Skip to main content

Frozen Avocado Cake

Photo of an avocado cheese with a slice on a plate with a fork.
Photo & Food Styling by Kendra Vaculin

Adding sweetened condensed milk to the crust gives this cake a candy-like texture that reminds me of a Twix bar (a childhood weakness I rarely get to indulge since marrying a chef!). That same sweetness accentuates the buttery quality of ripe avocados. Chill it thoroughly, then let the cake sit at room temperature for a bit before you slice it. It’s so refreshing on a hot day.

Ingredients

Serves 12 to 14

Softened butter (for the pan)
8 whole graham crackers (120 g)
11 digestive biscuits or 4 additional graham crackers (60 g)
2 (14 oz/397 g) cans sweetened condensed milk
3 Hass avocados
1 pound (455 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
Pinch fine sea salt
2 lemons
2 limes
  1. Step 1

    Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly butter the inside of a 9-inch (23-cm) springform pan.

    Step 2

    Make the crust: Crumble the crackers and cookies into a medium bowl. Use a pestle or the bottom of a heavy bottle to crush them into fine crumbs. Add ⅓ cup (75 ml) of the condensed milk and stir until very well combined. (You can grind the crumbled graham crackers and mix them with the condensed milk in a food processor if you prefer.) Press the crumb mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom of the pan. Bake until the crust looks a little darker and smells sweet and toasty, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool the crust in the pan on a wire rack.

    Step 3

    One at a time, cut an avocado in half lengthwise. Twist the halves to separate them. Hold the half with the pit in one hand. Holding the knife in your other hand, rap the knife blade into the pit to lodge it there. Twist the knife to loosen and remove the pit. Use a large spoon to scoop the avocado flesh onto a chopping board, discarding the skins. Coarsely chop the avocados.

    Step 4

    Add the chopped avocados, cream cheese, remaining condensed milk, and salt to a food processor. (You can combine the filling in a blender instead but you may need to work in batches.) Grate the zest of 1 lemon and set aside. Squeeze the zested lemon and the limes (you should have about ⅓ cup/75 ml lemon), reserving the remaining lemon for garnish. Add the juice to the avocados and process the mixture until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

    Step 5

    Spread the filling in the cooled crust and sprinkle with the grated lemon zest. Cover the pan and freeze until the filling is firm, at least 6 hours or preferably overnight.

    Step 6

    Let the frozen cake stand at room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes before slicing. Dipping a thin knife into hot water between each cut, slice the cake into wedges and serve, topping each serving with freshly grated lemon zest.

FromDowntime: Deliciousness at Home: A Cookbook by Nadine Levy Redzepi. Published by Avery, an imprint of Penguin Group, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC. Copyright © 2017 Nadine Levy Redzepi Buy the full book fromAmazon.
Sign InorSubscribe
to leave a Rating or Review

How would you rate Frozen Avocado Cake?

Leave a Review

Reviews (16)

Back to Top Triangle
  • 金妮,格雷厄姆cr的配方为120克ackers, not 2 oz. (which would be about 56 grams). Furthermore, it calls for an additional 60 grams of digestive biscuits. So all told, we're looking at 180 grams of cookies, which comes out to just under 6.5 ounces -- in other words, MORE than the 6 ounces you find necessary.

    • Maggiesara

    • NYC

    • 9/6/2022

  • DMYERS2, know what you are writing before you criticize the recipe. The recipe called for 2 cans of sweetened condensed milk, which is plenty sweet and no sugar should be added. Your comment has shown how ignorant you really are and for everyone to read. Shame on you!

    • Orange County, California

    • 5/8/2021

  • VickyZ, check your label again. The nutritional info is for one serving of sweetened condensed milk, not the whole can. In Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk, there are 22 grams of sugar per one ounce serving. With 2 cans in this recipe, that comes out to 37 grams of sugar per serving. Excessively sweet.

    • kebod

    • New Mexico

    • 5/8/2021

  • Vickyz, check your label again. There are 20 to 22 grams of sugar in sweetened condensed milk PER 1 OUNCE serving, not in the whole can. Nutritional info on labels is given by serving size. One can of Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed milk has 220 grams of sugar. With 2 cans in this recipe, serving 12, that is 37 grams of sugar per serving. Excessively sweet.

