Julie Clark
Posted:
Green Tomato Cake
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An easy spice cake recipe with a twist. This Green Tomato Cake uses unripe garden tomatoes to add moisture and flavor. Frost with a mouthwatering cream cheese frosting.
Green tomatoes add moisture to cake and give it a great texture. They’ll also add a bit of tangy flavor that pairs well with sugar in cakes and breads. After you try our this cake, try swapping out green tomatoes for apples in our apple bread and apple walnut cake!
From our readers:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Ashley says, “I swapped out the oil with applesauce and made the green tomato cake just as recommended and it was AMAZING! Thank you for providing something sweet to do with all my green tomatoes I rescued from the frost this year!”
Use your unripe garden tomatoes in this vintage green tomato cake recipe.
As the summer comes to a close, you may find a few extra green tomatoes in your garden. What do you do with those? Fried green tomatoes are always an option, but something a little sweeter is good too!
I was looking through my grandma’s cookbook and came across this green tomato cake. It sounds strange, but after looking at the ingredients, I knew I had to try it. Green tomatoes are safe to eat and are a great source of vitamins and minerals.
It isn’t unusual for fruit to be in cake. After all, think of zucchini bread and zucchini cake (yes, zucchini is a fruit!). Green tomatoes act the same.
A simple cream cheese frosting tops this cake, but it would also be good with vanilla buttercream, cinnamon buttercream or caramel frosting.
Enjoy! -Julie
Before you Begin
Prepare the tomatoes before you begin. Use a food processor or a box grater to grate enough green tomatoes to make 3 cups. Don’t skin them, just take out the core and grate. Allow the extra juice to drain off the tomatoes as you make the cake batter.
Green Tomato Cake
An easy spice cake recipe with a twist. This Green Tomato Cake uses unripe garden tomatoes to add moisture and flavor. Frost with a mouthwatering cream cheese frosting.
Servings 15
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 3 cups grated green tomatoes drained
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cups vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the frosting:
- ¼ cup salted butter room temperature
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
Instructions
Make the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350º Fahrenheit. Spray a 9×13 baking pan with cooking spray.
- Use a food processor or a grater to grate enough green tomatoes to make 3 cups. Don’t skin them, just take out the core and grate. Allow the juice to drain off the tomatoes as you make the cake batter. 3 cups grated green tomatoes drained
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla. 2 cups granulated sugar, 1 ½ cups vegetable oil, 3 large eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, cloves and salt. 3 cups all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon ground cloves, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix just until combined. Fold the drained tomatoes into the cake batter mixture. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the cake tests done.
Make the frosting:
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar. Mix until well combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. ¼ cup salted butter , 8 ounces cream cheese, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- Frost the cake after it has cooled. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
- If you don’t like cloves, try ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg.
- Sprinkle walnuts over the top of the cake if desired.
Nutrition
Calories: 539kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 316mg | Potassium: 139mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 41g | Vitamin A: 583IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 2mg
Have other garden veggies?
Try our chicken and green bean casserole, Italian green beans, green bean casserole and green bean potato casserole.
And if you like this green tomato cake, you’ll also love our Olive Garden pumpkin cheesecake!
