by Elisabeth Duckeck
The other day at work, our lunch conversation turned to avocados. It’s funny how much they divide people—some of my colleagues can’t get enough of them, while others really don’t like them at all.
I have to admit, I’m somewhere in the middle. I wouldn’t call myself a fanatic, but I’ll never turn down a bowl of fresh guacamole or a salad with some perfectly ripe slices mixed in.
Still, I think this recipe could convince even the skeptics. The combination of lime, vanilla extract, and oil balances everything out and mellows the typical avocado taste.
Tips for the success for baking:
The choice of the oil is essential
In Greece, olive oil is often used instead of butter for cakes. It’s a classic Mediterranean tradition that makes the sponge incredibly moist. However, if you’re not a fan of the intense flavor of extra virgin olive oil, you can easily swap it for a more neutral oil like sunflower or corn oil.
Lemon or lime? What makes the difference.
In this recipe, I chose lime for the intense and vibrant flavor it gives the muffins. If you can’t find limes, lemons are a perfectly fine substitute. Either way, make sure to use fruit with untreated peels.
You can usually spot untreated citrus fruit by its matte skin, whereas treated peels tend to shine under the supermarket lights. It’s actually more important to look for “untreated” than just “organic.” For supermarket transport, peels are often treated with chemicals to extend shelf life, and these can’t simply be washed off. I’ve shared more details on this in my ginger-lemon marmalade recipe.
The main difference between the two is the flavor profile. While lemon provides a very sharp, sour aroma, lime offers a more refined and, I would say, elegant taste.
I highly recommend using the fan setting (convection) while baking. For this recipe, I tried both conventional heat and the fan setting. While the muffins rose slowly with conventional baking, the fan program really pushed the dough to rise and gave the muffins a beautiful golden brown finish
Last but not least:
I used a standard 12-cup muffin tin for this recipe. Personally, I prefer to line the tin with paper liners, but you can also simply grease the cups with a little oil. To fill them, I used a large ice cream scoop for even portions, though using two tablespoons works just as well.
Moist Avocado Lime Muffins
Equipment
- 1 blender
- 1 mixing bowl
- 1 Muffin baking tray
- 12 Paper muffin liners
- 1 large ice cream scoop
- 1 Zester / Grater
- 1 Citrus juicer
- 1 whisk
- 1 kitchen scale or digital scale
What you need
For the Batter
- 300 gr (10.5 oz) soft avocado peeled and pitted
- 200 gr (1 cup) sugar
- 125 gr (½ cup) neutral oil or olive oil
- 240 gr (1 cup) almond milk
- 2 Tbsp lime juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- green food coloring optional
- 375 gr (3 cups) all-purpose flour
- 1 packet (3 tsp) baking powder
- 1 pinch of salt
- Zest of 1 lime grated
- 100 gr (3.5 oz) chocolate chips optional vegan
For the Glaze
- 2 Tbsp lime juice
- 3-4 Tbsp powdered sugar
- Zest of 1-2 limes grated
- Coconut flakes
How to prepare
Oven Prep and Wet Ingredients
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) with the fan-assisted/convection setting turned on. I
- In a blender, combine 300 g (approx. 1 1/3 cups) of soft,peeled, and pitted avocado with 200 g (1 cup) of sugar, 125 g (approx. 1/2 cup) of neutral or olive oil, 240 g (1 cup) of almond milk, 2 tbsp of lime juice, 1tsp of vanilla extract, and a few drops of green food coloring, if using.
- Blend everything together until completely smooth and creamy.
Mixing the Batter
- In a separate large mixing bowl, thoroughly combine 375 g (3 cups) of all-purpose flour, 1 packet (approx. 3 tsp) of baking powder, ¼ tsp of baking soda, 1 pinch of salt, 100 g (approx. 2/3 cup) of chocolate chips, and the grated zest of 1 lime.
- Pour the blended wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients.
- Mix everything together by hand just until a slightly lumpy batter forms, making sure not to overmix.
Baking and Cooling
- Line a muffin baking tray with paper muffin liners.
- Using a large ice-cream scoop, fill each liner with the batter, letting it sit slightly higher than the top of the liners.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes until the tops turn golden brown. Insert a toothpick or wooden skewer into the center of a muffin to check for doneness; it should come out clean with no wet batter sticking to it. Keep in mind that due to the oil, these muffins will be naturally moister than traditional butter-based ones.
- Remove them from the oven and let them cool down completely.
Glazing and Decoration
- While the muffins are cooling, prepare the glaze in a small bowl by stirring together 2 tbsp of lime juice and 3 to 4 tbsp of powdered sugar until perfectly smooth.
- Once the muffins have cooled completely, drizzle the glaze over the tops.
- Decorate them with additional grated lime zest and a sprinkle of coconut flakes before serving.
Notes
Loved this muffin recipe? Find more ideas for vegan cakes like an almost vegan Advocate Cake and follow this link to Sweet stuff
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