A & P Spanish Bar Cake

By RoketJSquerl

Follow our step-by-step, photo illustrated instructions to make our version of the old fashioned, A&P Spanish Bar Cake. We’ve stepped back in time to recreate one of your favorite tastes from the past with this very special spice cake recipe. We’ll share the cake recipe, and the frosting recipe, so you can make this wonderful dessert right in your own kitchen. Printable recipe included.

Ingredients

• 2 cups All Purpose Flour
• 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 2 Tablespoon Dark Cocoa
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon Ground Ginger
• 1 teaspoon Ground Cloves
• 1 teaspoon Allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
• 1/2 cup Crisco Shortening
• 1 cup Dark Brown Sugar
• 1/2 cup Molasses
• 2 Eggs
• 1/4 cup Evaporated Milk
• 1/2 cup Applesauce
• 1 cup Raisins, soaked in warm water until plumped, then drained.
• 1 pound confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla
• 3 Tablespoons Evaporated milk, more if needed

Details

Servings 6
Preparation time 20mins
Cooking time 60mins
Adapted from tasteofsouthern.com

Preparation

Step 1

Bring about 2 cups of water to a slight boil, then REMOVE from heat. Drop in the raisins, and just let them sit while you make the batter. This will plump them up, and make for a better cake.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare your baking pan: I used one of the canned sprays that contains flour to coat the inside of this 9×13 sheet cake pan. If you don’t have a spray with flour, coat the inside of the pan with shortening, then sprinkle in some flour. Roll the flour around inside the pan until you’ve got the bottom, corners, and edges fully coated.

Place flour in a large mixing bowl.
Add baking powder, add salt, cocoa, cinnamon, ground ginger, cloves, nutmeg, allspice.

Whisk dry ingredients well to combine.
SIFT the dry ingredients mixture three times, set aside.
Place shortening and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
Using a hand mixer, on low speed, cream the shortening and sugar together.
Add Molasses, mix until combined.
Add eggs. Mix just enough to incorporate into mixture.
Add milk, mix briefly.
Add Applesauce, mix again, just until combined.
Add flour mixture, to wet mixture, in three additions, stirring after each to combine.
Fold in plumped raisins.
Prepare your baking pan by coating with shortening and flour, or use a baking spray with flour.
Pour batter into prepared pan.
Batter will be thick, so use a spoon to spread it out evenly in the baking pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, or until done.
Remove cake from oven, and place on a wire rack to cool.
Frost as desired with frosting recipe included here.
Enjoy!

Spanish Bar Cake Frosting:

I’m using some left over Evaporated Milk that I had. Regular milk will work just as well for this part. It’s pretty much a basic Buttercream frosting. The butter needs to be softened to room temperature for best results.

Place the Confectioners Sugar in a large bowl… with high sides. Don’t ask why they need to be high. (Smile)

Add the softened Butter.

Add the Vanilla Extract.

Start out by adding three Tablespoons of Milk. You’ll probably need to add a bit more, but do this gradually to work the frosting up to your desired consistency. I ended up using 5 Tablespoons both times I’ve made this frosting. You might need more, or even less.

You’ll want the frosting to be a bit on the thick side, so be careful adding more of the milk as you go.

With all of the ingredients in the bowl, use a hand mixer, on low speed, and lower it right down into the middle of the softened butter. Start working with the butter, gradually working in the confectioners sugar, so you don’t send sugar flying all over your kitchen. You can thank me later for that little house keeping tip. Again, don’t ask why I know this. Just saying. (Smile)

If you’re making two layers from the one sheet cake layer, spread a good amount of frosting in between the layers, then frost the top. You’ll probably still have more frosting than you really need this way. I ended up with about half a cup leftover, and I thought I was spreading it pretty thick.

Notes

Slice the sheet cake in half, and stack into layers, placing frosting in middle and on top. Use the tines of a fork to place a design on the top layer like the original A&P Spanish Bar Cake had.