Tomato Soup Cake
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This Tomato Soup Cake may surprise you, it’s completely moist and tender and totally delicious. It’s buttery and baked to perfection, perfect for an elegant afternoon tea or a special occasion.
Easy Tomato Soup Cake Recipe
This recipe for tomato soup cake or also known as mystery cake dates back to the 1930s when this cake used to be very popular. It was called mystery cake because of the “secret ingredient” in it which is Campbell’s tomato soup.
Not too worry though, there is no tomato taste in this cake at all. The reason tomato soup was used is because during the 1030s ingredients such as butter and eggs were precious and hard to come by so women had experiment with other ingredients. The tomato soup makes this cake moist and very little butter and eggs are used.
This cake can be enjoyed all by itself with a good cup of coffee or you can make this phenomenal cream cheese icing. If I were to compare it to anything else, it’s very similar in taste to a carrot cake.
Why You’ll Love This Tomato Cake
- Incredibly Moist And Delicious! This cake is incredibly buttery, moist and tender, even though there’s very little butter in it.
- Quick And Easy! The cake is sophisticated in flavor, but the recipe is no fuss! It’s quick and only requires 8 simple ingredients that make a delicious beautiful cake ready to serve in just a little over an hour.
- Perfect For Make Ahead! Not only is it easy to make, but this tomato soup cake freezes amazingly well, which makes it perfect for events. You can make this cake a week ahead, store it in the freezer, and then serve it the day of your event and it will be just as yummy as the day you baked it!
- Egg – You will need one fresh large egg that is at room temperature.
- Sugar – I used granulated white sugar. You can also use cane sugar.
- Cinnamon – A little bit of ground cinnamon. You can add other spices as well such as nutmeg or cloves.
- Flour – Simple all-purpose flour is all you need. Pastry flour is another option.
- Baking Powder And Baking Soda – Both are used as a leavening agent that helps to give the cake rise.
- Butter – Always use unsalted butter in baking to control the level of salt. And for this recipe, the butter will need to be softened.
- Tomato Soup – As mentioned, a can of Campbell’s tomato soup is our secret ingredient in this cake. It’s what gives the cake moisture but leaves no tomato taste at all.
- Raisins – Raisins are optional here, but if you like raisins feel free to add some otherwise leave them out. You can also add other things like nuts.
- Butter – unsalted butter is what you’ll want to use.
- Powdered sugar – this is also known as icing sugar or confectioner’s sugar.
- Cream cheese – at room temperature. I always use Philadelphia cream cheese.
- Vanilla extract – just a bit to add a touch of vanilla in the icing.
This recipe proves how simple it is to make a cake in just about an hour with a few ingredients but full of delicious flavors.
To begin, preheat your oven temperature to 350°F (177°C) so that it is ready for baking once the batter is made. Then spray a bundt cake pan or a 9-inch round cake pan generously with cooking oil.
First you need to cream the butter and sugar until cream. You can use either a stand mixer or a hand mixer. To the butter sugar mixture add the egg and mix until well incorporated.
Combine baking soda with undiluted soup in can. Let it foam for 1 minute. Now pour the soup mixture into butter mixture and blend well. Mixture will look slightly curdled. This is normal.
In a small bowl combine the flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Whisk well and add to the tomato soup mixture. Beat together for 1 minute on medium speed. If adding raisins, now is the time to fold them in.
Pour into the prepared pan and transfer it to the preheated oven. Now bake the cake for 30-45 minutes depending on your oven. The cake is done baking when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the sides of the cake have started to pull away from the edges of the pan. Then when it’s done, allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 5 to 10 minutes before turning it out onto a plate.
Just add the butter, powdered sugar, cream cheese, and vanilla to a large mixing bowl. Then beat everything together with an electric hand mixer or use a whisk until it’s smooth and fluffy.
Simply pour the cream cheese icing over the cake, or spread it with a knife if too firm. If you want you can also sprinkle some sprinkles over it. All that’s left to do is slice and serve.
What Else Can I Add To My Cake?
Besides raisins, you can add nuts such as pecans or walnuts. You can always add more spices like nutmeg or cardamom along with the cinnamon if you like.
Can I Make This Cake Gluten Free?
Most likely yes! But I’ve not tested the recipe. However, if you do, make sure to use a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour that has xanthan gum in it, which acts as a replacement for the gluten that is naturally in all-purpose flour. This recipe will not work properly if there is no xanthan gum in your alternative flour of choice.
Expert Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients. This helps the batter to emulsify and properly come together to create the best texture. So I always suggest taking the eggs and other ingredients out of the fridge a couple of hours before starting the recipe.
- Grease the pan well. You do not want your cake to stick. So do not skimp on how much you grease the pan and do generously dust with flour as well.
- Let it cool. Be sure to give the tomato soup cake about 5 to 10 minutes to cool in the pan before attempting to turn it out onto a plate.
Storage
You can store the cake for several days at room temperature on a covered cake plate. That is the best way to maintain the shape of the cake and keep it from drying out. However, if you don’t have a covered cake plate, you can also cover your cake with a dome-shaped bowl or plastic container. Basically, make your own covered cake plate.
How To Freeze Cake
This tomato soup cake freezes exceptionally well for up to 2 months, however, I would freeze it without the icing. If you are baking it for a make-ahead dessert, bake the cake and let it cool, but don’t add the cream cheese icing. Instead, once it has cooled, wrap the entire cake well in several layers of plastic wrap or cut the cake into individual slices and wrap each one separately. Then when you are ready to serve, allow the cake to thaw out at room temperature. Then make the icing and pour it over the cake before serving.
Other Delicious Cake Recipes To Try
- Coconut Cake
- Chocolate Bundt Cake
- Cheesecake Recipe
- Limoncello Cake
- Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
- Butter Cake
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Tomato Soup Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 4 tablespoons butter (softened)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg (well beaten)
- 10¾ ounces condensed tomato soup (one small can)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup raisins (optional)
Cream cheese icing
- 4 ounces cream cheese (softened)
- 4 ounces butter (softened)
- 2 cups powdered sugar (same as icing sugar or confectioners sugar)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spritz a 9" round cake pan or bundt pan with cooking spray.
- Cream the butter and sugar in large bowl using a hand mixer or whisk. Add egg and mix well.
- Combine baking soda with undiluted soup in can. Let foam for 1 minute. Pour soup mixture into butter/sugar/egg and blend well. Mixture will look slightly curdled. This is normal.
- In a small bowl combine flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Whisk well and add to tomato soup mixture. Beat together for 1 minute on medium speed.
- Pour into prepared pan and transfer to the preheated oven. Bake for 30-45 minutes depending on your oven, insert toothpick and if the toothpick comes out clean it's done.
- Cool on wire rack and ice as desired.
- To make icing, mix butter and cream cheese together until smooth, add powdered sugar half a cup at a time and mix for a couple minutes. Add in vanilla and mix.
- Spread icing over cooled cake, cut into slices and serve.
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients. This helps the batter to emulsify and properly come together to create the best texture. So I always suggest taking the eggs and other ingredients out of the fridge a couple of hours before starting the recipe.
- Grease the pan well. You do not want your cake to stick. So do not skimp on how much you grease the pan and do generously dust with flour as well.
- Let it cool. Be sure to give the tomato soup cake about 5 to 10 minutes to cool in the pan before attempting to turn it out onto a plate.
- You can store the cake for several days at room temperature on a covered cake plate. That is the best way to maintain the shape of the cake and keep it from drying out. However, if you don’t have a covered cake plate, you can also cover your cake with a dome-shaped bowl or plastic container.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
Enjoy!
