There’s nothing better than Halloween treats. A biscuit shaped like a skeleton? A ghostly cupcake? Sign me UP.
if like me, you’re trying to go a little outside the box for your Halloween get-together, expert chef Sophie Nahmad has a particularly haunting recipe which will make a terrifying addition to your festivities.
The Lead Recipe Developer from Gousto has created a spook-tacular red velvet cake recipe with an unexpected twist that’s the perfect trick or treat.
It’s, uh, tomato soup.
Tomato soup... cake?
“What better time of year to explore an uncharted flavour than Halloween?” Sophie says. “The phrase ‘trust the process’ has never been truer when I say that this Tomato Soup Cake is the recipe you’ll want to make to spook your Halloween party guests this year, but they’re in for a treat.
“It might seem like a culinary crime, but you’ll need to trust me when I say that tomato soup mixed with fragrant cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice is a match made in hellish heaven.
“The soup will create a velvety rich texture to the cake, and when combined with a blood-curdling syrup glaze, it creates a devilishly delicious Halloween showstopper,” Sophie promises. “It’s the ultimate trick or treat that will wow your guests.”
I will take her word for it but I’ll be honest... it sounds a bit too scary even for Halloween...
Halloween Tomato Soup Cake
Prep time: 25 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Ingredients
For your cake:
20cm cake tin
1 x tin condensed tomato soup
2 x eggs
110g butter
190g caster sugar
240g flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp ground allspice
½ tsp ground cloves
For your cream cheese icing:
150g butter
150g icing sugar
250g cream cheese
1 x lemon (just the juice)
For your syrup:
150ml corn syrup
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp red food colouring
Method
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 180°C.
Step 2: Grease and line your cake tin.
Step 3: In a small bowl, add your tomato soup and stir through the bicarbonate of soda. Leave it to rest whilst you get started on the rest of the cake batter.
Step 4: Cream the butter and sugar together using a whisk for about 5 – 10 minutes until pale and fluffy. Add vanilla extract, then add your eggs one at a time until fully mixed in.
Step 5: Sift the flour, spices and baking powder into a separate bowl.
Step 6: Add tomato soup to the sugar and butter mixture, whisking till completely combined. Next, add your flour (make sure there are no pesky dry patches but be careful not to over-mix).
Step 7: Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake for 40-45 minutes until a skewer comes out shiny clean and the cake is nicely golden.
Step 8: While your cake is busy baking, it’s time for the cream cheese icing. Beat the butter and icing sugar together until smooth, add the lemon juice then beat again. Finally, gently fold in the cream cheese until just mixed in.
Top tip: Remember, try not to overwork it because it’ll loosen the mix.
Step 9: Take your cake out of the oven and leave it to rest for 5 minutes. Take it out of the tin and place it on a cooling rack.
Step 10: Once the cake is cool enough, use a bread knife to cut through the centre, dividing the cake into two. Add 1/3 of the cream cheese icing to one of the cakes using a palette knife to make it extra smooth. Place the second cake on top and cover it with the remaining icing.
Step 11: Combine your corn syrup, corn starch and food colouring in a small saucepan. Heat on low and stir until thickened. Once cooled, drizzle over your cake for a ghoulish Halloween effect.
We hope your guests still love you after this.