by Diana Rattray
This tomato soup cake—also known as mystery cake—probably dates back to the 1930s. The addition of such a bizarre ingredient makes it a fun cake to make and serve. Serve the cake and ask everyone to guess the secret ingredient! The cake is a moist spice cake with lots of color and texture from raisins and chopped nuts. You can scale the recipe by half and bake it in an 8-inch square baking pan.
It might be a novelty cake, but it’s also a moist and delicious spice cake! Feel free to omit the raisins if you like, or replace them with chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, or another chopped dried fruit.
PrintOld-Fashioned Tomato Soup Cake
This fun tomato soup cake is also known as a Mystery Cake, and dates back to the late 1920s or early 1930s. Bake the cake and let everyone guess what the secret ingredient is!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 20 servings 1x
- Category: Cakes
- Method: Bake
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour (18 ounces)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 sticks (1 cup) butter, room temperature
- 2 cups light or dark brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 can (10 1/2 ounces) condensed tomato soup
- 2 cups chopped walnuts or pecans
- 1 cup raisins or chopped dates
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Grease and flour a 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking pan.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ground allspice, nutmeg, and ground cloves; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, beat the butter until light. Beat in the brown sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla, and continue beating until well blended.
- Pour the tomato soup into a 2-cup measure; add water to measure 2 cups.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to butter and egg mixture (about one-third at a time) alternating with tomato soup mixture and ending with flour mixture. Beat just until combined.
- Fold in the chopped nuts and raisins or dates and then spread in the prepared baking pan.
- Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until cake tests done. A toothpick should come out clean when inserted into the center of the cake.
- Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for about 30 minutes. Leave it in the pan to cool completely or turn the cake out of the pan onto a rack.
- Frost the tomato soup cake with cream cheese frosting or your favorite icing, or simply sprinkle it with powdered sugar.
