Last Updated on June 24, 2024 by Lisa Keys
Spirited Fresh Tomato Cake
I woke up this morning knowing what I needed to write about. I came to realize that I have never been alone in this grief process. So many moms before me have gone through it. I recall an old high school chum named Jeff who died at age 17 of leukemia. Jeff was funny and smart and a strong competitive swimmer. He loved my friend, Donna. I remember visiting him in the hospital to say good-bye and feeling so sad for him and for her. I don’t remember his mom, but now I can imagine what she was going through. She should know that her son and my friend, Jeff, hasn't been forgotten.
And then there is Betty. Betty is the mother of 5 kids including one of my best friends, Carol. I’ve known Betty for 30 years. We have a lot in common. Betty and I love to garden, we loved playing BUNCO together for a good 10 years and we both love Carol to the moon and back. We also both lost a son.
We will always remember Robert & William.
Betty is now 93 years old and on a recent visit back to my old hometown I stopped by to check in on her. Betty affirmed what I already knew: a mom never stops grieving the loss of a child. It has been 56 years since she lost her oldest child, Robert.
We never really talked about it until this visit. And then she showed me an old photo of Robert, so handsome displaying a fish he had just caught…and in the same frame….right next to her son…was mine. My heart melted. We decided our boys were good together probably catching fish off the banks of heaven.
Remember that old-fashioned tomato cake recipe made with that processed canned soup? Pitch that and make this Spirited Fresh Tomato Cake especially if you have an abundance of vine ripened garden tomatoes either in your back yard or from the local market. With a hint of spice it's the perfect cake for a snack or with a cup of coffee for breakfast. No one will ever know there are tomatoes in the mix let alone a bit of spirit.
I cannot bake without the use of a scale. It takes so much guesswork out of this scientific process and thus less room for mistakes. We all measure differently when it comes to measuring cups and spoons and I am not certain that there is even a standard among those vessels in the manufacturing process. Use a meaty tomato for this cake or cut out the seeds before processing. This year I grew Burpee's “salsa” tomatoes, which have very few seeds.
Spirited Fresh Tomato Cake
Ingredients
- 10 ounces ripe plum tomatoes cored (see photo)
- ¼ cup gold rum
- ½ cup chopped dried cherries
- ½ cup toasted sliced almonds
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ¾ cup almond meal flour
- 1- teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 egg
- Powdered sugar
Instructions
- Heat oven 350F. Spray an 8-inch baking pan with no-stick baking spray or grease and flour.
- Process tomatoes in a blender or food processor until smooth (measure 1 cup of tomato puree).
- Toss cherries and rum together in a small bowl.
- In medium bowl, whisk flour, almond meal, baking soda, salt and spices together.
- In a large bowl, with electric mixer beat butter and sugar for 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add egg; blend well. Slowly, beat in tomato puree; mixture will look curdled.
- Add flour mixture blending just until moistened (I usually fold the flour mixture in by hand).
- Stir in cherries, rum and almonds; blend well.
- Pour batter into prepared pan; smooth the top.
- Bake 40 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean and cake pulls away from sides of pan.
- Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes before inverting on rack to cool completely.
- Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Carol
"Catching fish off the banks of Heaven"...I love it. Thank you for the beautiful tribute to my mom and to my brother Robert. Betty still grieves for him and for your William too. A wonderful visit filled with tears, hugs and laughter.
Lisa
Betty inspires me. She has managed to survive this horror with such grace.
Beth rennicks
Lisa:
Thank you for remembering my brother Jeff. I would like to thank you for being so kind to my brother while he was sick. He thought the world of you and treasured your friendship. I am also sorry for your loss.
Beth rennicks
Lisa
oh, my gosh---how did you ever find me? I think of him all the time. He always made me laugh.
jerseygirlcooks
What sweets photos to remember both of your sons by. I will have to try this cake as I have never made cake with tomatoes before.
Lisa
I hope you try the cake. We have really enjoyed it.
cookinformyboys
Is it just me or do Robert and Will look a lot alike? And the fact that they're both holding fish really freaked me out!! Such a sweet story of your friendship with your dear friend's mom.
I really have to try this recipe - it looks amazing! I've heard about the tomato soup cake but never wanted to try it.
Love your blog Lisa!
Lisa
Both are definitely on the tall, dark and handsome scale....and Italian....and yes, the fact that they both like to fish caught me by surprise, too.
Betty is inspiring
Ronna F
Such a sweet story, Lisa. You are always an inspiration to me, and the cake looks and sounds like a must-try.
Lisa
Thanks Ronna. I hope you like the cake. Betty definitely inspires me.
patcook1
This is such a unique cake, Lisa. It is begging me to try it.
Lisa
It is really moist and yummy. Let me know if you do give it a try......and thanks for hanging out with me here.
Krista
What a beautiful post about your William and Robert. I loved this story because it made me happy and sad at the same time. I'm not sure at this point how it feels to fathom that I could live another 50 years without Aidan. When AJ died, I found out that my own grandmother had her oldest son die when he was 12. Seven years later she would have one more child, my dad. After Aidan died, my 88 year old uncle pulled out the scrapbook my grandmother had made after Jack's death. (She died when I was a toddler.) The coincidences in the lives of my Uncle Jack and my AJ were uncanny. I wish I could talk to her now and ask her how she made it through over 40 years without her son especially at a time when you were expected to bury your grief. Your post reminded me that I have her handwritten cookbook that I used to plow through when I was first married. Maybe this is a reminder from her and Aidan that I should cook something from it again.
Lisa
We share so many of the same feelings. When my mom died at the ripe old age of 89 I remember saying to my husband, "I can't believe I could possibly live another 40 years with such pain in my heart"....how in the world are we going to do it? Betty says...."I just kept on going"...it is all we can do. I hope you can share a recipe here from your grandmothers book