Toasted Cheese and Tomato Soup Cupcake

I hear your collective yuck, but these are seriously good. I bet that if I didn’t tell you there was tomato soup in the cupcake batter, you’d have no idea. But there is, and it makes the most moist cake you’ve ever had. Combined with a few spices, you’ve got a great little cupcake. It’s topped with a vanilla-mascarpone frosting. The original recipe is from the Baked Explorations cookbook by Matt Lewis & Renato Poliafito.

Now in my little world, nothing goes better with tomato soup than toasted cheese.  While normally in sandwich form, here I went for a parmesan frico to top the cupcake. Frico! I’ve been running around the house all night pronouncing frico in my very best and loud Italian accent. Greg is such a lucky guy.

So yeah, give these cupcakes a try. They are sweet, but not too sweet. The Frico! makes for a really nice counter balance.

Toasted Cheese & Tomato Soup Cupcake – adapted from Baked Explorations

For the cupcakes:

• 2 (10.75 ounce) cans of low sodium condensed tomato soup

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed

• 4 large eggs

For the frosting:

• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 12 ounces mascarpone cheese, softened

• 4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Frico!:

• 2 cups of grated parmesan cheese

Making the cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners (I made 30 cupcakes with this recipe).

In a large bowl, sprinkle baking soda over top of the tomato soup and stir well. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, salt and baking powder.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (yes, we are on our third bowl) fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and both sugars together on medium speed until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until just combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat for a few seconds. Turn the mixer to low. Add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the tomato soup mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Scrape down the bowl again and mix on low speed for a few more seconds.

Fill each cupcake liner about three-quarters full. Bake for 25 – 28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Allow to cool in pan for 30 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Making the frosting:

In the bowl (bowl #4) of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until it is completely smooth. Add the mascarpone and beat until combined.

Add the sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth. Do not overbeat.

Place the frosting in a pastry bag with a large tip and pipe enough frosting to cover each cupcake. You can also use an ice cream scoop or offset spatula to frost your cupcakes.

Making the Frico!:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place tablespoon-full mounds of grated parmesan on a parchment-lined baking sheet that’s been lightly coated with cooking spray about 2-inches apart. If using a silpat, the cooking spray is not needed. Bake 8-9 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool 5 minutes, then move frico to a paper towel-lined plate to drain any excess oil. Once completely cool, break each frico in half and place on top of frosting.