Tomato Soup Cake: Just like Carrot Cake

Tomato soup cake, in many ways, reminds me of carrot cake. It's very much like a carrot cake in that it's super moist, and the spices blend together perfectly to give it fantastic flavor. The caramel adds a sweetness the balances everything together perfectly.

🍅 Easy Tomato Soup Cake Recipe

Yeah...yeah...I know what you're thinking. Tomatoes in a cake? While it seems like an odd combination, you won't believe how tasty this cake is. And no, you can't taste the tomato soup in it at ALL! The tomato soup simply adds an orange-reddish hue to the cake while keeping it nice and moist. So if you're wondering what tomato soup cake taste like, the answer is a lovely rich spice cake.

Tomato cake dates several decades back. The recipe's origin is not quite clear, but it was first published in Campbell's cookbooks in the '40s. It rose to popularity in the 1960s after appearing on the Campbell's tomato soup can's label. Baking enthusiasts later added cream cheese frosting to this retro cake.

So I deviated from the original recipe slightly. I opted for salted caramel icing instead of cream cheese frosting. This icing complements the spice cake's flavor very well without overpowering it. But don't get me wrong, cream cheese icing is just as fantastic. I also added raisins to give this delicious spice cake an extra kick of flavor. The end result was oh-so-good - even my middle child, who's extremely picky, enjoyed it...and asked for another slice. He was utterly surprised when I told him tomato soup was the secret ingredient.

I've lost count on how many times I've made this cake recipe since I came across it last year. Besides being rich in flavor and history, it's also super easy to make. Give it a try and watch it land into your favorite cake file!

If you are a fan of cakes recipes, this will be one of your favorite ones!

🍽 What you need

To make tomato soup cake with caramel icing, you'll need common kitchen supplies. Make sure you have a 9-inch by 9-inch square cake pan, measuring spoons and cups, mixing bowls, and a spoon or rubber spatula.

An electric stand mixer is excellent, but a hand mixer or mixing by hand is possible.

Equipment

• 9" x 9" square cake pan
• Measuring spoons and cups
• Mixing bowls
• Cooking spray
• Electric mixer
• Wooden spoon or rubber spatula
• Saucepan

Ingredients

For the Tomato Cake:

• 1 can (10.75oz.) condensed tomato soup
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• ⅓ cup unsalted butter
• 1 egg lightly beaten
• 1 ½ cups flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 cup raisins

For the Carmel Icing:

• ½ cup butter
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt

If you cant' find Campbell's tomato soup in the grocery store, any condensed tomato soup will do.

🔪 How to make Tomato Soup Cake

Learn how to make tomato soup cake with caramel icing with step-by-step instructions, detailed pictures, recipe tips, and a full video detailing the recipe from start to finish.

Preheat the oven to 350 and lightly grease the cake pan with cooking spray.

Making the Cake:

Step 1

Whisk the condensed soup and baking soda together in a medium bowl, then set aside.

Step 2

Combine the butter and powdered sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy, then add the egg and mix until combined.

Step 3

Pour in the tomato soup and beat together, then sift in the flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger and combine.

Step 4

Add raisins and stir, then pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Step 5

Bake for about 30 - 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean - do not overbake. Allow the cake to cool on the wire cooling rack for about 20 minutes.

Step 6

While the cake cools, make the icing.

Making the Caramel Icing:

Step 1

Melt the butter in a heavy, medium-sized saucepan.

Step 2

Stir in the brown sugar, condensed milk, vanilla, and sea salt. Let the mixture come to a boil, stirring constantly. Allow it to boil for another 6 - 

10 minutes or until you achieve desired consistency.

Step 3

Remove from heat and let it cool slightly, pour over the cake while still a bit warm, and spread evenly, then let it cool completely before serving.

📖 Frosting Variations

This tomato soup cake recipe is both foolproof and delicious. While I LOVE salted caramel, sometimes I switch things up and try different flavor combinations. These are my favorites;

Cream Cheese Frosting

In a mixing bowl, beat ½ cup butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 8oz cream cheese until creamy. Gradually add ½ cup sifted confectioners sugar. Beat the frosting until smooth and fluffy. Make sure you soften butter and cream cheese at room temperature.

