Carrot Cake

Categories: cake

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup dried apricots
• 3 tablespoons hot water
• 2 large eggs
• 2 egg whites
• 4 large carrots shredded (2 1/2 cups)
• 1/2 cup apple butter
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 12 oz light cream cheese (Neufchatel)
• 1 (7 1/2 oz) jar marshmallow cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray 2 (9 inch) round cake pans with nonstick spray, line the bottoms with parchment or wax paper and spray the paper with nonstick spray.

2. Combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.

3. Put the apricots and hot water in a food processor and process until the apricots are finely chopped.

4. Put the eggs and egg whites in a large bowl; beat with a whisk to combine. Add the carrots, apple butter, oil and apricots, stirring until blended. Add the flour mixture to the carrot mixture, stirring with a rubber spatula just until blended. Spread the batter evenly in the pans. Bake until the cakes are nicely browned and the center of each bounces back when lightly pressed with a fingertip, 30-32 minutes. Let cool in the pans on racks, 15 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans, peel off the paper and cool completely on the racks.

5. To make the frosting, with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the remaining ingredients until smooth.

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