Canned Tomato Soup Cake

The flavour of this cake surprises me every time I have a slice! Even though there is a whole can of tomato soup in this Canned Tomato Soup Cake, the flavour is a deep, warm, cozy spice flavour – not tomato-like at all! I prepare my version with raisins, but you can leave them out if you prefer a more basic cake.

Canned Tomato Soup Cake is a recipe that I remember from when I was a little boy.  My mom used to make this cake quite often.  I remember being thrilled to bits whenever she made the cake without raisins, but now, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I used to not like the texture of raisins, but I guess as I got older, my tastes changed. Now, I wouldn’t consider making this cake without them!

Recipes like this one are often posted to Lord Byron’s Kitchen around Christmastime.  The reason is simple; Christmastime reminds me of my mom.  She loved Christmas more than anyone else I know – almost as much as I do!  And, these types of recipes has mom written all over it.

When I bake this cake, I imagine she’s there with me, struggling with her old-fashioned can opener, trying to remove the lid from her no-name brand can of tomato soup.  She’s wearing a cloth bandanna to cover her hair, and a full length apron that has seen its fair share of flour dust.

Meanwhile, there’s Christmas carols playing in the background on the old floor-model 8-Track stereo, the window in the kitchen is frosted and you can barely see out of it, and the smell of Tomato Soup Cake is beginning to fill the air.

Why are the simplest memories the most vivid?  I think it’s because those memories are the ones that are most important and the ones that remind us of what we miss the most.  So, while I continue on my trip down memory lane, you go ahead and bake a Tomato Soup Cake.  And, don’t worry, you can use a brand name can of soup; mom won’t mind a bit!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR CANNED TOMATO SOUP CAKE:

• Flour – No need for anything special. Just use regular all-purpose flour. I have not tried this recipe with any other type of flour.
• Tomato Soup – Use just a regular, cheap can of tomato soup from the grocery store.
• Sugar – Sugar will caramelize when baked, which will help to brown the cakes.  In this case, it helps to balance out the acidity of the tomato soup.
• Butter – Make sure your butter is at room temperature! To be perfectly honest, I have made these with both salted and unsalted butter and there’s no difference in taste or appearance once all is said and done.
• Egg – One large egg is all you need. Whenever you set out to bake, make sure your eggs are at room temperature too – just like your butter!
• Raisins – I like all kinds of raisins. You can use golden raisins, Thompson, sultana, etc. Use what you have on hand. Otherwise, you can leave them out completely.
• Pumpkin Spice – This is a blend of ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves.  Depending on the brand, allspice is sometimes absent, but I think the flavour is better with it.
• Baking Soda – Commonly known as sodium bicarbonate, or just bicarb, it is a baking ingredient that’s activated by a liquid and an acid to help with leavening or rising. It’s the magic in this cake!
• Baking Powder – This is used to increase the volume of the batter and to add texture as well.
• Salt – This is a common ingredient in baking and cooking.  In baking it helps to enhance and balance sweetness. 
• Confectioner’s Sugar – This is optional. It’s just used to dust the top of the cake.

MORE CHRISTMAS CONFECTIONS!

Last year, I published a series called Lord Byron’s 12 Biscotti of Christmas. The year before that, I published a series called Lord Byron’s 12 Bundt Cakes of Christmas. You can click on the image below and see the entire series on one page! Don’t worry, you won’t lose this page. It will open up a new page so that you can easily get back to these cookies!

• 

• 

RAISINS – DO YOU LOVE THEM OR HATE THEM?

Back when I was little, I hated raisins with a passion.  In fact, I think the first time I ate a raisin and enjoyed it was three years ago!  It’s funny to think back on how many times I would pick the raisins out of cakes, breads, or danishes.

Speaking of danishes, there was a time when I would purchase a cream cheese danish and a coffee every single weekday for breakfast.  There was this little coffee shop/bakery close to my office and over time, the owner got to know that I hated raisins and every day, she would set aside the danish with the least amount of raisins just for me.

I would take the danish to my office, along with my hot coffee, and prepare the disassembly.  Let me explain.  I didn’t trust that there were no raisins hidden beneath the glossy mound of cream cheese filling.  So, I would fetch a toothpick from my drawer, and drag it through the cream cheese, combing out the hidden raisins.

By the time I was done, the danish looked a hot mess!  But, it still tasted good, and I could bite into it without the fear of chewing on a mushy, shriveled raisin.

Fast forward a few years, I stopped feeding myself sweet treats for breakfast.  The coffee shop has closed; probably as a result of me not spending so much money there!  And, now I actually enjoy raisins in almost everything.

If you ask my daughter, that comes with age.  Just a few weeks ago, she asked me, “Dad, when I get old, will I like raisins, dates, and prunes like you?”  I guess, to her, 42 is old!  I replied yes and went back to eating a slice of my Dutch Oven Cinnamon Raisin Bread.

Whether or not you include raisins in your Canned Tomato Soup Cake is entirely up to you.  I’ve made this exact same recipe many times before and I have not included the raisins.  I’ve sometimes made it just plain, and other times, I added chopped walnuts.

HOW TO MAKE CANNED TOMATO SOUP CAKE

The first thing you should do is to activate the tomato soup. This is where you combine the canned soup with the baking soda. The soup will foam up, so use a larger bowl than you think you will need to prevent it from spilling over. Once the soup is in the bowl, add the baking soda and gently whisk to incorporate. Set this aside and let it work its magic!

Next, preheat you oven to 350 degrees F.  Coat a Bundt or tube pan with non-stick cooking spray, such as Pam, and set aside. In a large bowl, use a hand-held mixer to blend the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and blend to incorporate. Next, pour in the tomato soup mixture and beat into the butter and sugar mixture. Now, add the flour, pumpkin spice, baking powder, and salt.  Mix until just incorporated.  Do not over mix the batter. Add the raisins and use a rubber spatula to fold them in.

Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan.  Tap the cake pan firmly onto your counter top or a cutting board to ensure the batter has gotten into the crooks and crannies of your pan.  This action will also help to eliminate some of the air bubbles. Bake for 50 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of the cake, comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and allow cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.  Then turn the cake out onto a wire cooling rack to finish cooling. To serve, dust with some confectioner’s sugar – optional.

PUMPKIN SPICE BLEND

As previously mentioned, this recipe has two teaspoons of pumpkin spice in it. If you do not have pumpkin spice blend at home, you just might have the spices that combine to make the blend already in you spice rack. Most pumpkin spice blends have cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and allspice. If you have any of those, use 1/2 teaspoon of each. A scant 1/2 teaspoon of all five of those will get you very close to a store-bought pumpkin spice blend without having to spend the extra money.

If you’re like me, you always have pumpkin spice blend on hand! I make a large batch early in the fall and use it all up by the end of December. Here’s the recipe I use to make my own at home.

MORE CHRISTMAS RECIPES!

Did you know that I’ve been posting a 24 Cookies of Christmas series for a few years now? There are over 100 Christmas cookie recipes that you can find right here at Lord Byron’s Kitchen! To make it easier to find, I have created a page for each series. Just click on the image below and you’ll find the full series for that volume all one page!

• 

• 

• 

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down to follow me and never miss another recipe!

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

•