AVOCADO, POPPY SEED AND ALMOND CAKE

It's not too often I revisit recipes from my previous books, I find that I'm more often than not, developing new ones but this cake has become a firm favourite.

I developed it last year with a friend of mine who had arrived, fresh from the sunshine coast and full of bright, healthy new foodie concepts. It seems obvious now, switch butter for avocado… we must have tested the cake 3 times each before it was eventually perfected. Here is the polished version, which can by found in my book, Take One Veg.

AVOCADO, POPPY SEED AND ALMOND CAKE

Don’t knock this until you’ve tried it. It makes perfect sense that the buttery, rich flesh of the avocado is glorious in a cake and negates the need for any butter.

Makes 2 x 18cm cakes – Prep time: 20 minutes, Cook time: 40 minutes

INGREDIENTS

flesh of 2 small ripe avocados, about 250g

300g ground almonds

300g caster sugar

juice and zest of 1 unwaxed lemon

3 medium free-range eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1 tablespoon poppy seeds, plus extra to decorate

FOR THE ICING

125g cream cheese

300g icing sugar, sifted

50g unsalted butter

2 x 18cm cake tins

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas mark 4 and grease and line the cake tins with baking parchment.

2. Put the avocado flesh into a blender or food-processor and add the ground almonds and sugar. Whizz until you have a gorgeous green paste.

3. Transfer the avocado mixture to a bowl and add the lemon juice zest and eggs, one element at a time, stirring the mixture well. Mix in the baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and poppy seeds until the seeds are evenly distributed. Spoon the mixture evenly into the cake tins and bake for 40 minutes until the cake is just firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.

4. Make the icing by beating the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl to soften and, working quickly, whisk through the icing sugar. Use a palette knife to slather the icing over the cake and then top with poppy seeds.

TIP

If you would prefer to cook the cake in 2 x 20cm cake tins, add an extra egg to the mixture.