I missed one of the overnight freeze warning a few days ago and didn't cover the warm weather plants. That was the end of the tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, cukes and green beans. At least the lettuce, carrots, beans, onions and turnips are still producing. So what to do with the 20 or so really green tomatoes? There's always fried green tomatoes,a family favorite that I posted about earlier in the season. But I wondered if there were any dessert recipes calling for green tomatoes. With their delicate flavor and moisture, I thought they could easily be a key ingredient for a cake. And it turns out Paula Deen beat me to it. OK, for you southern culinarians, it appears until now, I have definitely been missing the boat on this one, despite my somewhat-southern-influenced cooking.
So last night, I set about creating my first green tomato cake. I departed from Deen's recipe in several ways. Hers calls for melted butter and white sugar only whereas I used oil and whole milk as well as a mix of light brown and white sugar. I also substituted regular raisins and pecans for the golden raisins and walnuts. With the acid-containing tomatoes and brown sugar, I figured baking soda would do rather than baking powder, and I was right. I cook at high altitude (just over 5,000 feet) so my recipe, per usual, is adjusted for high altitude. If you cook at a lower altitude, reduce the flower by 1/4 cup and increase the baking soda by 1/4 teaspoon. Deen suggested browned butter icing to top the cake, but I've had one too many bad experiences with over-browned smoking butter (it's called multi-tasking in the kitchen) to trust the recipe, so I opted for a brown sugar icing instead. I also don't bother with bundt pans when cooking for the masses at our house. A 9x13 baking pan will do.
The result: A rich, moist treat loaded with calories but also containing a bit of fiber on account of the tomatoes, raisins and pecans. (OK, not much point in thinking about nutrition with this recipe but I'm giving you the nutrient analysis, none-the-less. All a matter of balance.) One of our teens thought she was eating apple cake this morning. Buddy, the opportunist Golden Retriever, who cleared out half a pan of apple cake last weekend, paces and drools (a la Pavlov's dogs) every time we slice a piece of the tomato cake. I finally broke down and gave him a slice...gone in seconds!
Serves: 20
Preparation Time: 1 hr 10 min, 45 min baking
1 c white sugar
1 c brown sugar
1/2 c vegetable oil
1/2 c whole milk (or cream)
3 eggs
1 t vanilla
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
3 c flour
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
3 c diced green tomatoes
1 c chopped pecans
1 c raisins
Adjust oven rack to just below middle and preheat oven to 375o F. Grease bottom but not sides of a 9x13 baking pan. In a large mixing bowl, add sugar, vegetable oil and milk; use electric mixer and mix until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla; mix on medium until blended. Add dry ingredients, mix on medium until smooth. Fold in by hand tomatoes, pecan sand raisins. Scoop batter into baking pan. Bake for 35-45 minutes until middle is firm and inserted toothpick comes out clean.
While the cake is baking, prepare icing:
1/2 c butter
1/4 t salt
1 c brown sugar
2 T whole milk (or cream)
1 c confectioners sugar
Melt butter in small sauce pan, add brown sugar and milk. Heat until butter until bubbling, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and let cool to luke warm. Place saucepan ingredients in mixer bowl. Add confectioners sugar. Beat on high until room temperature. While cake is still warm, drizzle icing over cake with spatula. Let cake cool before cutting. Enjoy!
Per-serving Nutritional Profile:
Calories, 390
Fat, 16 g
Saturated Fat, 4 g
Cholesterol, 45 mg
Carbs, 61 g
Dietary Fiber, 2 g
Protein, 4 g
Sodium, 230 mg
Vitamin A, 8% Daily Value
Vitamin C, 10% Daily Value
Calcium, 42% Daily Value
Iron, 8% Daily Value
