“Deck the halls with boughs of holly. Tra la la!” Merrily the tunes go on as the carolers wind their way through the snow-laden streets spreading season cheer.
When the itinerant singers stop at your house this season invite them in for a tempting snack. A delicious cake rich with candied fruit and delicately seasoned with spice is a welcome treat.
This cake has a secret ingredient . . . canned condensed tomato soup . . . to keep it moist and extra flavorful. You’ll be pleasantly surprised with this delightfully different fruitcake. Tomato soup spice cake has long been a favorite, and its intrigue has delighted many. This holiday fruitcake is but a variation of the ever-popular basic cake.
Serve the fruitcake without frosting or with a simple confectioners’ sugar glaze, laced with orange rind. Use candied cherries and gum-drop cutouts to add holiday decor. This cake makes a perfect gift item for those “hard-to-buy-for” friends and relations. So make a few extra; wrap in foil and tie with bright red ribbon
To sip, with this flavorful cake, a cup of wassail from the punch bowl adds merriment to your holiday hospitality.
Holiday tomato soup fruitcake
1 package spice cake mix
1 can condensed tomato soup
1/4 cup water
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup chopped candied fruit
Grease and flour a nine-inch tube pan. Mix cake as directed on package, substituting soup and water for liquid. (Add eggs if called for.) Fold in chopped nuts and candied fruit. pour into pan. Bake as directed on package. increasing baking time for cakes baked at 375 F. to about one hour, and for cakes baked at 350 F for about 1-1/4 hours. Let stand in pan 10 minutes; remove and cool on rack.
Orange glaze for the tomato soup fruitcake
2-1/2 tablespoons boiling water
2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
3/4 teaspoon grated orange rind
Gradually add water to sugar and orange rind. Stir until smooth. Use as glaze on Holiday Fruitcake.
Surprise holiday tomato soup cake
You make it with Campbell’s tomato soup
Classic tomato soup fruitcake recipe
Ingredients
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup shortening
1 can Campbell’s Tomato Soup
2 eggs
1 cup chopped candied fruit, or raisins, or prepared mincemeat
1 cup chopped walnuts
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9-inch tube pan. In a large bowl, sift dry ingredients together. Add shortening and 1/2 can soup. Beat until smooth. Add remaining soup and eggs. Beat again until smooth. Fold in fruit and nuts. Pour into pan. Bake about 1-1/4 hours. Cool in pan 10 minutes; remove.
Frosting
Soften 3-ounce package cream cheese with 1 tablespoon milk; gradually blend in 2-1/2 cups sifted confectioners sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.
