To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day here at The Picket Fence, we are hosting a 24 hour web sale.

Use this coupon code to receive 17% off our entire store. It must be your lucky day!

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Avocado Pound Cake – from Joy the Baker’s blog.

I’d really like to conjure up some useful information for you.  That would be nice, right?  I could tell you all about avocados.  Where they came from.  What a lovely shade of green they are.  Why they’re so expensive at the grocery store… you know, things like that.

But you didn’t come here for boring old information… did you!?

I didn’t think so.

You came here  because you want me to admit to eating Pepperidge Farm Soft Bake Cookies…which is totally happening right now.  You came here because you want me to admit to rrreeeeaaaalllllyyyy wanting to watch the season finale of The Bachelor… it’s true… it’s a problem.  You came here because you want me to admit to wearing my big fluffy slipper socks.  The dreaded socks/shoes that will keep me single for eternity.  Well… I’m wearing them and I’m loving it.

So there, friends.  It’s all out on the table.  Now can we talk about cake?

I’ve baked with avocado before.  Remember the Vegan Chocolate Avocado Cake with Avocado Buttercream? Yea… that was intense… and surprising… and bright green.  Amazing.

I got my hands on another round of avocados and made some magic happen.  This recipe makes two glorious loaves of cake.  I’ve cut back on the butter and thrown in some ripe mashed avocados.  The batter is moistened with buttermilk and bakes up with a lovely golden top and faintly green center.

Can you taste the avocado after the cake is baked?  Heck yes you can!  It’s subtle but distinct with a nice sweetness and a hint of crunch from cornmeal.  I love this pound cake.  It’s a home run.

We served this pound cake for The Violet Hour supper brunch with  blood orange, pink grapefruit and pomelo segments and a lightly sweetened rose whipped cream.  Whoa!  Whole lotta yum.

Avocado Pound Cake

makes 2 9×4×3-inch loaves

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

3 cups sugar

4 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup buttermilk

flesh of 1 1/2 ripe avocados, just over a cup to a cup and a half of avocado, mashed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease and flour two loaf pans and set aside.

In a medium sized bowl, sift together flour, cornmeal, salt, baking powder and baking soda.  Set aside.  Set the four eggs out on the counter to come to room temperature while you beat the butter and sugar.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter on medium speed until softened and pliable.  Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.  Add the avocado and beat another minute to incorporate.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure that everything is thoroughly mixed.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating 1 minute after the addition of each egg.  Beat in vanilla extract.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and add half of the flour mixture, all of the buttermilk, and then the rest of the flour mixture.  Beat just until combined.

Divide the dough between the two loaf pans and place in the oven.  Turn the oven down to 325 degrees F.   Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean.  I checked my cakes every ten minutes or so after the 30 minute mark.   Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

With spring just around the corner, we decided to freshen our website’s look to reflect the beautiful season that lies ahead…. Take a peek.

Let us know what you think!

Welcome to the colorful and vibrant world of oil and pallette-knife painter, Leonid Afremov.

“I enjoy creating inspired and beautiful paintings from the bottom of my soul.”

click on image above for Schleeh products available through The Picket Fence

Pumpkin-Ginger Waffles – from Country Living.

Serves: 5    Yields: Five 5-inch round waffles   Total Time: 30 min

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) salt
• 2 teaspoon(s) ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) cinnamon
• 1/4 cup(s) finely chopped crystallized ginger
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup(s) buttermilk
• 1/2 cup(s) canned pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup(s) sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoon(s) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

Directions

1. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground ginger, and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Remove 2 tablespoons of the flour mixture and toss with crystallized ginger in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Whisk eggs, buttermilk, pumpkin, sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Combine with flour mixture. Stir in butter and fold in reserved crystallized-ginger mixture. Do not overmix.
3. Heat a waffle iron and make waffles, using about 1/2 cup batter per each one. Keep warm in 200°F oven, if desired.

Do you enjoy creative crafts made with your own two hands? Then you will love this original wire artwork by entrepreneur Jennifer Yarbrough!

Visit her at The Funky Shack Art Studio.

Today I’d like to share a wonderful blog post from BlueberryMoon about how to make your own cupcake liners… Thank you Keithena Kibbe for allowing us to pass on your cute and clever idea!

Hey Cupcake……..

There really is no place like home. The Sawtooth Mountain range, renowned for its amazing and unique summits, is right outside our front doors here in Sun Valley, Idaho. These beautiful peaks provide many great places to hike, backpack, rock climb, mountain bike and go horseback riding. Breathe in the crisp mountain air.

Photo by Victoria Porter. Visit her blog here.