Tomato Soup Cake (The Vintage Spice Cake) Tastes of Lizzy T

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Tomato soup cake may sound unusual, but it’s actually a moist, old-fashioned spice cake recipe. This easy version is topped with creamy cream cheese frosting.

One can of condensed tomato soup is the surprise ingredient in this spice cake, and you can’t taste it at all. The soup adds moisture, while warm nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves give it that classic spice cake flavor. Top it with tangy cream cheese frosting and you’ve got a dessert that always gets the same reaction: “Wait, there’s tomato soup in this?”

This isn’t a new trend. Tomato soup cake dates back to the 1930s, when home bakers used pantry staples like canned soup in place of milk and butter.

QUICK LOOK: Tomato Soup Cake Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 15
Cook Method: Oven baked, topped with frosting
Flavor & Texture: Sweet, spiced, cake with a tender, moist crumb thanks to a can of tomato soup
Difficulty: Easy

This Was Grandma’s Secret Cake Recipe (and It’s Made With Soup)

If you’ve been following us lately, you may have seen a trend of cakes with slightly unusual ingredients or flavors. These unexpected additions to desserts may sound bizarre or off-putting, but I promise they’re seriously so good!

Dr. Pepper Cake, Old Fashioned 7UP Pound Cake, Green Tomato Cake and 5 flavor cake are just a handful of our vintage recipes.

Tomato soup brings three things a good cake wants: moisture, a little acidity, and body. The liquid keeps the crumb soft, and the natural acid reacts with the baking soda to give you a beautiful, even rise.

Back in the 1930s and through the World War II years, home cooks leaned on that can because milk, butter, and eggs were scarce or expensive (they also loved a good crazy cake!).

Tomato soup in cake has earned nicknames like mystery cake, believe-it-or-not cake, and soup-to-nuts cake. Campbell’s saw how popular it was getting and started printing the recipe right on the can. Nearly a hundred years later, it’s still one of those recipes people can’t stop asking about.

Love spice cake? Try our applesauce spice cake, crazy spice cake and pumpkin spice cake.

Enjoy! -Julie

Does Tomato Soup Cake Actually Taste Like Tomato Soup?

No. You cannot taste the tomato soup. The soup is doing a job, not adding a flavor: its acidity and moisture give you a soft, tender crumb (the same trick that makes chocolate mayonnaise cake work), and it lends the batter a gentle pink-orange tint. What you actually taste is spice cake: cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves under tangy cream cheese frosting.

If you like carrot cake, you already like this cake. You just don’t know it yet. And if you want to have a little fun with it, don’t tell anyone the secret ingredient until after they’ve had a slice.

What’s the Best Frosting for Tomato Soup Cake?

Cream cheese frosting is the classic, and it’s what I’ll always reach for. The tanginess is the perfect partner for all that warm spice. Here are a couple of other options:

Vanilla frosting: always a solid choice
Cinnamon buttercream: an old-school choice that brightens the spice beautifully
A dusting of powdered sugar: a bare slice with a simple dusintg of powdered sugar pairs well with a cup of coffee.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do you put tomato soup in a cake?

The soup adds moisture and a little acidity that reacts with the baking soda for a great rise. It started as a Depression-era way to make a rich cake without much milk, butter, or egg.

Do I dilute the tomato soup?

No. Use the condensed soup straight from the can. Don’t add the water you’d add for regular soup.

Do I have to use raisins and walnuts?

Not at all. Both are traditional but optional. Leave them out, or swap the walnuts for pecans.

Does tomato soup cake need to be refrigerated?

Yes, once it’s frosted with cream cheese frosting. Keep it covered in the fridge and bring slices to room temperature before serving.

Tomato Soup Cake

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Tomato soup cake may sound unusual, but it's actually a moist, old-fashioned spice cake recipe. This easy version is topped with creamy cream cheese frosting.

Servings 15

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Total Time 45

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Ingredients

For the cake:

¼ cup salted butter (room temperature)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 can condensed tomato soup (10.75 oz, do not dilute)
½ cup chopped walnuts
1 cup raisins

For the frosting:

½ cup salted butter (room temperature)
8 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups powdered sugar
½ cup chopped walnuts (optional for topping)

Instructions

MAKE THE CAKE:

Spray a 9×13 baking pan with cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 350º Fahrenheit.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the beater blade (or a large bowl with an electric mixer) cream together the butter and the sugar. Add in the eggs and mix well. ¼ cup salted butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, 2 large eggs
¼ cup salted butter, 1 cup granulated sugar
Add in the flour, baking soda, baking powder and spices. Mix well. 1½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1 teaspoon ground cloves, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1 teaspoon ground cloves, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Lastly, add in the soup, walnuts and raisins. Mix until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. 1 can condensed tomato soup, ½ cup chopped walnuts, 1 cup raisins
1 can condensed tomato soup, ½ cup chopped walnuts, 1 cup raisins
Pour the batter into the baking pan and bake for 28-30 minutes or until the center of the cake tests done. Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack before frosting.

MAKE THE FROSTING:

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, cream cheese and vanilla (using a hand or stand mixer) until smooth. Add in the powdered sugar and beat until smooth. ½ cup salted butter, 8 ounces cream cheese, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1½ cups powdered sugar,
½ cup salted butter, 8 ounces cream cheese, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Use a rubber spatula to spread the cream cheese frosting over the cooled cake. Sprinkle with walnuts.

Notes

Store any leftover cake in the refrigerator in a sealed container.

The calories shown are based on the cake being cut into 15 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of cake. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**

Nutrition

Author Julie Clark

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Calories 381

Keyword cream cheese frosting, easy recipe, moist, spice cake

Tomato Soup Cake (The Old-Fashioned Mystery Cake That Doesn’t Taste Like Soup)