Green Tomato Cake With Nuts

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
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Updated on 12/8/21
green tomato cake
Diana Rattray
Prep: 12 mins
Cook: 60 mins
Total: 72 mins
Servings: 12 servings
Yield: 1 cake

Put your green tomatoes to great use with this spiced green tomato cake recipe. While they're often reserved for savory dishes like fried green tomatoes or relish, adding them to a sweeter dessert is a fun twist. It's surprisingly delicious and a pleasant change of pace before the first fall frost gets your tomatoes.

As easy as any made-from-scratch cake, this recipe comes together quickly and uses many pantry staples. You'll start by creaming a few ingredients and sifting the dry ingredients, then blending the two mixes together. It's flavored with cinnamon and nutmeg for a warming spiciness, while pecans and raisins complement the green tomatoes. Enjoy it as is, or bake it with a flaked coconut topping.

There are a few ways you can change up the base recipe, too. For instance, walnuts, chocolate chips, or dried cranberries are delicious additions to this cake, or you can use a favorite autumn pie spice blend. To sweeten the cake, top it with cream cheese frosting or a simple dusting of confectioners' sugar.

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Ingredients

  • 1 cup vegetable oil, or melted vegetable shortening, plus more for greasing pan

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan

  • 2 1/4 cups sugar

  • 3 large eggs

  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

  • 1 cup pecans

  • 1 cup raisins

  • 2 1/2 cups finely diced green tomatoes

  • 1/2 cup flaked coconut, or to taste, optional

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking pan.

  3. In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, vegetable oil or shortening, eggs, and vanilla extract; beat until smooth and creamy.

  4. Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg; slowly beat into egg mixture. Blend well.

  5. Stir in pecans, raisins, and tomatoes.

  6. Pour into prepared baking pan. Top with coconut, if desired.

  7. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Recipe Variations

  • Use melted vegetable shortening as a substitute for the vegetable oil, if you prefer.
  • Swap the pecans out for chopped walnuts.
  • Instead of raisins, try brickle bits, chocolate chips, dried cranberries or blueberries, chopped dried apricots, or golden raisins.
  • Frost the cake with a cream cheese frosting or a simple sprinkling of confectioners' sugar.
  • Replace the cinnamon and nutmeg with 1 1/2 teaspoons of apple pie spice or pumpkin spice blend.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
548 Calories
26g Fat
75g Carbs
6g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 548
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 26g 33%
Saturated Fat 4g 19%
Cholesterol 47mg 16%
Sodium 242mg 11%
Total Carbohydrate 75g 27%
Dietary Fiber 3g 10%
Total Sugars 47g
Protein 6g
Vitamin C 9mg 46%
Calcium 55mg 4%
Iron 2mg 13%
Potassium 263mg 6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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