Apricot Nectar Cream Cheese Cake

Ingredients

Cake

• 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

Instructions

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

Cake

1. Using an electric mixer, combine cream cheese, sugar and lemon juice.
2. Pour free cake mix into bowl. Mix in butter with a fork. Pour in apricot nectar; stir.
3. Add one egg at a time and mix.
4. Add lemon extract and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 3 minutes.
5. Add the cream cheese mixture to the batter. Beat an additional 1/2 to 1 minute.
6. Bake for 45 minutes or until cake is golden brown.
7. Glaze as soon as cake is removed from oven.

Glaze

1. Combine lemon juice and confectioners' sugar. Spoon over hot cake.

Notes

* 18.25 ounce boxes of cake mix have been replaced by 16.5 ounce and 15.25 ounce boxes. To compensate for the volume loss in a 16 ounce box, whisk 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour into the dry cake mix before proceeding with the recipe. To compensate for the volume loss in a 15.25 ounce box, add 1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour and 1/4 teaspoon baking powder.

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.

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.