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Tomato soup cake

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A slice of tomato soup layer cake

Tomato soup cake is an American spice cake that contains canned tomato soup, often with chopped nuts and a cream cheese frosting.[1] It typically takes the forms of a layer cake, Bundt cake or cupcakes,[2] using spices such as allspice, cinnamon, and cloves.[3] The tomato soup adds moisture, in the same way milk or oil does in other cakes.[4] Tomato soup cake has been known under a number of names, including Believe It or Not Cake, Halloween Cake, Love Apple Cake,[a] Rosy Spice Cake, and You'll Be Surprised Cake.[1][2]

The first recipes for tomato soup cake emerged in the 1920s, and the cake gained popularity in America during the Great Depression.[1][3] While eggs and butter were scarce, tomato soup was broadly available and could replace those ingredients in a cake. This usage would continue until the end of the Second World War.[6] It was promoted by soup makers including Campbell's and Heinz, as well as the Philadelphia Cream Cheese brand.[1] The earliest version promoted by Campbell's came in the 1940s, and initially took the form of a steamed pudding, only later becoming cakey;[4][b] Campbell's claims to have invented the dessert while trying to create a steamed fruit and nut pudding dessert.[2]

Recipes were published in institutional cooking manuals, cookbooks, newspapers and magazines. M. F. K. Fisher included a recipe in How to Cook a Wolf (1942),[1][2] and Sylvia Plath was a fan, making the cake on the day she wrote her poem "Death & Co." (1965).[7] The popularity of the dish had lessened by the 1950s, when carrot cakes, spiced, and frosted with cream cheese took their place in American home cooking.[8] The tomato soup cake has not gone away, with some home cooks continuing to make tomato soup cake in Canada.[9]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Love Apple being an early name for tomato[5]
  2. ↑ Sources differ on whether the first date was 1940 or 1949.[4][2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Parks 2017, p. 136.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Smith 2000, p. 98.
  3. 1 2 Levene 2016, p. 165.
  4. 1 2 3 Hyman 2019, p. 128.
  5. ↑ Clarkson 2010, p. 95.
  6. ↑ Barnett, Eleanor (September 2025), "Tomato soup cake", BBC History Magazine, p. 85, Gale A851922574
  7. ↑ Moses 2014, pp. 284–285.
  8. ↑ Parks 2017, p. 137.
  9. ↑ Driver 2008, pp. 739–740.

Bibliography

  • Clarkson, Janet (2010). Soup: A Global History. The Edible Series. London: Reaktion Books Ltd. ISBN 978-1-86189-774-9.
  • Driver, Elizabeth (2008). Culinary Landmarks: A Bibliography of Canadian Cookbooks, 1825-1949. Toronto, Ontario: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 978-0-8020-4790-8.
  • Hyman, Clarissa (2019). Tomato: A Global History. The Edible Series. London: Reaktion Books Ltd. ISBN 978-1-78914-083-5.
  • Levene, Alysa (2016). Cake: The Short, Surprising History of Our Favourite Bakes. London: Headline. ISBN 978-1-4722-2684-6.
  • Moses, Kate (2014). "Baking for Sylvia". In Cognard-Black, Jennifer; Goldthwaite, Melissa A (eds.). Books That Cook: The Making of a Literary Meal. New York and London: New York University Press. ISBN 978-1-4798-3021-3.
  • Parks, Stella (2017). BraveTart: Iconic American Desserts. New York & London: W.W. Norton & Company. ISBN 978-0-393-23986-7.
  • Smith, Andrew F (2000). Souper Tomatoes: The Story of America's Favorite food. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutger's University Press. ISBN 0-8135-2752-X.
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