Karen’s Killer Fixin’s
**AUTHOR SPECIAL**
with VICKI BATMAN!
Welcome to my Friday bonus feature called Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **Author Special**!! Today, in lieu of one of my own recipes, I’m going to introduce you to a new author who will share one of her favorite recipes. Not only will you and I occasionally learn how to make something new and delicious, but we’ll get a chance to check out some wonderful authors. Introducing author, VICKI BATMAN, and her favorite recipe for TOMATO SOUP SPICE CAKE!
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SOMMERVILLE HOLIDAYS
Holiday Stories
BY VICKI BATMAN
Blurb
Hopes and wishes and holiday kisses…Sommerville holidays.
Holiday Disaster: Days before Christmas, a librarian experiences plumbing issues and visits from Mr. Maintenance Man who isn’t nearly as jolly as Santa Claus.
The Littlest Angel: Two people. One ornament for the tree. Can a twosome find common ground and discover the true meaning of Christmas?
Holiday Handbag Extravaganza: Christmas Countdown is on! A hunk-a-licious customer pesters a boutique owner to locate a vintage handbag for his mother. Too bad the wedge between them is his sister, the meanest girl in town.
About Author Vicki Batman…
Vicki Batman has sold many romantic comedy works to magazines, several publishers, and most recently, three romantic comedy mysteries. Along the way, she has picked up some awards and bestsellers. Avid Jazzerciser. Handbag lover. Mahjong player. Yoga practitioner. Movie fan. Book devourer. Chocaholic. Best Mom ever. And adores Handsome Hubby. Most days begin with her hands set to the keyboard and thinking, “What if??”
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Links to Vicki‘s Website, blog, books, etc.
Handbags, Books…Whatever:
http://www.vickibatman.blogspot.com/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Vicki-Batman-sassy-writer-of-sexy-and-funny-fiction-133506590074451/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VickiBatman/
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/vickibatman/
Author Central:
https://www.amazon.com/author/vickibatman/
Email: vlmbatman@hotmail.com/
Bookbub:
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/vicki-batman/
Instagram: vickilbatman
I hope you enjoy the recipe Vicki is sharing today on Karen’s Killer Fixin’s. Happy Eating!
Karen
P.S. We’re at 458 recipes and counting with this posting. Hope you find some recipes you like. If this is your first visit, please check out past blogs for more Killer Fixin’s. In the right-hand column menu, you can even look up past recipes by type. i.e. Desserts, Breads, Beef, Chicken, Soups, Author Specials, etc.
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TOMATO SOUP SPICE CAKE
Note from Vicki: The holidays are winding down and winter days have set in here until late February when daylight is longer and warm days creep in. Still, there is nothing like snuggling with a good book and having a piece of great cake.
I love cake and sometimes, take inspiration from life around me, like what my family calls Grandmother’s Cake. During the holidays, my grandmother baked her favorite spice/fruitcake. The recipe is quite unusual and the family tale says it came about during WW2–hold your hats–Tomato Cake. Before you go all crazy over the tomato part, know this: I was a picky eater and loved it. The cake contains tomato soup which binds the ingredients together. Never does the cake taste like tomato anything. Check out this recipe from Campbell Soup: https://www.campbells.com/kitchen/recipes/tomato-soup-spice-cake/
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons ground allspice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell’s® Condensed Tomato Soup
½ cup vegetable shortening
2 egg
1/4cup water
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 package (16 ounces) confectioners’ sugar
Step 1: Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 13×9-inch baking pan.
Step 2: Stir the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, allspice, baking soda, cinnamon and cloves in a large bowl. Add the soup, shortening, eggs and water. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed just until blended. Increase the speed to high and beat for 4 minutes. Pour the batter into the pan.
Step 3: Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes.
Step 4: Beat the cream cheese, milk and vanilla extract in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until the mixture is creamy. Slowly beat in the confectioners’ sugar until the mixture is the desired consistency. Frost the cake with the cream cheese mixture.
Cream Cheese Frosting: Beat 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened, 2 tablespoons milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until the mixture is creamy. Slowly beat in 1 package (16 ounces) confectioners’ sugar until the frosting is desired consistency.
Aside: my grandmother added raisins, pecans, and chopped dates. My sister adds drained crushed pineapple to the batter, saving the pineapple juice for the cream cheese frosting.
Doesn’t it sound delicious?
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**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**: Vicki is giving away an ebook copy of SOMMERVILLE HOLIDAYS to one lucky reader of her Karen’s Killer Book Bench blog. Happy Reading!!
Thanks, Vicki, for sharing your book with us!
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
Both the recipe and the book sound intriguing! Might have to try them both! 🙂
Hi, Diana! So nice you could stop by. I say definitely try both of them. LOL. Grandmother baked tomato cake every Thanksgiving. And the book? Well, reading is fun all the time. Hugs!
I’ve never heard of a cake recipe including tomato soup so I’m. Dry interested. I may have to give it a try!!
Hi, Jeanne! This is the only one I know of with soup. Of course, we use soup in casseroles, etc. Like I told Diana, I promise, the cake doesn’t taste like soup. It is just the wet binder. Try it and let me know.
Hi, Diana! I promise, the cake does not taste like soup. Think spice cake. Thanks for stopping by.
I’ve heard of tomato soup cake but never tried it.Will habe to check it out A long with your book
Hi, Nancy: I say this all the time about the tomato soup cake-it is delicious. My sister made mini ones for Thanksgiving with crushed pineapple and pineapple cream cheese frosting. Can’t go wrong there.
Not only does the blurb for the book sound delicious, so does the recipe for the cake! My grandmother chocolate upside down cake is a WW11 recipe, too, and one of my all time favorite s.
Hi, Kathleen~ I’d love to know your grandmother’s WW2 cake recipe. Please and hugs!
Good morning, Vicki, and welcome back to Karen’s Killer Fixin’s. I can’t wait to read the stories. They all sound wonderful. Love your books! I have a mayonnaise chocolate cake everyone thinks is weird, too. So moist! I bet this one is a keeper, too. Thanks for sharing with us today!
Hi, Karen! I remember my mom making a chocolate cake with mayonnaise. Do you watch the baking championships? They use sour cream in cakes too. Thank you so much for having me here today.
I think a lot of us probably grew up with that one. It was a family favorite of everyone I knew. 🙂 I don’t watch cooking shows anymore. We got rid of regular tv. We stream movies and a couple of Netflix series. Do miss the occasional cooking show though. Thanks again for stopping by to share with us today!
haven’t heard of that recipe before
Hi, BN! I haven’t seen you in a while. It is an unusual recipe. But a really good spice cake.
Thanks for the recipe. I’ve heard of this kind of cake before but never saw a recipe for it. The book sound intriguing.
Hi, Eileen! You are most welcome. This past Christmas, I had the recipe printed onto cup towels for family and close friends because we love the story behind the cake so much. Thank you for saying my book sounds intriguing. I love writing holiday stories. 🙂
I wish I could do ebooks.
You can download the Kindle app to your computer, you know. Free. Then, you can read ebooks. 🙂
and I am pretty sure you can on your iPhone too. 🙂
Hi, Sarah! I have had a kindle so long. And what a nice surprise for me when my son and wife gave me a Paperwhite. I have been in heaven since. I love my ereader especially for traveling. Sending hugs, vb