Carrot Spice Cake with Apricot
Ready for a dessert makeover? Turn a simple, frosted spice cake into a deliciously easy and nourishing dessert. With puréed canned carrots and tomato paste to replace much of the fat in the batter, and with a sweet topping of chunky apricots, a slice of this cake provides more than a half-cup of nutrient-rich fruit and vegetables in your day!
Persons
12
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Total Time
1 hour
Ingredients
- Non-stick baking spray
- 1 can (14.5 ounces) no-salt-added sliced carrots, not drained
- 1/4 cup canned no-salt-added tomato paste
- 1/4 cup 2% milk
- 1 box (18.25 ounces) spice cake mix
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
- 1 cup raisins
- 3 large eggs
- 2 cans (15 ounces each) apricot halves in juice or extra-light syrup, not drained
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Spray a 10-inch Bundt pan with baking spray; set aside.
- Purée carrots with their liquid, tomato paste and milk in a blender until smooth.
- Mix cake mix, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and raisins in the large bowl of an electric mixer.
- Add puréed carrot mixture and eggs, and beat on low speed for 30 seconds and on high for 2 minutes, until the batter is thick and smooth.
- Pour and scrape batter into the prepared pan and bake in the oven for 45 minutes until a tester inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it.
- Cool in the pan on rack for 20 to 30 minutes, until cool enough to touch.
- Remove cake from pan and cool on rack until room temperature.
- While the cake is baking, prepare the apricot curd.
- Drain 1 can of apricots.
- Purée the drained and undrained apricots and cornstarch in a blender until smooth.
- Pour into a large saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until boiling and thick, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in cream cheese, butter, vanilla and remaining cinnamon until smooth; cool completely.
- Cut in 12 wedges and serve wedges of cake with sauce.