Experimental Birthday Cake

So I decided to make the birthday cake for a 

surprise, pot-luck, birthday party/meeting. (yup.)

And I decided that I should try making the  
avocado chocolate mousse 
I saw on TV the other day.

(really? avocado mousse? it CAN'T be good. I must try it.)

So I made the mousse, and it wasn't bad, 

and I decided it should be the filling of this cake.

Then I realized that I made

Mexican Avocado Chocolate Mousse. 

What kind of cake goes with  
Mexican Avocado Chocolate Mousse? 

The mousse itself is yummy... 
it's like fluffy Mexican hot chocolate. 

You don't taste the Avocado at all 

(unless you know it's there... but it still tastes good). 

But it's this spicy chocolatey flavor. 

What kind of cake goes with that? 

Especially since I decided it had to be a white cake,  

(because I had leftover egg whites, and I was NOT going to make a yellow or chocolate cake with egg whites, and what ELSE was I going to do with 3 eggs worth of egg white?)

So I decide I'm going to make a super VANILLA cake 

to go with my crazy chocolate filling. 

Wait. How do I make a super vanilla cake?

(out of a white cake mix box, cause that needs to get used too)

Well... I added 2 tsp powdered vanilla 

(because it too is white, I had it, and had never used it) 

as well as a can of cream soda (yes, soda) 

and 1/2 cup egg whites

(which works out to just under 3 eggs worth of egg-white).

NO oil. NO water. 

Just a whole can of soda, more vanilla, and egg white. 

You're never going to believe this. 

1) it was not super vanilla-y. Dangit.

2) It was the lightest, fluffiest cake I have ever encountered. YES!

Like... nearing angel food cake fluffyness. 

Which is super cool, it just seems really delicate...

The recipes I looked at said to use 1-2 egg whites... 
I used almost 3...

But it is yummy. 

And it goes with the chocolate mousse.

(Praise God)

Now I need to frost it. 

I totally revert to the good old stand-by

Vanilla Buttercream.

Totally ganked this one from my neighbor, 

and I should get some more vanilla flavoring out of it. 

But... if I've experimented with every OTHER part of the cake

can I really NOT mess with the frosting too?

NO!

But I'm not going to go all crazy with it either.

No avocados.

No soda.

Just extra vanilla.

You can't have too much vanilla :-P

 And this is what I ended up with (prior to decorations)

The ladies who were lucky enough to indulge in this cake said it was delicious, and one even asked for a slice to bring home. I truly was a little worried, but it really is a fabulous combination!

So when you're looking for some CRAZY dessert... try some Mexican Avocado Dark Chocolate Mousse and call it healthy :-P 

Or try a Cream Soda Cake for a light and fluffy oil-free treat 

(P.S. I read that if you use 2 parts cake mix to 1 part soda, it makes a nice little cake "at will"... and you can use ANY flavor that suits your fancy. I hear Diet Dr. Pepper and Vanilla makes a good combo... and for those who like chocolate and orange flavors together, chocolate cake mix and orange soda! I'll never try it, so you'll have to tell me if you liked it. I just can't handle chocolate and orange together.) 

Or if you just ran out of eggs... you can still make cake!

And don't forget the super vanilla icing... mmmmm.

And the recipes so you can make it yourself 

without running around the house, 

searching the internet and  

forcing sweets upon your neighbor,  

MAKING her be your "taste-tester"  

(which she minded OH so much, lol) 

are right here.

(Mexican) Chocolate Avocado Mousse:

This recipe is from Dr Oz's show - the ONE time I watch, I have to try the darn recipe... 

1 ripe Avocado 

3/4 cup Brown Sugar (They used light brown... I used dark, cause that's what I had)

12 oz chocolate (They used dark chocolate for the anti-oxidants... I used semi sweet cause that's what I had)

2 tsp ground cinnamon (totally optional... they didn't actually use it on the show... I did for who knows what reason)

1/2 tsp chili powder (also totally optional because they didn't use it on the show either... I did for the same reason I used the cinnamon - who knows. The recipe I found said 1 tsp... but I decided to half that and am glad of it.)

6 Egg Whites (I used the pre-packaged kind for pasteurization and lack of 6 egg yolks that had no home)

1) Whip the egg whites until they form firm peaks. The rest of the recipe goes REALLY fast, so no problem doing this first.

2) Peel the avocado and place in your food processor (I used a mini chopper, and it was a TIGHT fit, but it did work...) Mix it up with the brown sugar until smooth.

3) Melt the chocolate (microwaved it shouldn't take more than two 1 minute cycles... make sure to stir frequently... chocolate doesn't change it's shape until it's been touched, which is why the chocolate kiss keeps it's shape in those thumbprint cookies...)

4) OPTIONAL!! If you want Mexican Chocolate Mousse, add the cinnamon and chili powder to the chocolate and mix well. If you try and use a different flavoring in the chocolate... do NOT use any liquid. It will cause the chocolate to cease. If you're determined to use a liquid flavoring (alcohol maybe?) add it to the avocado mixture and blend WELL... but definitely do not add it to the chocolate directly.

5) Put the melted chocolate in the food processor with the avocado and blend again.

6) Fold the chocolate mixture into the egg white until combined and refrigerate.

Cream Soda Cake:

1 box cake mix (I used white)

1 can Cream Soda

3? egg whites. You may want to try just 1 or 2. You can actually use none... but it will be more like pound cake. So no eggs = pound cake texture. 3 egg whites = angel food cake texture. You pick egg quantity :-P

Optional: vanilla... I used 2 tsp powdered... no idea what would happen if you used extract. Not sure if it even made a difference to the cake I've got.

Mix the cake mix, soda and egg white together, place in greased cake pans, bake according to the box directions (mine were done faster than expected)

Extra Vanilla-y Buttercream Icing:

Now, this recipe is based off a Martha Stewart recipe, which normally, I would shy away from, but my neighbor makes it all the time and it's too darned delicious to hold it against Martha Stewart. I suppose there's nothing really WRONG with Martha Stewart, but there's something that makes me want to avoid her. Maybe jailtime... I dunno. Plus, it's not even HER recipe... she got it from Billy Reece from Billy's Bakery in NYC. So it's essentially Martha free. But this isn't the original recipe anyway. It's half of the recipe she gave me with extra vanilla. LOTS of extra vanilla :)

1 stick room temperature butter (calls for unsalted... I used salted, which just brings out the sweetness a bit more)

3-4 cups confectioners sugar (I used about 3.5 cups)

1/4 cup milk

2 tsp pure vanilla extract (about 2 times the recipe :-P)

Good for a little over a dozen cupcakes... or one 2 layer cake :)