Vintage Tomato Soup Cake is an easy and unique spice cake to try this fall. The surprise is that it uses a can of tomato soup to make sure it stays moist and brings warm flavors.
If you love traditional, family cake recipes, then try my Best Rum Cake and Hummingbird Cake.
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Why this Tomato Soup Cake Recipe is a Keeper
This cake recipe is old-fashioned comfort. It’s full of flavor and is a new recipe to try for a get-together.
- Unique Nostalgia: Tomato cake is a Depression-era recipe that showcases creativity with pantry staples.
- Surprising Flavor: Tomato soup or puree adds moisture and a subtle tang, balancing the sweetness of the cake.
- Simple Ingredients: Uses everyday pantry items, no fancy equipment required.
- Crowd-Pleasing: The spiced flavor profile (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves) makes it taste like a cozy spice cake. Add raisins to make a traditional cake.
Does the Tomato Soup Cake Taste Like Tomatoes?
No. The nice thing about this delicious cake is that you can’t taste the tomato soup in this Campbell’s tomato soup cake. It tastes like a super moist cinnamon cake.
Pro Tip from Grandma’s Cookbook
Add-ins: Raisins, walnuts, pecans, or shredded coconut add texture.
Ingredient Notes to Make Tomato Soup Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
This vintage cake recipe uses only a few simple ingredients you probably already have, or can grab in one quick trip to the store.
Get the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions in the recipe card below.
- Condensed Tomato Soup: This is the secret ingredient in the original recipe. You will need one soup can of condensed campbell’s soup to make the cake.
- Baking Soda: This helps to cut the acidity of the soup. Make sure you don’t use baking powder.
- Cream Cheese: The base of the frosting is cream cheese. The cream cheese at room temperature is best.
Variations and Substitutions for Tomato Spice Cake
This old fashioned spice cake recipe is so easy to change up. I like to experiment with ingredients to make different varieties.
- Tomato Base: Use canned tomato soup, tomato puree, or homemade tomato sauce for this mystery cake that tastes like spice cake.
- Flour: Swap all-purpose flour for whole wheat or a gluten-free blend.
- Sweetener: Substitute white sugar with brown sugar or honey for richer flavor to the retro cake.
- Frosting: Cream cheese frosting is traditional, but buttercream or a simple glaze works too.
How to Make Magic Tomato Soup Cake
This old fashioned cake recipe comes together in 5 steps and is super quick and easy to put together. This tomato soup recipe is a classic.
Get the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions in the recipe card below.
- Grease Pan and Prep Ingredients: Preheat the oven and grease an 8×8 inch cake pan. In a bowl, mix together the tomato soup and baking soda.
- Mix the Wet Ingredients: In another large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer. Then beat in the eggs, one at a time, and add vanilla. Stir in the tomato mixture.
- Make the Cake Batter: Sift the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and salt into the wet ingredients. Use a spoon to stir until there are no more white streaks.
- Bake the Cake: Pour into the prepared baking dish, and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Make the Frosting: In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter. Then, beat in the vanilla and sugar until smooth. Allow the cake to cool before frosting.
Prep Ahead Suggestions for Tomato Soup Spice Cake
Streamline your baking process by prepping this light and fluffy soup cake in advance.
- Measure Ingredients: Measure dry ingredients and spices in advance.
- Make Frosting: Mix frosting a day ahead and refrigerate.
- Bake Cake: Bake the cake a day before serving; it often tastes better after resting overnight.
- Tomato: Store tomato soup or puree in the fridge so it’s ready to use.
Alternate Cooking Methods for Spice Cake Recipe
Alternatively, you can make this recipe into a bundt cake, cupcakes or in a loaf pan. Make a round cake like the recipe featured in Campbell’s cookbook.
- Bundt Pan: Try this recipe in a bundt pan for a vintage presentation.
- Cupcakes: Portion batter into muffin tins for individual servings.
- Loaf Pan: Bake as a spiced quick bread.
Store Tomato Soup Cake and Use Leftovers
- Storing: Keep covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. Refrigerate for up to 5 days (especially if frosted with cream cheese).
- Using Leftovers: Crumble into parfaits or yogurt bowls. Toast lightly and serve with butter for a cozy breakfast.
Common Questions About This Tomato Soup Cake Recipe
You can experiment with fresh tomatoes, but you’ll need to reduce them significantly and tweak the recipe. If you want the classic nostalgic taste, stick with condensed tomato soup.
This recipe for tomato soup cake is more like a cake than bread. But it is moist and dense, leaning toward banana bread rather than airy layer cake.
Expert Tips to Love this Recipe
- Don’t Overmix: Mix just until combined to keep the cake tender.
- Cool completely before frosting: Prevents melting and sliding.
- Spice Balance: Taste your spice blend before adding, vintage recipes often use bold amounts.
- Moisture Check: Tomato base varies; if batter seems too thick, add a splash of milk.
- Rest Overnight: Flavors deepen after sitting, making it even better the next day.
- Serve With: Serve with old-fashioned Carrot Cake, Hummingbird Cake or Crispy Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Balls.
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Vintage Tomato Soup Cake
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Ingredients
- 10.5 ounces Condensed tomato soup, 1 can
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
- 1 cup Sugar
- ½ cup Butter
- 2 Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon Ground all spice
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 2 cups All-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons Baking powder
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 12 ounces Cream cheese, room temperature, 1.5, 8 ounce bricks
- ½ cup Butter, room temperature
- 3 ½ cups Powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉.
- Lightly grease a 10 inch square baking dish.
- Combine tomato soup and baking soda in a bowl; set aside. It will puff a bit.
- Beat sugar, butter a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth.
- Add eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Add vanilla and mix until combined.
- Mix in the tomato soup mixture.
- Sift the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, all spice and salt into the butter mixture.
- Using a spoon, mix until there are no more streaks of flour.
- Pour cake batter into prepared baking dish.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- While cake is baking, prepare frosting. Add cream cheese and butter to a medium bowl and mix with electric mixer until combined.
- Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and mix until smooth.
- When cake has finished baking, allow it to cool fully before frosting.
Christina’s Notes
- Raisins and Nuts: These are classic additions. Soak raisins in a little hot water or even rum for 10 minutes before draining and folding them in to plump them up.
- Toss all nuts/raisins with a tablespoon of flour before adding them to the batter; this helps prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the cake.
- Dates and Walnuts: This is another popular variation for a richer, fruitier crumb.
- Embrace the Spices: The tomato soup cake is fundamentally a spice cake. Use high-quality, fresh spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. You can slightly adjust the amounts to your personal preference; some older recipes are very heavy on cloves.
- Consider Molasses: Some vintage versions include a tablespoon or two of molasses. This adds depth, color, and a rich, traditional spice cake flavor that complements the warming spices beautifully.
- Scale the recipe: Simply adjust the serving size in the recipe card and the ingredients will update automatically.
- Make your own All Purpose Seasoning: When a recipe calls for All Purpose Seasoning, you can use my homemade All Purpose Seasoning recipe or substitute salt and pepper to taste.
- Meat doneness: I always use a meat thermometer to test for doneness when cooking meat.
- Use unsalted butter: I use unsalted butter so I can control the salt level in the recipe.
- Preheat the oven: Unless otherwise noted, always preheat your oven before baking.
For more helpful information about this recipe, such as variations, substitutions and other pro-tips, check out the blog post.