Maple frosting

Use the same ingredients and amounts as the cream cheese frosting minus the cream cheese, then add ½ cup maple syrup. Follow the same instructions as well.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

💭 Top Recipe Tips

Here are a few tips and substitutions for this tomato soup spice cake;

• Don't overmix or undermix the cake batter lest you want to end up with a chewy, dense cake. Don't overmix the frosting either; it'll become runny.
• Give your cake about 1-2 hours to cool before frosting. A cooled cake is so much easier to work with.
• It's best to wait for all refrigerated ingredients to come to room temperature for the best results.
• You're welcome to sub the raisins with pecans, chopped walnuts, or currants.
• If you don't have nutmeg and cinnamon, simply use spice cake mix or ground allspice.
• For a more intense and warm flavor, toss half a teaspoon of ground cloves in the batter. For the icing, you can add a dash of pumpkin spice or cinnamon.
• Instead of the cake pan, feel free to use a tube pan, bundt pan, or loaf pan. But keep an eye on the oven to ensure proper doneness.
• If you don't have baking soda on hand, replace it with 3× baking powder and half the salt amount. This means 3 teaspoons baking powder and ¼ teaspoon salt.

🙋 Frequently Asked Questions

🧊 Storing and ♨️ Reheating

To keep this tomato soup spice cake fresh and moist, you should store the leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.

Refrigerated

If you don't intend to consume the cake within three days, let the icing harden before covering it with a plastic wrap or foil and storing it in an airtight container or bag. It will keep for approximately 4-5 days.

Freeze

Wrap the cake as directed above and freeze for up to 2 months.

Thaw

Let it sit at room temperature, wrapped until thawed. You can add a layer of frosting if desired.

🍳 Related Cake Recipes

• Pumpkin Cheesecake
• Oreo Cheesecake
• Chocolate Truffle Cake
• Starbucks Pumpkin Bread

For more tomato recipe ideas check out my delicious and comforting tomato bisque soup recipe.

👪 Serving size

The recipe feeds 6 people, but you can double the batch and bake in 2 pans. We typically eat one and freeze one.

This easy-to-make tomato soup cake with salted caramel is truly one of the most unique cakes out there, making it the perfect birthday cake. It has so much flavor in every bite; I guarantee everyone you serve will love it.

Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page.

Try one of my comfort dinner recipes for your next family meal! And if you have any questions, I'm here to help!

📋 Recipe

Tomato Soup Cake with Salted Caramel Icing

Learn how to make the "Perfect" tomato soup cake for your family! It's moist, sweet, spicy and delicious. Just like carrot cake, maybe even better!

5 from 3 votes

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Course: Brunch, Cake

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 663kcal

Author: Ben Rayl

Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

• 1 can tomato soup - 10.75 ounce can
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ⅓ cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg - lightly beaten
• 1 ½ cups flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 cup raisins

for the icing:

• ½ cup butter
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt

Instructions

for the cake:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 degrees Celsius) and grease a 9-inch by 9-inch square cake pan.
• Whisk the tomato soup and soda together in a small bowl, then set aside.
• Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until light and fluffy, then add the egg and mix until combined.
• Pour in the tomato soup and beat together, then sift in the flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger and combine.
• Stir in the raisins then pour into a greased 9" x 9" square cake pan.
• Bake for about 30 - 35 minutes or until a toothpick test comes out clean - do not overbake.
• While the cake cools, make the icing.

for the icing:

• Melt the butter in a heavy, medium sized sauce pan.
• Stir in the brown sugar, condensed milk, vanilla and sea salt.  Let the mixture come to a boil, stirring constantly and allow it to boil for about 6 - 10 minutes.
• Remove from heat and let it cool slightly, then  pour over the cake while still a bit warm and spread evenly then allow to cool completely before serving.

Video

Notes

• Don't overmix or undermix the cake batter lest you want to end up with a chewy, dense cake. Don't overmix the frosting either; it'll become runny.
• Give your cake about 1-2 hours to cool before frosting. A cooled cake is so much easier to work with.
• It's best to wait for all refrigerated ingredients to come to room temperature for the best results.
• You're welcome to sub the raisins with pecans, chopped walnuts, or currants.
• If you don't have nutmeg and cinnamon, simply use spice cake mix or ground allspice.
• For a more intense and warm flavor, toss half a teaspoon of ground cloves in the batter. For the icing, you can add a dash of pumpkin spice or cinnamon.
• Instead of the cake pan, feel free to use a tube pan, bundt pan, or loaf pan. But keep an eye on the oven to ensure proper doneness.
• If you don't have baking soda on hand, replace it with 3× baking powder and half the salt amount. This means 3 teaspoons baking powder and ¼ teaspoon salt.

Nutrition

Serving: 6g | Calories: 663kcal | Carbohydrates: 140g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 53mg | Sodium: 897mg | Potassium: 839mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 93g | Vitamin A: 464IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 267mg | Iron: 3mg