This filling adds a little tropical flavor to a basic vanilla sponge cake. Frost it with whipped cream and you’re done. For a special vegan dessert, top the Dairy-Free Cheesecake (page 62) with this sweet and tangy topping.

Ingredients

　　1 (20-ounce) can unsweetened crushed pineapple packed in its own juice

　　3/4 cup water

　　3 tablespoons light agave nectar

　　1 tablespoon arrowroot powder dissolved in 2 tablespoons cold water

　　Bring the pineapple (including the juice), the water, and agave nectar to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir in the arrowroot powder slurry. Stir and cook until the mixture starts to thicken (this happens quickly). Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate before filling the cake. Store for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.

　　Reprinted with permission from Baking with Agave Nectar: Over 100 Recipes Using Nature's Ultimate Sweetener by Ania Catalano. Copyright © 2008 by Ania Catalano; photography © 2008 by Lara Hata. Published by Celestial Arts, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.Ania Catalano is a graduate of the Natural Gourmet School of Cooking in New York and the owner of the Gourmet Whole Foods Catering and Cooking School in Milford, Connecticut.