Zapote Cake - Improving!

My first experiment with a zapote cake was pretty good, but I felt it could be improved :-).  I felt that the pecans overwhelmed the cake, as did the rum sauce, and the zapote flavor was lost.  I made a few changes (underlined below) - this cake is *amazing!*  I had thought about adding some spices, but am glad I resisted.  The carambola adds a bit of tartness that brings out the zapote, and the coconut and raisins add just enough "other" flavor. 


Zapote Cake with Carambola Sauce

Mix in a large bowl:
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 1/4 cup flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 Tbs powdered whole milk

Mix in a smaller bowl:
- 2 Tbs melted butter
- 2 cups Zapote pulp*
- 1 tsp vanilla

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry, then add:
- 1/2 cup grated coconut (unsweetened)
- 1 cup raisins

Pour batter into 2 loaf pans, and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees (F) for 70 minutes.  The cakes should be very moist, but with a hard surface.  Cool slightly in the pans, then refrigerate, turn out and slice.

Serve with warm Carambola Sauce spooned over (microwaving for 10 seconds works great).

Carambola Sauce

Mix in a heavy saucepan:
3/4 cup Carambola pulp**
1/2 cup sugar
Combine and heat on low, stirring constantly, until thickened (stop just before it boils). Let cool, serve while still slightly warm.

* for zapote pulp, blend pieces of peeled zapote with enough water to facilitate movement.  It will be creamy and fluffy.

** Carambola is a tart tropical fruit, also known as starfruit. For pulp, dump clean, chopped fruit pieces into a blender, add enough water to facilitate blending. Blend, then strain.  No need to peel or seed the fruit first.
CAUTION!!! If you take statins (or other medications), check with your doctor - like grapefruit, carambola can significantly increase the effective dosage within the body.