Homemade: Tomato Soup Cupcakes

Tomato soup in a cupcake might sound odd to you, but it’s actually an old recipe that dates back to the early days of canned foods. Seriously, I’m not trying to get all Wylie Dufresne on you here. It probably started as an idea by a Campbell’s executive as a way to sell more of its products. Though the practice didn’t really stick, it should have, because what you end up with is a rich, moist cake with just a hint of tomato, if you’re really looking for it.

This recipe is one that I adapted from the Baked Explorations cookbook, by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito of Baked bakery in Red Hook, Brooklyn. And by “adapted,” I mean I made the cupcakes bite-sized instead of regular sized; otherwise, it’s pretty much verbatim. I also added some fresh ground pepper, in accordance to the Baked guys’ suggestion for a more savory variation. They also omit the cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice in that case, but I left them in for an extra-spicy cake.

I also swapped the frosting. The cookbook pairs these cupcakes with mascarpone frosting, but there’s also a maple-cream cheese recipe that looked interesting, so I tried that one instead.

In the end, the frosting I used was a totally random concoction. With cream cheese, I always add half the sugar and then taste before adding the rest, because they’re often way too sweet. With the Baked recipe, I was already past my sweetness tolerance at just 50% plus the maple syrup. So I added more cream cheese, a few squirts of lemon juice, a pinch of salt and some vanilla extract, until it reached a point at which I didn’t feel totally cracked out on sugar just tasting it.

In the end, you couldn’t taste the maple syrup, but I was happy with the finished product. These cupcakes are easy to make and delicious, though the best part might be the look on people’s faces when you tell them they’re made with tomato soup.

TOMATO SOUP CUPCAKES (adapted from Baked Explorations, by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito)

2 (10 3/4-ounce) cans condensed tomato soup, preferably low-sodium
1 tsp. baking powder
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
a few cracks of freshly ground pepper (give the mill a few good turns)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
6 oz. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
4 large eggs, room temperature

First, take out your butter and eggs; don’t even think of starting until they’re both room temperature. You can expedite this by cutting the butter into small pieces and putting the eggs (still in the shells, obviously) in a cup of very hot water. Now preheat your oven to 325 degrees F and line some cupcake pans with paper liners (12 if you’re going big; more, probably like 24-30, for the little guys). Or you can spray the pans if you prefer.

Before starting the cake batter, put the tomato soup in a bowl, sprinkle the baking soda over it, and stir. I tried doing this right in the can, which I don’t recommend because it foams up and besides, it’s hard stirring soup in a can.

Next, sift together the remaining dry ingredients, making sure they’re totally integrated. You know those holes you sometimes see in baked goods? That’s from clumps of stuff that didn’t get broken up or ingredients that weren’t well distributed.

Now, using an electric mixer, cream the butter with both sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes on medium speed. Then add the eggs one at a time, beating each until just combined and scraping down the bowl between them. Finally, alternate adding the flour mixture with the soup, with the mixer on low speed, in this order: flour-soup-flour-soup-flour. Scrape down the bowl between each addition, and only beat the batter as much as you have to so you don’t build up any gluten. I usually end with folding by hand with a spatula until everything is evenly mixed.

Fill the prepared cupcake pans about three-quarters of the way up, and bake for 25–28 minutes (a little less for miniature ones). Halfway through the baking time, open the oven and give the pans a spin; if you’re using both racks, you should also swap them. My preference is to use only one rack at at a time, because I get nervous about over-baked bottoms when stuff is too near the heating element. The cupcakes are done when you stick in a toothpick and it comes out clean. Or you can gently press down on the top of one with your fingertip; if it leaves a slight mark and doesn’t spring back, give them a few more minutes.

Cool in the pan for 30 minutes, and then turn out onto a rack to cool completely. Though to be honest, I’m usually in a rush or don’t have enough pans for the amount of batter, so I just give them a few minutes on the rack and then stick them in the fridge on a kitchen towel to chill. I’m not sure how the Baked guys would feel about that, but it’s worked for me.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING (adapted from Diner Desserts, by Tish Boyle)

1 pound cream cheese (not low-fat!), room temperature
4 oz. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
salt, vanilla, and lemon juice to taste

Other than the cream cheese and butter, I pretty much do this whole recipe by taste, and if you already have a cream cheese frosting that you like, you might be better off using it. That said, I love how this turns out because if you only add as much sugar as you feel is necessary, you can adapt it to your taste or to the cake with which you’re topping/filling it.

That said, go ahead and cream the butter and cream cheese until they’re smooth. Then add about half of the sugar and beat until fluffy. The original recipe calls for 2 cups sifted sugar, but I just beat it in there straight from the measuring cup. Taste your mixture and add some more sugar if you want, and then keep adding until the frosting is as tangy or sweet as you like. Same goes for the salt, vanilla, and lemon juice. A good guideline for the lemon juice is that you want it to brighten the flavor without making it lemony or sour. I know, exact amounts would be helpful, but this gives you an excuse to eat straight-up frosting, which you know you want to do anyway.

Finally, put the frosting on the cupcakes; how you do it is up to you. I like to use a pastry bag and tip, but you can also just shmear it right on there for a homier look.