Baking with ACADO Avocado Oil : Healthiest Oil in the World

Canola oil, olive oil, grape seed oil....there are all kinds of oil which boast healthy benefits but have you heard of avocado oil? 

I never heard of it until I was introduced to Acado, world's largest selling brand of avocado oil made from the world's best Michoacan Avocados in Mexico. After doing a quick research, I discovered so much good benefits of avocado oil that I never knew before. It is not only free from Cholesterol and Trans fat, but also 25% lower in saturated fat than any other edible oil.

Furthermore, unlike most oils like peanut oil, sunflower oil or sesame oil, there is no distinctive flavor of avocado that will influence the taste of the dish. It has the HIGHEST smoking point among all the oil (525F), making it the perfect oil for any deep frying besides other wonderful uses such as stir fry, roast, marinades, salads etc. Since it can be used to replace butter, margarine, shortening or margarine, I decided to play it around with cakes. 

The first thing that pop up in my mind was a simple avocado oil cake. We all know Italians love their olive oil cakes since olive oil is a key ingredient of their cuisine. Hence, I replaced olive oil with avocado oil in this original Almond olive oil cake recipe adapted from Gina DePalma, a renowned Italian pastry chef who used to work at Babbo Ristorante and Enoteca by Mario Batali for 15 years and writer of several cookbooks. Orange juice is also replaced with Yuzu juice for a lighter zesty taste. 

Yuzu Avocado Oil Cake 

(Recipe adapted from Almond Olive Oil Cake by Gina DePalma)

Ingredients
For Cake: 
Part A: 

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup almond meal

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Part B: 
3 large eggs

3/4 cup caster sugar (I reduced to 1/4 cup)

1/2 cup ACADO avocado oil

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Grated zest of 1 medium lemon or 1/4 a medium orange

1/2 cup Yuzu Juice

For Brown Butter Glaze:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup confectioner's sugar

3 tablespoons whole milk

A few drops of fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup, toasted sliced almonds ( I replace with pumpkin seeds and cashews) 

Steps: 

1) Preheat the oven to 350°F (approx. 175 degree celsius). Grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan or springform pan and set aside.

2) In a medium bowl, whisk all ingredients under Part A and set aside

3) For Part B:  Whisk the eggs lightly to break up the yolks. Add the sugar to the bowl and whisk it in thoroughly. Add the ACADO avocado oil and whisk until the mixture is a bit lighter in color and has thickened slightly. Whisk in the vanilla extract and zest, followed by the yuzu juice.

4) Add A to B and whisk until you get a smooth, emulsified batter, about 30 more seconds.

5) Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake the cake for 30 to 45 minutes, rotating the cake pan halfway through the cooking time to ensure even browning. The cake is done when it has begun to pull away from the sides of the pan, springs back lightly when touched, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for ten minutes in the pan, then gently remove it from the pan and allow it cool completely on a rack.

6) Make glaze: Melt the butter over medium heat in a small, heavy saucepan. When the bubbles subside, lower the heat and watch the butter carefully, swirling it in the pan occasionally to distribute the heat. When the butter begins to turn a light tan color and smells slightly nutty, turn off the heat and let the butter sit. It will continue to darken as it sits.

7) While the butter cools, sift the confectioner's sugar into a medium bowl. Whisk in the milk until completely smooth but thick, then slowly whisk in the butter. Taste the glaze and add a few drops of lemon juice to balance the sweetness. Stir in the toasted almonds. Spread the almonds and glaze onto the top and sides of the cake and let it sit until set and dry.

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The result of using avocado oil turned out to be surprisingly good as the cake was delicate and lighter than usual, with subtle taste and fragrance of citrus as the neutral avocado oil did not overpower the other ingredients. I thought the glaze was a bit redundant so I highly recommend you to skip the glaze and just focus on the cake! Less is always more.

Compared to other avocado oil brands, ACADO uses the premium grade of avocados, which means that the nutritional value of avocados will stay the same even after 1 year! With a standard shell life is up to 3 years, it is definitely a good healthy addition to your kitchen pantry. 

Available in 250ml, 500ml, 750ml and 1 litre, you can find this at Meidi-ya, NTUC finest, Cold Storage and all leading gourmet stores in town. At $30 for 1 litre or $16.95 for a 250ml bottle, it is definitely not the cheapest oil on the shelf. 

However, if you consider carefully all the wonderful health benefits and convenience it brings, this is definitely a keeper in the kitchen! 

Other flavors include chilli, garlic, onion and lime infused

Click here to find out the full list of places where you can buy a bottle

Acado Avocado Global Pte Ltd

896 Dunearn Road, #04-08B Sime 

Darby Centre, Singapore 589472