Avo-Merry Christmas!
The World Avocado Organization is proud to introduce a unique and healthy addition to your Christmas festivities this year. As the holiday season approaches, we invite you to explore a culinary experience that goes beyond traditional recipes. By incorporating avocados into your Christmas cooking, you can transform your holiday menu into a flavourful yet nutritious delight.
Avocados are celebrated as a superfood, offering various health benefits. Packed with essential nutrients such as healthy fats, fibre, vitamins, and minerals, avocados can help lower cholesterol levels and improve heart, gut and overall health.
They have even been linked to the reduction in the risk of some diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease.
But avocados aren’t just nutritious; they are also an incredibly versatile fruit with a unique flavour and creamy, buttery texture. This makes them an invaluable addition to both savoury to sweet dishes – as they contain hardly any sugar, salt or saturated fat, making them the perfect swap for less healthy options such as high amounts of granulated sugar, butter and other fatty foods.
By incorporating avocados into your Christmas feast, you’re not only treating yourself and your loved ones to a memorable meal but also investing in improved health.
Scrumptious Chocolate and Avocado Yule Log
Recipe and photo credits: the World Avocado Organization
Ingredients
For sponge cake:
4 eggs
100 g flour
100 g sugar
1 pinch of salt
1/2 Tsp vanilla extract
For the cream filling:
2 avocados
30 g pure cocoa powder
100 g icing sugar
100 g dark dessert chocolate (85% cocoa)
45 g pouring cream
For toppings:
250 g dark dessert chocolate (85% cocoa)
250 ml whipping cream (35% G.M.)
Equipment
Baking tray Baking paper
Method
1. Melt the chocolate in the microwave or a bain-marie (water must not touch the bowl). Set aside.
2. Open the avocados, remove the stones, peel and slice.
3. Mash and mix in the cocoa powder, melted chocolate, sugar and cream until smooth. Leave it to cool for a few hours to set before
using.
For the topping:
1. Heat the cream and pour it over the chopped chocolate in a bowl. Stir until you smooth. Leave it to cool for a few hours to set before using.
For the sponge cake:
1. Mix the eggs with sugar and vanilla extract and beat until white and double in volume.
2. Add the sifted flour and salt, mixing by slowly folding the mixture. 3. Spread the dough on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
4. Bake in the oven, preheated to 180 oC with upper and lower heat,
for 8-10 minutes.
5. Cut the edges as straight as possible and sprinkle flour on top. Roll
it up inside the baking paper, being careful not to break it. Leave to cool for a couple of minutes.
For the filling:
Assembling the log
1. Unroll the sponge cake and fill the inside with the chocolate and avocado cream. Roll it up again.
2. Spread the chocolate coating on top of the log, drawing stripes with a skewer to make a wood effect.
3. Store in the fridge until serving time, decorate to taste and sprinkle icing sugar on top.
