TOMATO SOUP SPICE CAKE

This recipe dates back to the Great Depression of the 1930s, when eggs and butter were scarce and expensive – not all that dissimilar to the economic woes we currently face. By Hilary Biller

Makes 1 large cake

Last Friday was World Egg Day and this cake is sort of an ode to the egg because of how precious it was. It uses only one, and the balance is made up of tomato soup, I kid you not. The confection doesn’t carry a whisper of tomato flavour, but is deliciously moist and lightly spicy and keeps well — similar to a carrot cake. The butterscotch icing is an addition that offers that unique, creamy caramel flavour.

60ml (4 tbsp) butter

200g (1 cup) white or brown sugar 1 extra large egg, well beaten

300g condensed tomato soup (¾ of a 400g can)

5ml (1 tsp) bicarbonate of soda 125ml (½ cup) buttermilk or plain yoghurt

180g (1 ½ cups) cake flour

2.5ml (½ tsp) baking powder

5ml (1 tsp) ground cloves

5ml (1 tsp) ground cinnamon

5ml (1 tsp) ground ginger

125ml (½ cup) raisins 125ml (½ cup) pecan nuts, chopped Butterscotch Icing:

60ml (4 tbsp butter)

125ml (½ cup) light brown sugar 60ml (¼ cup) fresh cream or plain yoghurt or buttermilk

200g (1 ½ cups) icing sugar, sifted Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl. Add the egg and mix well. Combine the tomato soup and bicarb and set aside to foam. Add the soup and buttermilk to the butter mixture. It will look quite curdled when you mix it. Sift the flour, baking powder, cloves, cinnamon and ginger into a bowl and add to the soup mixture with the raisins and nuts. Beat for a minute and spoon into a greased or sprayed ring pan. Bake in a preheated 180°C oven for 30-40 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool.

For the icing, combine the butter and brown sugar in a pan and heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is golden brown. Stir in the cream. Remove from the heat and beat in the icing sugar. Allow to cool before spreading on the cake.