Ketchup Cake
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Viral Ketchup cake, a traditional spice cake with the added condiment Heinz Ketchup, has been a serious topic of discussion the past year when it came to viral dessert recipes. Surprisingly good, this Canadian recipe creates a buzz not only at the dessert table but on your tongue as well.
And no – Ketchup cake doesn’t taste like ketchup.
Why you will love making Canada Ketchup Cake
Let’s get the question right out of the way to start: Ketchup cake doesn’t taste LIKE ketchup. Nor is it read because of the ketchup. But this exceptional spice cake with loads of cream cheese frosting is a solid substitute for red velvet cake. With a light and fluffy flour cake mixture, the ingredients may create a bizarre cake idea but not ketchup tasting cake.
This year, hot off the heels of a viral debut, the Ketchup cake phenomenon took hold as people realized that Heinz as an unconventional ingredient is a thing. I wouldn’t say that it’s an actual thing that most people are genuinely making, but as we test out viral recipes here on this food blog, we could not let this pass without a taste.
You will love telling people after they are done with a large piece of cake with ketchup.
Where did Ketchup Cake come from?
The back of a Heinz bottle! We saw it debuted on TikTok through @EverydayAlex. He had called Heinz about a recipe on the back of the bottle where they let him know Ketchup Cake exists on their site. While he didn’t make the cake on his channel, the call with Heinz inspired it.
Ingredients
- cake ingredients: flour, baking powder, eggs, softened butter, and brown sugar.
- Spices – ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg
- ketchup – Use regular Heinz ketchup – everyone’s favorite condiment!
- Red gel food coloring – Use gel food coloring to not water down the cake.
- Cream cheese frosting – If you prefer, homemade cream cheese frosting is delicious, but in this case, we just used two tubs of store-bought icing for ease. The recipe isn’t about the frosting in this case.
How to make Heinz Ketchup Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 and grease 2 square, 8×8 baking pans with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and spices and set aside.
- Combine ketchup, water, and red food coloring in a separate bowl. Whisk until evenly mixed.
- In a mixer, beat butter and brown sugar until fluffy, about 5 minutes, scraping down the bowl halfway. Blend in eggs and beat well.
- Add flour and ketchup mixture, alternating between the two, and beat until combined.
- Spoon batter into prepared pans and bake for 28-30 minutes or until the toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely.
- Place one cake layer onto a serving platter. Frost top with half of a tub of frosting. Place the other cake square on the top. Place remaining frosting into a large icing bag fitted with a 1M tip. Pipe frosting into swirls onto the cake.
- Slice and Serve.
Is ketchup cake good?
Honestly, this is just a spice cake with a secret ingredient. It has no ketchup flavor, and you add food coloring to get the color, but it was pretty good! If you are a fan of carrot cake and frosting with cream cheese, chances are you will enjoy this cake.
Mainly it was just fun trying out a condiment cake recipe! While there are better homemade cake recipes out there, this Canadian Ketchup Cake is not only a great topic of discussion but a fun way to prank your kids as well – “you just had a Ketchup cake.” Put this one on the back burner for April Fools!
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Ketchup Cake (TikTok Viral)
Equipment
- 2 baking pans 8×8
- nonstick cooking spray
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ cup Heinz Ketchup
- ½ cup water
- 1 tbsp red food coloring
- ¾ cup butter softened
- 1½ cups brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- cream cheese frosting pre-made
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 and grease 2 square, 8×8 baking pans with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and ground spices together and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, combine ketchup, water, and red gel food coloring. Whisk until evenly mixed.
- In a stand mixer, beat together butter and brown sugar until fluffy, about 5 minutes, scraping down the bowl halfway. Blend in eggs and beat well.
- Add flour mixture (bowl 1) and ketchup mixture (bowl 2) into the butter/brown sugar bowl (stand mixer), alternating between the two, and beat until all ingredients are combined. Do not overmix.
- Spoon batter into prepared pans and bake for 28-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool Ketchup cake completely before frosting.
- Place one cake layer onto a serving platter. Frost top with half of a tub of frosting.
- Place the other cake square on the top.
- Place remaining frosting into a large icing bag fitted with a 1M tip.
- Pipe frosting into swirls onto the cake. Slice and Serve.
Notes
Does Ketchup cake taste like Ketchup?
Nope. It tastes like a mild spice cake. The Ketchup really only adds moisture and is a topic of discussion. It does not change the cake color or taste.Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer: The nutritional data provided here is auto-calculated and intended for your convenience only. As it’s generated via automation, its accuracy may be compromised. For precise nutritional insight, please compute the values utilizing the actual ingredients in your recipe through your chosen nutrition calculator or application.
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