Whether you say tomay-to or tomah-to, these cupcakes are incredible. Don’t let the name fool you; these sweet treats are far from savoury.

Tomatoes are a fruit and full of flavour, we think they work much like carrots in a carrot cake to give an irresistibly moist sponge and natural sweetness.

We promise that once you’ve tried these soup-er sponges you’ll be converted!

Want a taster? Watch Tarek in our preview video for how to make Tomato Soup Cupcakes here:

Got more time? Watch the full video here for more baking tips:

Tomato Soup Cupcakes

For that authentic American taste, use a can of Campbell's Cream of Tomato soup for this recipe. These cupcakes are most definitely sweet, and have a kind of carrot-cake flavour to them. Another vintage recipe that uses a non-conventional ingredient to perfection.  

Makes 18 cupcakes  

For the cupcakes

115g (4oz) unsalted butter, softened

285g (10oz) caster sugar

2 large eggs

270g (9½oz) plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1½ tsp ground allspice

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground cloves

60ml (2fl oz) water

295g (10½oz) tin condensed cream of tomato soup  

For the frosting 

100g (3½oz) unsalted butter, softened

240g (8½oz) full-fat cream cheese, such as Philadelphia, cold

400g (14oz) icing sugar

Ground cinnamon, to sprinkle  

Two 12-hole deep muffin tins and 18 paper muffin cases  

1. To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F), Gas mark 4, and line the muffin tins with the paper muffin cases.
2. Using a freestanding electric mixer with the paddle attachment or a hand-held electric whisk, cream the butter and sugar together for around 5 minutes on a medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, on a lower speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Combine the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, allspice, cinnamon and cloves in a bowl and mix into the wet ingredients on a low speed in one slow but steady addition. Don't overbeat. Finally, add the water and condensed soup to make a thick batter.
4. Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until three-quarters full. Using a 50ml (1¾fl oz) ice-cream scoop can make this process easier and will result in even cupcakes. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. Leave to cool slightly before removing from the tin and placing on a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
5. To make the frosting, using a freestanding electric mixer with the paddle attachment or a hand-held electric whisk, beat the butter to loosen it up, then add the cream cheese and icing sugar on a low speed until incorporated. Turn the mixer to a high speed and beat for about 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Don't overbeat or the cream cheese will split and become runny.
6. Pipe or spoon generous amounts of the frosting onto each cupcake, gently smoothing over with a palette knife and making a nice swirl of frosting on each one. Sprinkle the decorated cakes with cinnamon.

Recipe taken from Life is Sweet: 100 original recipes for happy home baking by Tarek Malouf and The Hummingbird Bakers (Fourth Estate, 2015)    

Baking questions

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Happy baking! x