avocado pound cake

If you think about it, the avocado is a fruit. Its intense creaminess lends it to be the perfect nonpartisan player in the great divide between savory and sweet. Sure it is best known for its leading role in guacamole as well as in California rolls and salads, but in many South American and South Asian cultures, avocado is used in dessert dishes. The batidos of Brazil incorporate creamy fruits like avocado with milk to make silky shakes. A popular treat in Indonesia combines avocado, condensed milk and chocolate syrup to yield a decadent smoothie. In last month's Saveur, contributor Andrea Nguyen wrote about the her love of fresh avocado drizzled with condensed milk, fresh from he farmer's market. In the U.S., Californians, by far, treasure the avocado, one of their native fruits. There is even an annual avocado festival held in Carpinteria where delightful dishes like avocado ice cream and avocado pie abound. There is also avocado pound cake, of which I have yet to find a recipe for, so I decided to create my own.

I forgot that avocado can act like butter due to its high fat content, so I basically added twice the amount fat that a pound cake needs. Not that that's a bad thing. The cake did turn out super moist and almost gooey. So if you are looking for more of a cake-like poundcake, keep the same amount of avocado, just reduce the amount of butter and add a bit more flour. What you will bring forth from your oven is a loaf of sweet, nutty complex flavors. The combination of the creamy pastel green and the buttery carbo-goodness will make your heart lift oh-so-high.

Avocado Pound Cake
makes a 9-inch loaf

DRY INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup cake flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder

WET INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 cup sour cream
2 ripe avocado, cubed

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9x5x3 loaf pan.

2. In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Set aside.

3. In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar until pale and light in texture. Add vanilla, and one egg at a time, while still mixing. Beat in the avocado until batter is smooth. Mix in sour cream and lemon zest. Wih a spatula, gently fold in the dry ingredients, without overworking the batter. The batter will be slightly dry. Pour it into the prepared pan.

4. Bake about 1 hour or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean, and top of cake is golden.