undeniably MOIST.

[Pocak Panna]

Gorgeous! I must make these soon!!!

[Lisa]

I'm really excited to give this a shot, but... need to ask an embarassing question: How on earth do you know if/when an avocado is ripe? (Please don't laugh and point.)

[Kristin]

I had to look it up before I bought mine. :) If you poke your forehead, that is what an unripe avocado feels like. Poke your cheek, and that's overripe. Poke the tip of your nose, and that's just right. Hope that helps!

[Mama Rose]

Kristin, your delicious recipe inspired me to go out and buy an avocado. But I should have read your ripeness test first! Unfortunately, the avocado feels more like my cheek than the tip of my nose. Ha. Next time I'll know what to do! Thanks!

[Julie]

They looked so great: I posted your recipe and blog on mine: (http://www.etikids.com/1/post/2010/10/dont-yuck-my-yum.html).
Thank you!
Julie from EtiKids :)

[bombax]

I tried making an avocado cheesecake once and it called for lime zest which dominated the flavors and that was the last time I tried anything sweet with avocado. Seeing these cupcakes I had to try them. I just made them, they are a little heavy and the frosting is really loose but the FLAVORS ARE FABULOUS - thanks for sharing

[Andie]

These look super delish!!! I must make NOW! Yummay!

So glad I found you. Fabulous site!
xo
Andie
http://www.eazilyamuzed.com/

[Daniella]

Did you make them with whole wheat flour? You say your cupcakes turned out dense and moist and I'm afraid if I use whole wheat flour mine will turn out rock hard.

[Kristin Rosenau]

Daniella-- I used whole wheat flour for these cupcakes and they turned out just fine. If you are wary of a cupcake that is too dense, you could use half whole wheat, half all-purpose for a lighter cupcakes. I hope this helps!

[Lauren]

Silly question, to make this a cake cake (say a birthday cake for a fellow foodie boyfriend) I wouldn't have to do anything different would I? Just pour it into a cake pan instead of cupcake molds and let the lovin' fill my oven. Maybe finagle with the frosting of I need more. And who wouldn't want more avocados?

[Kristin Rosenau]

Lauren-- That sounds exactly right! You will have to cook the cake layers longer than cupcakes and, depending on how much frosting you would like on the cake (be warned, you don't need much. It is pretty sweet) you could 1 1/2 the frosting recipe. Good luck! Let me know how it turns out!

[Katie]

I made these the other day and I just have to say how incredible they are - I am so thrilled! I really only made them because I had waay too many ripe avocados and I couldn't bear to waste them, and so I really wasn't expecting them to be so delicious! I am definitely going to make them again and again in the future, I would genuinely happily choose one of these over an ordinary chocolate cupcake anyday =D

[Erika]

CanNOT wait to make these for my cookie party!! Thanks for sharing!

[Martha]

I have made these TWICE in the past two weeks and they have turned out wonderful both times. I used chickpea flour instead of whole wheat flour and fresh brewed room-temp coffee instead of water. Vegan AND gluten free! I baked them in mini-muffin tins for about 1/2 the baking time. Perfection :)

[Kate]

These look fantastic! I've heard a lot about avocado cupcakes/cake. I can only imagine how moist they are.

Love your blog!

[Em]

These look fabulous! Would it be possible to cut down on the sugar (especially in the frosting), or would that change the consistency, do you think?

[Kristin Rosenau]

Em-- Unfortunately you can't cut down on the sugar in the frosting because it needs that amount of powdered sugar for the frosting to stay a good consistency (otherwise it will be much too runny). You can cut down on the sugar in the cupcake if you'd like.

[Andrea Thornber]

Do you think the cupcakes be frozen after baking? I'd like to make them ahead of time. I do it with regular cupcakes...not sure if the avocados will make a difference.

[Kristin Rosenau]

Andrea-- You'll be able to freeze them without a problem!

[Help]

I was wondering if I could replace the apple sauce for oil, is that totally fine?

[Kristin Rosenau]

Help-- That is absolutely fine. It should turn out really well!

[Amber]

Were do you get those cupcake cups at? They're really cute and I would love to have something to use other than a normal cupcake pan!

[Ishi]

Hi I just wanted tyo say thanks so much with the recipe it worked out great , thanks for sharing it with us !!!!

[kathy]

While surfing the net looking for another recipe that calls for cocoa and avocado (Chocolate Avocado Cupcakes) that I've made several times, I came across this one. I thus made this one, and it made 2 dz. I have frozen some, and I've tasted one, and just loved it. Very moist. and colorful. Planning on taking a few to work with me tomorrow. Keeping the recipe for future use.
Kathy

[Carey]

First, thank you so much for posting such a great vegan recipe! Weird question--I am planning to make these for a get together, BUT I am worried about the icing. If it sits for too long does the avocado in the icing turn brown (like guacamole)?