Welcome to our annual collection of community holiday recipes. Each year, the 91Ô­´´ Advance Times casts a wide net asking for local people to share Christmas recipes that hold some significance to their family or themselves. This year, there's everything from cookies, pancakes, and fruit pizza to scalloped potatoes and cornbread.

We hope you enjoy this year's feature. And while one of the submitted recipes is provided below, the entire section is available for viewing by clicking into our eEditions here.

Happy holiday, one and all.

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I was a finicky eater as a child, hating cooked vegetables, eggs, and more. And who puts carrots in cake? But this cake of my grandmother's was one I would happily enjoy.

When I made it for a potluck a few years ago, there were audible groans from some people when I said what it was.

Then one of the people chimed in that she hadn't had it since she was young and dug in.

I picked up an old cookbook from the women of Milner United Church several years ago, and it included a version of what is primarily a spice cake.

The point of the story is that once people try this cake, most are pleasantly surprised. But critical to our family's version is the icing.

I make mine plant-based so egg substitute for the egg, and plant-based margarine in the cake and icing.

– Heather Colpitts, 91Ô­´´ Advance Times multi-media journalist

Tomato Soup Cake

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup salted butter or margarine (room temperature)

• 1 cup sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp baking powder

• ½ tsp ground nutmeg

• 1 tsp ground cloves

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• ¼ tsp allspice

• 1 can condensed tomato soup (do not dilute) (10.75 ounces)

• ½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)

• 1 cup raisins

Directions:

• Spray the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 350º F.

• Cream together the butter/margarine and the sugar.

• Add in the eggs or substitute, and mix well. Add in the soup.

• In another bowl, combine in the flour, baking soda, baking powder and spices.

• Stir in the walnuts and raisins.

• Pour the batter into the baking pan, and bake for 28 to 30 minutes or until the center of the cake tests done.

•Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack before frosting, in or out of the baking dish. (We typically kept the cake in the dish and just iced the top.)

Coffee Bar Icing

Ingredients:

• ½ cup shortening

• 3 tbsp cocoa

• 1 tbsp instant coffee

• 2 cups icing sugar

• up to 2 tbsp hot water

Directions: 

•&²Ô²ú²õ±è;Blend with a hand mixer the shortening, cocoa, and coffee then add icing sugar

•&²Ô²ú²õ±è; Mix in only enough water to reach desired icing consistency

• Spread to desired thickness on the cooled tomato soup cake. Can freeze any leftover.

Pieces of the iced cake can also be wrapped and frozen.