Avocado Cake with Dates

Cream sugar and butter together. Add eggs; mix well. Add avocado puree; mix well. Lastly, add buttermilk. Combine spices, salt, soda and flour. Gradually, add dry ingredients to wet beating well; it should be on the stiff side. Add dates, raisins and walnuts. Turn into a greased 9x9 inch baking dish and bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Combine cream, rum, salt and sugar and beat until stiff. (Of course, you must have your bowl and beaters chilled to accomplish this!). Chill. Serve a "dollop" of this cream on each piece of avocado cake.

NOTE: This recipe can be doubled and baked in a 9x13 inch pan. The cooking time remains the same. I have never made the cream topping. I prefer to make a simple glaze with confectioners sugar, lime juice and milk, although keeping the cake "plain" is just fine. This is a lovely, moist, mildly spicy, old fashioned cake. People will guess that it is a carrot or zucchini cake if they don't know what the "secret" ingredient is. The batter is a lovely shade of green, but the cake bakes up a brown color.