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Mystery Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

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By: Joanna Cismaru 4 Comments

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Mystery Cake with Cream Cheese Icing – the secret ingredient will surprise you. The popular mystery cake that dates back to the 1930s.

Mystery Cake with cream cheese icing with a slice cut on a cake stand

I’m super excited to share this recipe with you. This recipe for mystery cake dates back to the 1930s and this cake used to be very popular. You may wonder why it’s called mystery cake and the answer is simple. The special ingredient used in this cake may surprise you.

It’s Campbell’s Tomato Soup!

No lie! 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.

A Slice of Mystery Cake with cream cheese icing

So that’s my little history lesson for today. This cake can be enjoyed all by itself or you can make this phenomenal cream cheese icing. I served this cake for a BBQ we had this past weekend and I wouldn’t tell my family what was in the cake and nobody guessed it, it was compared to a carrot cake, but everyone loved it.

Close up shot of Mystery Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

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.

a mystery cake on a cake stand with a slice cut and semi removed from the cake
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3.67 from 3 votes

Mystery Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

Prep 10 minutes
Cook 45 minutes
Total 55 minutes
Rate Recipe
10

Ingredients

Cake

  • 4 tablespoon unsalted butter (softened)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg (well beaten)
  • 1 can condensed tomato soup (Campbell’s preferred 10 3/4 oz size)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Cream cheese icing

  • 4 ounce cream cheese (softened)
  • 4 ounce butter (softened)
  • 2 cups powdered 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 oven to 350°F. Spritz a 9″ round cake pan with cooking spray. Line with a parchment circle and spritz with spray again.
  • Cream butter and sugar in large bowl. 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 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.
© Author Jo

Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.

a mystery cake on a cake stand with a slice cut and semi removed from the cake

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Joanna Cismaru

Joanna Cismaru

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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4 Comments
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Louise Gillespie
Louise Gillespie
Posted: 7 years ago

Judy, I will gladly send you tomato soup…you really need to try this recipe.

0
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Louise Gillespie
Louise Gillespie
Posted: 7 years ago

I used to make this cake a lot back in the 80’s, my husbands Mom called it a “Husbands Cake”, I baked it in a bread pan and also used a cream cheese frosting…it stays moist. I had a friend who was turned off by tomato soup in it and refused to eat it. I fixed it and gave it to him and he really loved it. I told him it was a tomato soup cake and he never again turned his nose up at anything I cooked again…you really can not tell it has tomato soup in it…I also added 1/2-1 cup of chopped walnuts to the cake…yum. Thank you for bringing back…

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Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Louise Gillespie
Posted: 7 years ago

LOL I think I like the name Husbands Cake too 🙂

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Judy
Judy
Posted: 9 years ago

No Campbell soup here. Stupid country

0
Reply

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Hey there!

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

Read More
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Get our FREE recipe eBook + weekly newsletter!

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