Spanish Bar Cake

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RedhairNFreckles
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If Mike has 13 apples, and gives six to Jane, how many does he have left?: 13
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Spanish Bar Cake

Post by RedhairNFreckles »

Remember those yummy "Spanish Bar" cakes from the A&P? Here's a recipe for one that I clipped out of our local newspaper. It's larger than the size of the original cakes and isn't made in 2 layers, but I bet it will taste the same.

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup solid shortening
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup chunky applesauce
1 cup raisins, (soaked in warm water to plump them up before adding)
1/2 cup, rough-cut, toasted walnuts

Cream cheese icing:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Combine all ingredients and beat well. Add more milk or confectioner's sugar to make it smooth and easy to spread if necessary.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift first 7 ingredients together and set aside.
Cream the butter, shortening and sugar together. Add eggs and beat well. Turn mixer on low speed and add vanilla extract and applesauce. Add raisins and walnuts. Keeping the mixture at low speed, start adding the dry ingredients. Do not over-mix. Just make sure the flour is all combined, then stop mixing. Pour into a greased and floured 9 x 13-inch pan. Place on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 45 minutes or until center tests done. When cool, frost.
My2Cents
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If Mike has 13 apples, and gives six to Jane, how many does he have left?: 13
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Re: Spanish Bar Cake

Post by My2Cents »

:bluebounce: :bluebounce: THANK YOU, THANK YOU,THANK YOU. :bluebounce: :bluebounce:
As a kid, I loved those A&P "Spanish Bar Cakes" !! I thought for sure they were a thing of the past.... Oh wow, I can't wait to try this recipe. Thank You sooooo much RHnF !!!
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RedhairNFreckles
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If Mike has 13 apples, and gives six to Jane, how many does he have left?: 13
Location: Western NC

Re: Spanish Bar Cake

Post by RedhairNFreckles »

My2Cents wrote::bluebounce: :bluebounce: THANK YOU, THANK YOU,THANK YOU. :bluebounce: :bluebounce:
As a kid, I loved those A&P "Spanish Bar Cakes" !! I thought for sure they were a thing of the past.... Oh wow, I can't wait to try this recipe. Thank You sooooo much RHnF !!!
LOL, My2Cents....yep, I loved those little puppies too! Once in awhile I can get them at a grocery store in NC that I shop at when I'm there, but they don't have them often :( I got all of the ingredients now so I'm planning on making one today or tomorrow. Wish we were closer, I'd invite you over for a cup of "joe" and see how much of the cake we could devour in one sitting...lol.
My2Cents
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If Mike has 13 apples, and gives six to Jane, how many does he have left?: 13
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Re: Spanish Bar Cake

Post by My2Cents »

:thumb: Thanks for the invite, I'll just have to pretend I guess. :lol: I hope it turns out as delicious as it sounds and that you ENJOY every single bite !! :bluebounce:
slinpa
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Re: Spanish Bar Cake

Post by slinpa »

sounds very very good......
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RedhairNFreckles
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If Mike has 13 apples, and gives six to Jane, how many does he have left?: 13
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Re: Spanish Bar Cake

Post by RedhairNFreckles »

I made this cake today and it is good but I need to make some changes or clarifications to the recipe. The problem I had with the cake is that it is very dry and not real moist like the store bought ones. :( It could be because I couldn't find the "chunky" applesauce so I had to use regular or maybe the newspaper forgot to mention the liquid ingredients, dunno. Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly as it was printed. Also, the cake didn't need the full 45 minutes of bake time, I took it out after 40 min. and the top was browned. It has been covered all day with tinfoil and I just ate a piece again and it does seem a little moister. Maybe it will be even better tomorrow. Any of you other bakers have any suggestions or ideas? The spices are on the mark for getting that Spanish Bar Cake flavor, it's just the consistency of it that I am kind of disappointed with.
My2Cents
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Re: Spanish Bar Cake

Post by My2Cents »

:huh: Awwww, that's too bad. I do remember how "moist" it was, I think that's what contributed to its goodness. I looked thru that receipe when you first sent it out and was thinking, subconsciously, what in there made it moist, but, never gave it another thought. Hummm, dunno... I'm guessing, the "solid shortning," "butter," area of the receipe is probably the problem. :roll: Darn it !! It's too bad that it didn't work out the first time :ahh: .
My2Cents
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If Mike has 13 apples, and gives six to Jane, how many does he have left?: 13
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Re: Spanish Bar Cake

Post by My2Cents »

Know what?? Maybe little mayonaise added to it would help. It does wonders for making a cake moist and you don't taste the mayonaise at all. :roll: Oh well, just a thought :P .
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RedhairNFreckles
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If Mike has 13 apples, and gives six to Jane, how many does he have left?: 13
Location: Western NC

Re: Spanish Bar Cake

Post by RedhairNFreckles »

My2Cents wrote:Know what?? Maybe little mayonaise added to it would help. It does wonders for making a cake moist and you don't taste the mayonaise at all. :roll: Oh well, just a thought :P .
I have been thinking and thinking all weekend long what I should do the next time I make the cake.....yessss, I do have a lot of time on my hands....lol. I was thinking about adding some mayo or maybe 1/2 cup of oil. Maybe using the chunky applesauce instead of the regular kind would have made a difference too. I looked up some old recipes for cakes that I remember were really moist and all of them had some oil in them. Mayo would also work. Well, the cake wasn't a complete loss, I had fun dragging a spoon across the yummy frosting everytime I walked by it! :rofl: :thumb: Thanks for your suggestion!
sissy31696
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Re: Spanish Bar Cake

Post by sissy31696 »

here is a recipe that calls for oil:

SPANISH BAR CAKE

2 c. flour
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tbsp. cocoa
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. allspice

Add:

1/2 c. oil
2 c. applesauce
2 eggs
1 c. raisins (optional)

Mix first 8 ingredients together in an electric mixer; mix well. Add next 3 ingredients. Raisins should be added last. Bake at 350 degrees in 9x13 inch pan for 30-35 minutes; tube pan 40-45 minutes.
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