Cupcakes with Avocado Buttercream

4.50 (23)
⏱ 20 mins 🍽 Serves 12 🌶 american 🏷 Cooking spray

These American-style cupcakes feature a light vanilla and orange zest sponge. The innovative buttercream frosting uses mashed avocado to replace half the usual butter, creating a creamy, sweet topping. The whole process, from mixing the batter to frosting the cooled cakes, takes just 20 minutes of active time, yielding 12 delightful treats.

Cupcakes with Avocado Buttercream

Ingredients

  • Vanilla Cupcakes:
  • Cooking spray
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • Avocado Buttercream Frosting:
  • Two 8-ounce avocados, halved, pitted and peeled
  • 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and softened
  • 1/4 cup double cream
  • 1/2 cup icing sugar

Method

  1. Special equipment: one 12-cup standard muffin tin or one 24-cup mini muffin tin, cupcake liners. Place an oven rack in the centre of the oven and heat to 175°C. Line your chosen muffin tin with liners and coat them lightly with cooking spray.
  2. For the cupcakes, combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl with a whisk. In a separate large bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar until light and foamy, which should take about 1 minute. While continuing to whisk, slowly pour in the melted butter, followed by the vanilla extract and orange zest.
  3. Stir half of the dry flour mixture into the wet ingredients using a spoon until just combined. Add the milk, then mix in the remaining dry ingredients. Be careful not to overmix the batter.
  4. Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the centre of a cupcake comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes for standard size or 10 to 12 minutes for minis, turning the tin halfway through the baking time.
  5. Allow the cupcakes to cool in the tin on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Then, transfer them from the tin to the rack to cool completely.
  6. To prepare the frosting, place the avocado flesh and softened butter pieces into a food processor. Process until the mixture is completely smooth. With the processor running, gradually pour in the double cream.
  7. Add the icing sugar to the processor and pulse until the frosting is a light green colour and fully combined, processing for about 1 minute. Cover and place in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it. Once the cupcakes are cool, spread the frosting over them.

Nutrition (per serving)

Nutrition data not available.

Recipe details

CategoryCooking spray
Cuisineamerican
AuthorFood Network Kitchens