Tomatoes in Desserts: Easy Sweet Dish Recipes From Scratch

Some consider tomatoes a fruit, while others strictly categorise them as a vegetable. The tomato’s versatility transcends these classifications because it’s great for both sweet and savory dishes. Tomatoes are typically associated with salads, sauces, and salsas, their inherent sweetness and juicy texture can make them a surprising addition to desserts. Tomatoes have a unique mix of sweetness, acidity, and umami, so you can use them in whichever way you like. To make them taste their best, you have to experiment a little and think out of the box. Here are some special sweet recipes featuring tomato, that can guide you to do just that:

Caramelized Tomato Tart

Ingredients:

• 7-8 large tomatoes
• 3 tbsp room temperature unsalted butter
• 120 g sugar
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (2 if using dried)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 sheet of puff pastry

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 220 C. If your puff pastry is frozen, let it thaw and come to room temperature.
• Bring a big pot of water to a boil, and simultaneously prepare an ice bath - cold water with lots of ice - to blanch the tomatoes.
• Create a cross cross pattern on the top of every tomato using a sharp knife. This will help you peel the skin easily once blanched.
• Place each tomato in the boiling water for 30 seconds to a minute. You will immediately see the skins peeling a little once the tomatoes come in contact with the heat.
• Carefully extract them from the hot water and dunk them in the ice bath.
• Once the tomatoes are a little cool to touch, remove the peels. Then chop the tomatoes in half, and remove the seeds.
• Spread the butter evenly inside a 9 inch cast iron saucepan. Sprinkle sugar and the fresh or dried thyme again.
• Lay the tomato halves over the sugar, ensuring that you’re able to accommodate all of the pieces.
• Place the saucepan over low heat. The sugar will slowly melt and caramelize while the tomatoes will also soften and release their juices.
• Keep the saucepan on heat for 30 minutes. You will achieve a thick caramel syrup.
• Move the caramelized tomatoes around the pan, then add in the vanilla to them. Transfer into a tart tin.
• Place the pastry dough over the tomatoes, creating a lid. Create some slits with a sharp knife to let hot air escape during baking.
• Place the pan in the oven for 20 minutes, and cook until golden brown. You can brush it with some egg wash or melted butter beforehand too.
• Remove from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes. Then flip the tart into a serving dish. Slice and serve this unusual dish and surprise your taste buds.
• You can have it with some whipped cream, creme fraiche, or just like that.

Bloody Mary Popsicles

Ingredients:

• 480 ml tomato juice (fresh or store bought)
• 60 ml vodka (can omit too)
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tsp hot sauce like Tabasco
• 30 ml lime juice
• 10 celery sticks cut to 5-inch length
• 60 g flaky sea salt for garnish

Instructions:

• Whisk together tomato juice, vodka (if using), Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and lime juice in a bowl or measuring cup.
• Pour this mixture into a popsicle mold and pop the celery sticks.
• Freeze for about 6 hours.
• Run every mold under running water to loosen the popsicles.
• Sprinkle each popsicle with some sea salt before serving.

Tomato Soup Cake

Ingredients:

• 480 g cake flour
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 60 g softened, unsalted butter
• 200 g granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 305 g can of tomato soup

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 180 C and grease the bottom and sides of a cake tin lightly with some butter or oil. You can also use a non-stick spray, if you have it.
• Sift the cake flour, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, cloves, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. You can do this once or twice.
• Beat the softened butter and sugar together until you get a pale, airy, and creamy consistency.
• Then crack an egg into this and whisk well.
• Then add about half of the dry ingredients into the butter and sugar mixture, followed by the entire contents of the tomato soup can.
• Once the ingredients are mixed, add the other half of the dry ingredients too.
• Transfer the cake batter into the prepared cake tin and even the top with a spatula.
• Bake in the preheated oven for about 40 to 50 minutes.
• Let the cake cool down to room temperature before you remove it from its tin. Serve it with some simple buttercream frosting or a generous dusting of icing sugar.