Melt the butter. Add sugar and cream well. Add spices and salt. Sift flour and baking powder together. Dissolve the soda in soup and add alternately with flour to sugar mixture. Beat well. Add the dates and nuts, slightly floured. Bake in two 9 inch buttered layer cake pans in a 350ºF. oven for 45 minutes or until the cakes test done. Cool on cake rack when turned out of pans. Spread with icing.

Icing for Tomato Soup Cake

One 3 ounce package of cream cheese
1 1/2 cup of confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla or lemon juice

Mix thoroughly and spread on cake.

Tomato Soup Cake 2

2 cups of sifted cake flour or 1 3/4 c. sifted all-purpose flour
1 cup of sugar
3 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of  ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
1/2 cup of hydrogenated shortening
1 can (10 1/2 oz.) condensed tomato soup
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour 2 (8 inch) round layer pans. Sift dry ingredients together into large bowl. Add shortening and 1/2 can soup. Beat on medium speed of electric mixer 2 minutes (150 strokes per minute by hand). Add remaining soup and eggs. Beat 2 minutes more, scraping bowl frequently. Pour into pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Let stand in pans 10 minutes; remove and cool on rack. Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting or use your favorite white frosting.