Tomato Soup Cake and Cream Cheese Icing

Yes, you read that right - and I baked one early this evening for my mother's birthday tomorrow. She has loved it since childhood and as long as anyone in the family can remember its been her birthday cake. When people go "Whaaaaat?" I usually describe it as a depression era spice cake - I wasn't around in the depression and technically my parents were born at the end of the Great Depression, but its what I remember her mother saying one time and it just works for me. It is a good cake, but after today's performance in a Wilton cake pan, I suggest you stick with a 9x12" pan and don't try and get fancy.

Tomato Soup Cake

3/4 C Crisco
1 1/2 C sugar
1 C tomato soup (canned, condensed, classically Campbell's)
3/4 C water
1 tsp. soda
3 C flour
3/4 tsp salt
3 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cloves
1 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 1/2 C raisens
1 1/2 C chopped walnuts (not usually in the b-day cake)

Blend Crisco and sugar. Combine tomato soup with water and soda. Add to Crisco mixture alternately with all the sifted dry ingredients. Stir in raisins and nuts. Pour into 9" greased tube pan or 9x12" cake pan. Bake in moderate oven of 350 for 45 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. (yes, there is no egg in the recipe, it always fakes me out)

Cream Cheese Icing

Blend 2 8 oz. packages cream cheese with 1 egg yolk and 3 C confectioner's sugar. Add 1/8 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. vanilla.

Happy Birthday, Mom!