Apricot Nectar Cream Cheese Cake

This is an excellent cake – really moist and full of flavor.

Difficulty: Intermediate

Servings: 12

Cook Time: 45 minutes  

Ingredients

1 (18.25 ounce) box butter cake mix
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
3/4 cup apricot nectar
3 eggs
2 tablespoons lemon extract
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

Glaze
Juice of 2 lemons*
1 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar

**I prefer using apricot nectar in the glaze

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a Bundt pan.

Using an electric mixer, combine cream cheese, sugar and lemon juice.

Pour cake mix into bowl. Mix in butter with a fork. Pour in apricot nectar; stir.
Add one egg at a time and mix. Add lemon extract and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 3 minutes. Add the cream cheese mixture to the batter. Beat an additional 1/2 to 1 minute.

Bake for 45 minutes or until cake is golden brown. Glaze as soon as cake is removed from oven.

Glaze: Combine lemon juice and confectioners’ sugar. Spoon over hot cake.

Variation: You can spread all of the Cream Cheese Mixture on top of the cake batter in the Bundt pan, and you will end up with a layer
of cream cheese at the bottom of the cake (this is what I like to do).

The recipe can also be used to make muffins, which should be baked
in muffin tins lined with paper holders at 350 degrees F for about
15 to 20 minutes.

*You can replace the store-bought cake mix with homemade cake mix if you like!

Categories: Cakes, Desserts

Submitted by: wvhomecanner on June 24, 2010