Sundays with Joy -- Avocado Pound Cake (Tiffany Style)

I have been on an avocado ROLL these past few weeks!  And here I am again, bringing that delicious green fruit (although commonly thought of as a vegetable) to you.

This is my first time making pound cake, and yes, the ingredients are a little different that one would normally use.  What can I say?  Joy (the Baker) shares my love of avocados, and I am grateful she does because that means my weekly recipe handed out by our group has had a lot of avocado recipes.  No complaints there!

I made the cake just following the directions straight as written, except I omitted the cornmeal.  I don't like it that much.  Other than that I just followed orders, and it turned out quite nicely. 

It is good by itself, don't get me wrong.  But when I think of pound cake I think of strawberries and whipped cream on top.  However, that didn't sound right for this.  So after a moment or two of pondering what would be good with it I decided that since avocado is one of my husband's favorite fruits (and he really eats it like a fruit, with sugar and everything), I would put his other favorite fruits on it... bananas and maracuja, or passion fruit to you non-Portuguese speakers.

Armed with a pint of heavy whipping cream and a canister of passion-orange concentrate, I set to work.  It really is simple: pour 1/2 of the carton of cream (or buy the one-cup carton instead) and scoop out a tablespoon worth of concentrate.  Stir and add some sugar, if you want (I used about 1T).  Using a cake mixer, beat the mixture together for about 2 - 3 minutes until the cream is getting kind of stiff.  That's it.  Flavored whipped cream.  And you can use any concentrate you like, really.

Random fruit mixture?  Maybe.

Good fruit mixture?  Definitely.

I found out it also tastes really good with a spread of butter on top.  Yum oh yum.  Now we have one and a half loaves of avocado pound cake on the counter, a tub of passion-orange whipped cream in the fridge, and happy tastebuds in our mouths. 

Head on over to Joy's page to get the recipe, or better yet, pick up her book to find this and many more unique-yet-yum things to try!

MORE AVOCADO RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE:

//avocado pineapple salsa//

//chocolate avocado vegan cupcakes//

//avocado fries//

//avocado pizza//

 

COST: $8.60         COST per serving (20): $0.43

(Cost includes pound cake, whipped cream, and bananas.  It is the whole package.)

Bonkers for Bananas: Banana Rum Ice Cream

It's HERE! 

I leaked it out on Facebook the other day that I discovered the secret to making ice cream without an ice cream maker and everyone kept asking me, "HOW?"  Clearly, this is something that is desired knowledge, and I have it.  Kind of makes me feel powerful... and makes me question if I should share my secret.  What can I say?  Knowledge is power, and we all like power.  But I figure if Martha Stewart shared it with me I should be kind enough to share it with you.

Banana Rum Ice Cream.  Four words that really mean just one: delicious. 

A bunch of bananas, some sweetened condensed milk, a pint heavy whipping cream, and a little bit of rum and sugar cooked together.  That's all it took.

As a side note, not only did I make ice cream for the first time, but I made whipped cream for the first time.  It was always one of those things I knew I could do, I just never did.  Now I can check that off of my list of things that must be mastered in the kitchen.

This recipe called for a lot of banana.  That would be where it gets the title, right?  Now that I have mastered it once my brain is rolling with all the possible ice cream ideas.  Like, what if I did pineapple with the condensed milk and added coconut milk instead of the rum/sugar concoction?  Would that make pina colada flavor?  Or how about chocolate with the condensed milk and stirring in bits of Oreo's?  Or maybe Andes Mints?  Oh, the possibilities are endless!  And I am completely alright with that.

I figure as long as you have the whipped cream (fresh, from you), the condensed milk with its added flavor, and something to stir in that is sweet, you can just mix them all together and freeze overnight.  It worked with bananas, I am sure it will work with other things.

Now the secret is out.  Now you know you, too, can make ice cream in your own kitchen.  Please, let me know what flavors YOU come up with!

Whenever you see this logo, click it to see the other fun banana recipes I am trying this month.  Next up, simple banana popsicles and a banana panini... Go ahead, click it :)

Recipe from Everyday Food, March 2012

• Prep Time 10 minutes
• Total Time 40 minutes plus freezing
• Yield Makes 1 1/2 quarts

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup dark rum
• 3/4 cup golden raisins  (Didn't use them -- I don't like raisins.)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 soft-ripe medium bananas, coarsely chopped
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• 2 cups cold heavy cream

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, combine rum, raisins, and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium-high.  Let boil for five minutes and remove from heat, letting cool completely, 30 minutes.
2. In a food processor, combine bananas and condensed milk and process until smooth, 2 minutes. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat cream on high until stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. With a rubber spatula, gently fold banana mixture into whipped cream. Fold in rum-raisin mixture. Pour into a 5-by-9-inch loaf pan, cover with plastic, and freeze until firm, about 8 hours (or covered, up to 1 week).

Cost: $7.94                   Cost Per Serving (8 bowls) $0.99