Duncan Hines Carrot Cake

Through the Foodbuzz/Tastemaker Program I was asked to try some of the newest Duncan Hines products.  I've told you how delicious the chocolate and vanilla glaze goes with my Chex Mix Munchies so this time I'm going to tell you about the New and Improved Carrot Cake Mix.

I was really impressed when I opened the box and found a bag of dehydrated carrots and raisins.  Now that makes it really taste homemade without the hassle of peeling and shredding the carrots.  To plump them back up you simply soak them in the same water that will be added to your mix. 

A friend of mine sent me a recipe for a carrot cake that had pineapple chunks added to the batter.  I decided to give this a try this using the Duncan Hines Carrot Cake Mix.  The carrots and raisins are soaked in 1 1/4 cups of hot water so I cut the hot water down to 3/4 cup, stirring them frequently to allow all to absorb.  Then I added to the carrots and raisins 1/2 cup of, not pineapple chunks, but drained crushed pineapple.  This mixture was added to the batter as instructed in the directions.  It worked perfectly!  The cake came out moist and with just a hint of pineapple.  So good!

Now for the icing I did something different.  A few days ago I made a Strawberry Pretzel Salad for a neighbor.  One of the layers called for 1 pkg (8 oz.) softened cream cheese and 3/4 cups of sugar beat until fluffy.  Then 1 carton (10 oz.) cool whip, which I beat in instead of folding in.  This is what I used for my carrot cake icing.  It makes a lot so you can ice heavy even between the layers.  Afterwards I sprinkled just the top with chopped walnuts and since I still had icing left I made a 'nest' on top which I filled with chopped pineapple and a couple of cherries.  This is one delicious cake!  No one will ever guess that it was made form a mix!