To commemorate Heinz’s 100th anniversary in Canada, this stunning ketchup cake was made, and it tastes just as amazing as it does! You should try this recipe if you enjoy carrot cake.
| Prep Time: | 30 mins |
| Cook Time: | 30 mins |
| Additional Time: | 30 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 30 mins |
| Servings: | 12 |
| Yield: | 1 9-inch layer cake |
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ cup Heinz Tomato Ketchup
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons red food coloring
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups packed dark brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 6 ounces brick-style cream cheese, softened
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Grease two 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- Make the cake: Whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, and ginger together in a bowl. Mix ketchup, water, and food coloring together in a separate bowl.
- Beat butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Blend in sugar until creamy, then mix in eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Add flour mixture in two batches on low speed, alternating with ketchup mixture, scraping down the bowl as needed, until well combined. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat for 1 minute. Divide batter evenly between the prepared pans.
- Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool in the pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then run a table knife around the edges to loosen. Invert each layer carefully onto the wire rack. Let cool completely, about 15 more minutes.
- While the cake layers are cooling, make the frosting: Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Gradually mix in powdered sugar on low speed, scraping the bowl as needed, then beat on high speed until fluffy.
- Place one cooled cake layer onto a serving plate. Cover with frosting and spread to the edges. Place remaining cake layer on top. Frost the sides of the cake, then finish by frosting the top.
- You can substitute 4 cups of your favorite store-bought vanilla or cream cheese frosting for the frosting recipe provided.
- To mask any frosting imperfections, press shredded coconut into the frosting before it sets.
- Leave the top of the cake unfrosted. Spread a seedless raspberry jam over the cake, then garnish the edge where the jam and frosting meet with shredded coconut or a circle of piped frosting.
- Spoon equal amounts of batter into a lined, 12-cup muffin pan. Bake until the tops spring back when lightly touched, 20 to 25 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 624 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 89 g |
| Cholesterol | 108 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Protein | 5 g |
| Saturated Fat | 18 g |
| Sodium | 506 mg |
| Sugars | 68 g |
| Fat | 29 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Disregard all bad reviews, they are just prejudiced, close-minded, and probably not true patriots. This cake is the best condiment-based cake I’ve ever had. Maybe cut down the sugar tho when you make it if I’m being honest – it disguises the ketchup flavour too much.
I DID USED VEGANIZED FOOD COLORING, E-GERGY POWDER IN PLACE OF THE 2 EGGS, TOFUTI CREAM CHEESE, NON DAIRY BUTTER, VEGANIZED VEGGIE KETCHUP, VEGANIZED POWDER SUGAR, VEGANIZED ALL PURPOSE FLOUR. MINES MIGHT TASTE DIFFERENT SINCE I USED VEGANIZED INGREDIENTS.
I make this cake every year for Canada Day. Can’t taste the ketchup. It’s just a really good spice cake. I’ve had some think it’s red velvet! I decorate it with red chocolate maple leaves.
Honestly don’t know what I was expecting, it’s ketchup in a cake. May the lord have mercy on us all.
It is acceptable tasty.
This cake is delicious! Super moist, not a hint of ketchup flavor, nice and subtle spices, with a delicious cream cheese frosting. Someone left a review saying this was disgusting and I’m assuming they messed up somewhere in the recipe because this is a FANTASTIC simple little spice cake.
Yuck, made it for a theme day at work. Our team was Canada, I made cupcakes, tried one and the after taste was awful.
Fantastic recipe and great taste. Third time I used hot chocolate instead of frosting and it turned out great 🙂
Made this recipe this past weekend. Definitely a flavor you would not expect. Well worth the try. I even have some to people around the neighborhood to taste and you should see their reaction.
I made these into cupcakes, and I was actually impressed with the results. The brown sugar carmelized a little on the edges of the cupcakes. I didn’t make the frosting as I wanted to taste the cake without it. The taste was like a mild spice cake, and I couldn’t taste the ketchup. I could smell the vinegar when I started baking it, but the aroma dissipated through baking.
When I first set my eyes on this cake It looked inedible because it was soooo red. But once I got the nerve to try it… IT WAS AMAZING! It tasted exactly like carrot cake but better.
My husband has always been a fiend for ketchup, so as a joke, I tried this cake for his birthday. I made a layer cake with the cream cheese icing recommended. First time in my life I made a cake from scratch. It was terrific and very easy. Very, very moist. Similar in texture to a carrot cake, tastes like a spice cake. Might actually put in more spice next time.
It was incredibly shocking! My family and guests thought that a red velvet cake had been made. When they bit into it, they noticed a slightly different taste. The taste was very pleasant and really surprised them. When I told them what it was, no one believed me – had to show a copy of the recipe. I stuck with the recipe, but saved time by purchasing cream cheese icing. Will be making again.
My husband spotted this recipe on the back of the ketchup bottle so I had to try it.I will be making this cake tonight.This will be my third time.This cake is DELICIOUS!This is one of my favorites!Everyone loves it.Thanks for the recipe.
Definitely a different cake! I didn’t add red food coloring, or ice it, and it tasted strangely like pumpkin pie! Even the texture (when warm) was just like that of pumpkin pie! I will make this cake again, but as an imitation pumpkin pie and not necessarily as a ketchup cake 🙂
I actually did make this cake because of a bet. I want to go to school to be a pastry chef and my friends all bet that i couldn’t make a ketchup cake, so i did. This is just like a spice cake with a cream cheese frosting. Its very good.