I’m so excited to have my real, live, tangible copy of Sweet Freedom! I’d been working from the PDF, which is great, but it’s nothing like being able to flip through the pages of a real book!
This week’s installment of SFS features the Tomato Spice Cake, which is just lovely!
Ricki shares that this cake is a fresh spin on one of her Mother’s classic cakes. I remember when I was little the “tomato soup” cakes being rather popular at bake sales and socials. I also remember asking one of the women at the school tea why there was tomato soup in her cake, why didn’t she just use tomatoes? She told me I was impertinent. Hump.
I made this for Guppy’s Fun Friday after school quatre heures. She made me giggle because when she saw the finished cake sitting on the platter, just waiting for her to come home from school, she looked at me and said, “Mumma, you forgot the frosting!”. My oh my, I supposed I did. We’re not big frosting people here, but I did decide to just whip up a quickie-glaze for her. I must admit, it was yummy.
Quickie Vanilla Glaze (for Tomato Spice Cake)
Powdered Sugar (I didn’t measure this, I just poured some into a bowl, maybe a half a cup?
Apple Juice – A few tablespoons
VanillaExtract – 1.5 teaspoons
I just whisked it together with a fork and spread it over the cake. Guppy approved.
I think this would be a perfect cake for a brunch or for tea in the afternoon. It has a lovely spice cake flavour and a dense crumb making it perfect for dunking. I might even add chocolate chips next time I make this, you know, just to see how it would taste. We loved it (hence the lack of photos, when it goes fast, it’s more difficult to photograph!). I have so many recipes marked in Sweet Freedom, it’s not easy to chose which one will be next!
Have you made anything yummy from Sweet Freedom this week ? Stay tuned next Saturday for another installment of “Sweet Freedom Saturdays”. We’ve also got a brand new Sweet Freedom Flickr Group – come join us! Other Sweet Freedom Saturday Deliciousness here in the Fishbowl : Carrot Snack Cake, Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, Spiced Pumpkin Millet Pudding.
I cannot wait to receive my copy of the book – that tomato spice cake sounds so intriguing!
Shelly, that is the cutest cake! Love the heart shape (and hey, tomatoes are good for the heart, too, right?).
I’m particularly thrilled that Guppy is enjoying all these goodies from the book! And of course I have to agree with her about the frosting–it does make dessert so much better, doesn’t it? 
Tomato spice cake with frosting? Nom! Although I’ve never had tomato in a cake before, I must try this (once I get the book, of course)
This is pretty interesting. I brought a jar of tomato jam home from Portugal, but I didn’t dare to open it yet. Before I cam across this jam I had never imagined that tomatoes and sugar might be a good combination. And now you even tell me there is cake? I think I need to open that jar!
tomato spiced cake sounds so interesting & awesome! i love a good spice cake, especially one that’s good for soaking up awesomeness! mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! Ricki rocks so hard! gotta try your glaze as well, Shelly – it sounds perfect – and not crazy sweet like frosting can be. i find that frosting can often times be too overpowering for me.
hope you’re having a stellar weekend! hugs!
I’ve never heard of tomato spice cake. You have me intrigued.
How sweet to make a heart-shaped cake for Guppy! We have the same feelings about frosting. Your glaze sounds perfect.
The cake looks scrumptious!
I’ve never had tomato soup cake, and never felt attracted to it (I love tomatoes, but canned tomato soup is so far from the real thing…), but I totally trust that Ricki must have reinvented this cake in the nicest way. And the way you talk about it makes it clear that this one is a winner!