Patricia Polacco's Thunder Cake

This is the Thunder Cake recipe from Patricia Polacco's "Thunder Cake" picture book. It is a wonderful chocolate cake with a hint of fruit flavor from the secret ingredient! It is perfect frosted with Chocolate Buttercream Icing and topped with fresh sliced strawberries! (The strawberries and tomato match wonderfully and I promise that no one will know it is tomato, they will only ask what you did to make it so wonderful!)

• Ready In: 1 hr 5 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 1  cup shortening
• 1 3⁄4 cups sugar
• 1  teaspoon vanilla
• 3  eggs, separated
• 1  cup cold water
• 1⁄3 cup tomato puree
• 2 1⁄2 cups cake flour
• 1⁄2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1  teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Grease and flour two 8 1/2 inch cake pans.
3. Cream together the shortening and sugar.
4. Beat in the vanilla and egg yolks.
5. Mix in the cold water and pureed tomatoes.
6. Beat the egg whites until they are stiff and fold into egg/tomato mixture.
7. Sift the cake flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
8. Mix dry mixture into wet.
9. Pour batter evenly into cake pans.
10. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
11. Let cakes cool on wire racks before frosting with chocolate buttercream icing.
12. Optional: Top with fresh strawberries.