    • kebod

    • New Mexico

    • 5/8/2021

  • It appears that most of these reviewers didn’t make the cheesecake and have no idea what sweetened condensed milk is. You’ll find it in small cans in the baking aisle of any grocery store and as another reviewer noted, no other sweetener is needed. Delicious and no more work than any other cheesecake.

    • Anonymous

    • Washington

    • 5/8/2021

  • (Roughly) 2 oz of graham crackers for the crust? Almost any cheesecake recipe calls for at least 6 oz of crumbs for the crust. I've had avocado pie in Mexico many times and there is always more crust than what is stated here. Other than that, I'm sure this is a great recipe.

    • ginny7429

    • La Quinta CA

    • 3/25/2021

  • Don't miss out on this one because of the bad reviews. It's a little labor intensive but 100% worth it. As some others are saying, please use "sweetened condensed milk" as the recipe says... not powdered or condensed milk. You probably won't want more sugar. It's plenty sweet. My family found it too sweet so I substituted 14 oz plain greek yogurt for 1 of the cans of sweet condensed milk, and perfect for us. Enjoy!

    • LeighClay

    • Nashville, TN

    • 1/30/2021

  • I was feeling lazy, so I only made the filling and used a storebought graham cracker crust. The filling came together very easily using my Vitamix blender. I only used one can of the condensed milk (instead of the 1 3/4 cans in the recipe) and found it to be plenty sweet. I'll definitely be making this again, next time trying the crust as well!

    • Anonymous

    • Denver, CO

    • 9/19/2020

  • But how did it taste?!!!!!

    • pkuta1

    • Santa Rosa, CA

    • 9/17/2020

  • Two cans of sweetened condensed milk has 42 grams of sugar, just for the people who complained about this recipe.

    • Vickyz

    • NJ

    • 9/16/2020

  • I find it disrespectful to have sloppy written instructions, a lot of work and expense goes into making these recipes. They should be tested as written before being published. You owe it to your readers. The omission of sugar in the ingredient list is a big one. Shame Epicurious.

    • dmyers2

    • 9/14/2020

  • This recipe talks about sugar, but there is no sugar in the ingredients list. Editor?

    • ellenmhunt

    • Chicago

    • 9/14/2020

  • PLEASE do not hold the avocado in your hand to remove the pit like this. I severed two nerves and an artery in my fingers when the knife slipped and was told there are a lot of avocado injuries. After overcoming my flashbacks, this sounds good, reminiscent of a Thai milkshake made with sweetened condensed milk and avocado.

    • cincisusan

    • Ohio

    • 9/14/2020

  • Are you womansplaining how to deal with an avacado?

    • bptivnan

    • 9/14/2020

  • Piggywiggy, I was wondering the same thing and assume, with the lack of any other sugar in the recipe, that she must mean what I usually see labeled as "Sweetened Condensed" milk (as opposed to "Evaporated" milk that is not sweetened). With 2 cans called for, that would be PLENTY of sugar in and of itself.

    • emaperu

    • Chico,Ca

    • 9/13/2020

See Related Recipes and Cooking Tips

Read More
No-Churn Hazelnut Espresso Ice Cream
This easy no-churn ice cream relies on whipped cream and sweetened condensed milk for its creamy texture, and is flavored with rich espresso and toasted hazelnuts.
BA’s Best Pumpkin Pie
The sweetened condensed milk adds a decadent richness to the custard, while the perfect ratio of spices highlights the flavors of the pumpkin.
Basundi (Creamy Saffron and Nut Dessert)
A double dose of dairy—milk and condensed milk—makes this dessert extra creamy.
Root Beer Float Granita
Creamy sweetened condensed milk stands in for vanilla ice cream in this icy and refreshing take on the classic soda shop flavor combination.
Banoffee Pie
Despite its origins in Sussex, British supermarkets in the 1980s sold banoffee pie under the moniker “American pie.”
Tres Leches Cake
This layered tres leches cake is sandwiched with strawberries, mangoes, and whipped cream for a knockout version of the popular dessert everyone will love.
Crunchy, Creamy Key Lime Pie Bites on Ice Cream
Imagine mini bites of Key lime pie, but with opposite proportions of salty graham cracker crust and tangy lime custard.
Peanut Butter Pie
If you’ve been on the hunt for a truly simple, creamy, make-ahead dessert, this peanut butter pie recipe may be just what you need.