Spring Garden Tea Party By Teresa Foster. What’s sweet, red, and packed with BOTH a serving of vegetables and half a serving of fruits?

Spring Garden Tea

PartyBy Teresa Foster

What’s sweet, red, and packed with BOTH a serving of vegetables and half a serving of fruits?

Cupcakes!

The Product Red velvet

cupcakes Made with avocado

and freeze-dried strawberry powder

Dyed (partially) with beet juice

The Alteration Reduced fat Increased fruit and

vegetable content

Preparation Methods:Control Standard cake mix

Made with oil, water, and eggs Basic cream cheese frosting

Same recipe used for both frostings Goal: to create healthier, homemade

cupcake that is equal in simplicity and preparation time Reduce artificial coloring

Original ProductStandard commercially prepared portion of Red Velvet Cake with frosting

Preparation Method:Modified

1. Cream 1 ½ cups sugar and 5 oz avocado puree for 40 seconds

2. Add 2 eggs, ½ c beet juice, 1 teaspoon red food coloring, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon cider vinegar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation Method:Modified

3. Add 1/3 of remaining wet ingredients (1 cup buttermilk). Add 1/3 of dry ingredients (2 ¼ cups cake flour, 2 tablespoons cake flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, and 0.75 oz freeze-dried strawberry powder). Continue altering wet and dry ingredients in thirds.

Ready to be baked!Bake at 275°F in a convection oven for 18 minutes or until set.

The Frosting 6 oz Neufchâtel cheese 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 ¾ powdered sugar, sifted

Cream Neufchâtel cheese until smooth and airy. Add vanilla. Add powdered sugar slowly until frosting is smooth and holds its shape for piping.

Modified ProductIncludes frosting

It’s healthy!...er Decreased calories significantly

Only 20% calories from fat Decreased total fat content

From 26 grams total to 7 grams total Reduced saturated fat from 7 grams to 2.5 grams Removed all trans fat from recipe

Increased fiber content From 0 grams to 2 grams Contains one serving of vegetables and one-half

serving of fruit Increased vitamin C and iron

Why avocado?

20 essential nutrients Fiber, potassium, vitamin E, B

vitamins, folic acid Help body absorb fat-soluble

vitamins Replacing saturated fat with

unsaturated fat can reduce risk of heart disease

Source: California Avocado Commission

Nutritional Benefits Replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fat

reduces risk of coronary heart disease by 19% (Harvard School of Public Health) Many commercial products replace saturated

fats with trans fats Healthy diet, including unsaturated fats, can

lower risk of cardiovascular disease American Heart Association recommends

consuming 5 servings of fruits/vegetables daily

The Science of Cupcakes Creaming avocado and sugar makes a lighter

base for the cupcake Cake flour lightens product, more tender

crumb Alternate wet and dry to ensure even mixing,

not over mix batter Lower baking temperature to cook cupcake

evenly and avoid tough exterior Balancing acidity of batter

Keeping the beet juice red

What makes a good cupcake? Appealing presentation? Outside color? Appropriate for product? Shape? Rounded top? Uniform size? Crumb and cell size? Consistent? Uniform interior color? Moist? Dense or airy? Slice/bite evenly? Pleasant aroma? Taste like red velvet cake?

Works Cited California Avocado Commission (n/d).

Avocado Nutrition. Retrieved April 26, 2012 from http://www.avocado.org/nutrition/

Science News (2010). Replacing saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat may cut heart disease risk. Science Daily. Retrieved April 25, 2012 from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100322211831.htm