Canadians Love Ketchup

First of all lets get ONE thing straight...what you call 'Canadian Bacon' we just call ham. We call bacon bacon and its the same bacon you have known and loved all your life. If I live to do one thing its to debunk the Canadian bacon myth. Second, our Mountain Dew is also different because, well, the dew on our mountains is cleaner than the dew on your mountains (it also is caffeine free). Thirdly, we DO love our ketchup. We consume more of it per capita than any other nation. We love it with Kraft Dinner which we also voraciously consume(mmmmmm Easy Mac). Several years ago a chip company tried out ketchup flavoured chips. They bombed everywhere in the world EXCEPT Canada. I find them gross but they always are sold out when I go to the Mac's store. I believe you can only get them in Canada. Even Heinz itself is honoring our 100 year love affair with the mighty red condiment by creating the KETCHUP CAKE. It actually looks good in the picture. I might just have to try and make it so I can report honestly on the taste. Ice Bear approves the content of this ad.

"To commemorate its Canadian centennial and thank Canadians for 100 years of support, Heinz has created The Great Canadian Heinz Ketchup Cake -- an ideal dessert for any celebration. It's red, perfectly spiced and delicious. Think carrot cake without all the work.

"We all think of ketchup as the perfect complement to hotdogs, hamburgers and fries, but its unique taste makes ketchup an ideal flavour enhancer for many recipes, including desserts," explains Amy Snider. The professional home economist and culinary nutritionist works with Heinz.

"Heinz Ketchup not only adds great flavour to the cake, but it also creates a wonderfully moist texture." Read on for ketchup facts and cake recipe.

GREAT CANADIAN HEINZ KETCHUP CAKE

The commemorative cake from Heinz tastes much like carrot cake and makes 12 servings.

CAKE INGREDIENTS:

2 cups (500 mL) All-purpose flour

2 tsp (10 mL) Baking powder

1 1/2 tsp (7 mL) Ground cinnamon

1 tsp (5 mL) Baking soda

1/2 tsp (2 mL) Each ground nutmeg and ginger

1/2 cup (125 mL) Heinz Tomato Ketchup

1/2 cup (125 mL) Water

2 tbsp (30 mL) Red food colouring

3/4 cup (175 mL) Butter, softened

11/2 cups (375 mL) Dark brown sugar, packed

2 Eggs

FROSTING:

6 oz (175 g) Brick-style cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup (175 mL) Butter, softened

1 tsp (5 mL) Vanilla extract

4 cups (1 L) Icing sugar

Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Grease two, 9-inch (23-cm) round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.

Stir the flour with the baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and ginger into a bowl. Stir the ketchup, water and colouring in a separate bowl. Set aside.

Beat the butter and blend in the sugar in a large bowl until smooth. Beat in the eggs. Add the flour mixture and ketchup mixture. Beat on low, scraping down the bowl as needed, until combined. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat for one minute.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until the centre springs back when touched lightly.

Cool the cakes for 15 minutes before turning onto a rack to cool completely.

Frosting: Beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla on medium speed for 2 minutes or until smooth. Gradually beat in the sugar on low, scraping the bowl as needed. Beat on high until fluffy.

Frost between the cake layers and over the sides and top of the cake.

ALL ABOUT THE RED SAUCE

Beginnings H. J. Heinz opened his first Canadian facility in Leamington, Ontario in 1909. For 100 years, the Leamington plant - the second largest Heinz plant in the world - has produced all of the Heinz Ketchup sold in Canada.

Farming Heinz Canada has contracts with 48 Canadian growers who are required to use safe and sustainable agricultural practices. Tomatoes in Heinz Ketchup are grown from special Heinz seeds.

Local content 100 per cent of regular Heinz Ketchup sold in Canada contains tomatoes grown in southern Ontario. Heinz buys 300,000 tons of Ontario-grown tomatoes annually to produce its ketchup.

The big squeeze One litre of Heinz Ketchup contains 25 tomatoes.

Nutrition, too Four tablespoons of Heinz Tomato Ketchup have the same nutritional value as one ripe, medium tomato. It also contains five times more lycopene than raw tomatoes do.

In the kitchen In Canada, one-third of ketchup is consumed in recipes, with the most popular being Shepherd's Pie, Meatloaf and Sloppy Joes."