Green Tomato Cake

An easy spice cake recipe with a twist. This Green Tomato Cake uses unripe garden tomatoes to add moisture and flavor. Frost with a mouthwatering cream cheese frosting.

As the summer comes to a close, you may find a few extra green tomatoes in your garden. What do you do with those? Fried green tomatoes are always an option, but something a little sweeter is good too!

I was looking through my grandma’s cookbook and came across this green tomato cake. It sounds strange, but after looking at the ingredients, I knew I had to try it. Just take a look at this beauty!

What you’ll love about this cake:

• 3 cups of grated green tomatoes
• deliciously lightly sweet spice cake flavor
• moist texture
• mouthwatering cream cheese frosting

Are green tomatoes good for you?

You may wonder if it is safe to eat green tomatoes, as soon foods are unsafe to eat if they aren’t ripe. Green tomatoes are a great source of vitamins and minerals. Does that mean this cake is good for you? Maybe not. After all there are 2 cups of sugar. But the green tomatoes inside are definitely an added benefit.

What do green tomatoes do in cake?

It isn’t unusual for fruit to be in cake. After all, think of the amazing things zucchini does for breads and cakes (yes, zucchini is a fruit!). Green tomatoes is the same! They add moisture to cake, plus they add bulk so you get a nice tall cake with great texture.

They’ll add a bit of sour flavor that pairs well with sugar in cakes and breads. In fact, try swapping out green tomatoes for apples in any cakes or breads. They act very similarly!

How to Make Green Tomato Cake

This cake bakes in a 9×13 cake pan. However, it is a sturdy enough cake that you could make a layer cake out of it if you’d like.

• Prepare the tomatoes. Use a food processor or a grater to grate enough green tomatoes to make 3 cups. Don’t skin them, just take out the core and grate. Allow the juice to drain off the tomatoes as you make the cake batter.
• Mix the cake. In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, cloves and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix just until combined.
• Add tomatoes and bake. Fold in the drained tomatoes. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the cake tests done.

Consider adding chocolate chips or chopped nuts to this spice cake.

Frosting for Spice Cake

Cream cheese frosting pairs so well with spice cake. It’s easy to mix too! Here are a few other options:

• cinnamon buttercream
• mascarpone cream
• caramel frosting
• vanilla buttercream

Green Tomato Cake

4.29 from 46 votes

An easy spice cake recipe with a twist. This Green Tomato Cake uses unripe garden tomatoes to add moisture and flavor. Frost with a mouthwatering cream cheese frosting.

Servings 15

---

Print RecipePin RecipeReview Recipe

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

 

For the cake:

• 3 cups grated green tomatoes drained
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 ½ cups canola oil
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon salt

For the frosting:

• ¼ cup salted butter room temperature
• 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups powdered sugar

Instructions

 

Make the cake:

• Preheat the oven to 350º Fahrenheit. Spray a 9×13 baking pan with cooking spray.
• Use a food processor or a grater to grate enough green tomatoes to make 3 cups. Don’t skin them, just take out the core and grate. Allow the juice to drain off the tomatoes as you make the cake batter.
• In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, cloves and salt.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix just until combined.
• Fold in the drained tomatoes.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the cake tests done.
• Allow the cake to cool before frosting.

Make the frosting:

• In a large bowl, cream together the butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy.
• Add the vanilla and powdered sugar.
• Mix until well combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Frost the cake after it has cooled. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

The calories shown are based on the cake being cut into 15 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of cake. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information.**

Nutrition

Calories: 543kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 319mg | Potassium: 135mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 40g | Vitamin A: 583IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 2mg

Author Julie Clark

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Calories 543

Keyword easy spice cake

Have you tried this recipe?

Share a review below or share on Instagram with the tag #tastesoflizzyt.