True to its name, this cake uses a can of tomato soup as a star ingredient along with a medly of fall flavors–cinnamon, cloves and all-spice–and is topped with a thick layer of Brown Sugar Frosting.
As soon as the leaves start to turn and there is the slightest chill in the air, I need to break out my cozy sweaters and make Tomato Soup Spice Cake. It’s such a great dessert for fall, with flavors of cinnamon, cloves and all spice and topped with a thick layer of Brown Sugar Frosting.
I recently updated this recipe, making a few small tweaks from my husband’s grandmother’s original recipe but keeping—and actually doubling—the frosting! Here is the original post I shared three years and many, many Tomato Soup Spice Cakes ago!!
Original post from Sept. 10, 2019:
Canned tomato soup in a cake? I first came across this peculiar recipe for “Tomato Soup Cake” on a handwritten page in a cookbook that belonged to Jaye’s Grandma Charlotte. Apparently, she made this spice cake topped with a brown sugar frosting quite often when hosting various ladies’ groups (e.g., Garden Club, Homemakers Club) at her farmhouse near Roseau, Minn.
Upon a little research on the Internet, I found that many others have discovered how this not-so-secret ingredient makes for a super moist and flavorful spice cake. In fact, Campbell’s says that 1 of every 5 requests it gets for a recipe using its condensed tomato soup is for Tomato Soup Spice Cake! You can read more about the history of this legendary cake including one of the original recipes here.
Charlotte’s version appears in her Viko cookbook on a page alongside the book’s recipe for Brown Sugar Frosting. Cookbooks like this one published in 1939 (pictured on the right) were popular among homemakers who relied on the tested recipes and also used the blank pages to record their own recipes, menus and even household tips.
Jaye’s mom, Mary Lou (Charlotte’s daughter), says spice cake was more popular than chocolate cake back in the day, and she remembers seeing her mom’s “Tomato Soup Cake” show up at ladies’ lunches and also at the family’s “afternoon” lunch. She says, “at home, lunch was held two times a day, at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Morning lunch had a sandwich and something sweet with coffee. Then, there was dinner at noon, which included a dessert like pudding, followed by an afternoon lunch where cake would often show up.”
Dessert at every meal?! Yes, please!! But seriously, please try this cake recipe, and don’t let the tomato soup scare you off. I was hesitant at first, but this spice cake with this absolutely irresistible frosting combo has made me a total convert.
