Green Tomato Cake with Creamy Icing

Strange sounding but deliciously spiced and satisfyingly moist, this cake is a great way to use up tomatoes which won't ripen. We picked these colourful little ones last week because frost might be on its way.

Most ingredients came from a volunteer-run food co-op which minimises food waste by letting the customer take as much or as little as they want of loose food. I love The New Leaf Co-op! http://newleafcoop.co.uk/ You can fill either your own bags or the biodegradable ones they provide, and use the scales to print a price label. As well as being cost-effective and environmentally sound, this is a great way to make sure you're getting proportions right when following recipes if (like me) you don't have kitchen scales at home! New Leaf are very keen on ethical food so plenty of local, organic and fairtrade choices. Apart from the icing sugar and cinnamon this cake is entirely organic, so enjoy it that little bit more knowing no bees were hurt in the production of this cake :)

Ingredients:

Cake:

725g Green Tomatoes

1 Tablespoon Salt

125g Butter (Ideally leave the butter at room temperature to soften before using it)

400g Caster Sugar

2 Eggs

250g Plain Flour

1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

1 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg

1 Teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda

60g Sultanas

60g Chopped Walnuts

Oil or butter to grease the cake tin. 20 x 30 cm is best.

Frosting:

100g Butter

300g Cream Cheese

100g Icing Sugar

1. Chop the tomatoes, then sprinkle them with salt and leave them to stand for at least 10 minutes.

2. Pre heat the oven.

2. Beat the butter until it's soft then mix it with sugar.

3. Beat the eggs and mix into the creamed butter and sugar.

4. Sieve the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, bicarbonate of soda.

5. Admire your snow mountain, then add it to the wet mix, along with the walnuts and sultanas. It will be very stiff so get that elbow grease out.

6. Rinse the tomatoes in cold water using a sieve or colander then blend. 

7.  Add the tomatoes to the cake mix and mix it until blended completely.

8. Show everyone how strange it looks.

9. Pour it into the greased cake tins, and bake at gas mark 4 / 180°C for an hour. It might take longer depending on your cake tin and oven. Take it out when a skewer or knife comes out clean.

10. Make the frosting by creaming the butter then adding the cream cheese and icing sugar.

11.When the cake is cool, take it out of the tin and cover with frosting.