Tomato Soup Cake. Â You’d never guess the secret ingredient. (it’s love!)
Last summer, I spent a week dining on recipes from MFK Fisher’s book How to Cook a Wolf. After I finished the project, there were two recipes I still wanted to try: Quick Potato Soup and Tomato Soup cake. Â So I invited over a few friends and we dined.
Soup was first, served with buttered, fresh-baked bread:
Modern technology has made this recipe easier: instead of hand-grating a million potatoes, I used an immersion blender. Â I softened then onions first, simmering them slowly in a whole stick of butter. Â Delicious. Â Then I added the potatoes, cubed but unpeeled, and about a quart of water. Â I brought them to a boil and cooked the mixture until the potatoes were fork tender. Â I heated a quart of whole milk on the stove while I used my blender to puree the soup. Â I left it a little chunky, ’cause that’s how I roll. Â I tasted the soup and added a generous quantity of salt and some pepper.
I used about 3/4 the amount of liquid that Fisher recommends; when I initially added the milk, the soup looked too thin. Â But I let it bubble away on a low heat for about 30 minutes and it thickened up to a pleasant consistency. Â This morning, the leftovers were souper thick, which is how I like it.
I served the soup topped with what I thought was flat leaf parsley, but was actually cilantro. Â It didn’t matter, it was really tasty. Â I also sprinkled parmesan cheese over top, which put a nice finish on the soup. Â Simple ingredients, simple preparation, and simply delicious: the qualities that Fisher’s recipes are known for.
Potato and Onion Soup– one of the most perfect foods.
Dessert was Tomato Soup Cake:
The “soda” is baking soda and can be whisked in with the flour and spices. Â I left out the clove, which I find to be an overpowering flavor, and used a very satisfactory blend of 1 tsp cinnamon, and a 1/2 tsp each nutmeg and ginger. Â My “what you will” was one fuji apple and 3/4 cup chopped walnuts. Â And yes: I added one can of Campbell’s “Soup at Hand” Classic Tomato Soup.
I didn’t make the frosting of “cream cheese and powdered sugar and a little rum” that Fisher recommends, although it sounds awesome. Â I made a glaze with confectioner’s sugar and the juice and zest of a lemon. Â Although the cake is great without frosting, too.
“This is a pleasant cake,” Fisher says, “which keeps well and puzzles people who ask what kind it is.” Â I let my guests venture guesses as to the surprise ingredient. Â They were nearly finished with their cake slices when someone finally said “Tomatoes?” Â Initially, everyone dropped their cake in horror. Â Then they found peace with the idea and wolfed the remainder down.
The cake was incredibly moist–shockingly most–without being heavy. Â The spice blend was perfect. Â Maybe you could taste tomatoes, but I’m not sure: I think it just added richness and depth to the other flavors. Â And since the soup replaces milk and eggs, the cake is also vegan (as long as you use shortening, not butter).
I would absolutely, without a doubt make this cake again.