I don't know if any of you remember, but way back, when I was young, the A&P carried a wonderful Spanish Bar Cake that they made in their bakeries. It was delicious!!!!!!!!!! Well, here is a recipe to make it ( or something very similiar). Let me know if you remember, or if you are familiar with this recipe.
Jo Ann


SPANISH BAR CAKE
For the bars:
1 package (18.25) plain spice cake mix
1/4 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
3/4 teas ground cinnamon
1/2 teas ground nutmeg
1/4 teas ground cloves
2 cups unsweetened applesauce
2/3 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
3/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)

For the frosting
4 oz reduced fat cream cheese, at room temperature
1 tablespoon milk
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 teas pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)

To make the bars:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place race in the center of the oven. Line with parchment paper a 15 x 10 jelly roll pan and set aside.
2. Place the cake mix, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, applesauce, oil and eggs in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low until the ingredients are incorporated, 30 seconds. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides with rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until batter is smooth, about 1 minute longer. Fold the raisins and 1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts, if using. Transfer batter to prepared baking pan, smoothing the top with the rubber spatula.
3. Place pan in over and bake the bars until edges have set and the center is still a little soft. 25-30 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool for about 35 minutes.

To makes the frosting:
1. Place cream cheese in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low until creamy, 1 minute.
2. Stop the machine, add mix, sugar and vanilla. Continue beating on low until the ingredients come together. Increase the mixer speed to medium low and beat until the frosting is creamy and light, 30 seconds longer.
3. Spread the frosting evenly on top of the cooled cake. Run the tines of a fork through the icing to make squiggles. Let the frosting set for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

I remember those!!! I loved them. But I bought them wrapped on the shelf like Hostess Cupcakes etc. not in the deli. Thanks so much for the recipe. I hope it tastes exactly the same (well, without all the preservatives maybe it'll taste even better).

Remember those cakes. Can't wait to try your recipe.

i'm from the east, so i remember this spanish bar , and everytime i go back , i try to find it, and nobody makes it, i will try and print off this recipe, thank-you.

Thank for the recipe. My husband will be so happy.

thanks for the recipe

Thank you so much for the recipe! i loved that cake and it is impossible to find. I may just make it for labor day as a surprise for my dear mom who loved that cake also!

I remember those cakes well. Now I will be able to make one, have not tasted one in years.

I remember those...they were delicious!!! Thank you so much for the recipe!

Hmmm, I remember the A & P, but don't remember the cake. Probably because my mother did all her own baking. But this sounds delicious and I'm in a fall mood, so will give it a try. Wish I had the cake mix in the house since I'll be stuck in tomorrow thanks to Irene! Oh well, another day!

I certainly do remember these cakes.They were awesome!! I actually have been hunting these cakes and I have never found them.Thank you so much!!!! When it cools down,I plan to bake this one.

yes i remember this my mom would get this for us. love this cake

I am from Ohio and I remember this cake. It was one of my favorite store treats. Thanks for the recipe, I will be sure to make it.

I remember them too, they were delicious. But you have to like raisins !

I remember that cake! A great big THANK YOU for the recipe. I have been trying to make something like it for a long time.

can't wait to try this, it's been too ling since I've had this great taste. Thanks and will try today, Joanna

I LOVED THEM! and will try this one too...can't wait! :lol:

I never had these but they sound good. We love spice cake so I will have to make some. Thanks for the recipe.

I have been looking for this recipe for years! Spanish Bar Cake is my absolute favorite cake and that of my deceased father who used to stop by the A&P bakery store and get them. Thanks so much for sharing.

thanks first for the wonderful memory and now for the great recipe oh gosh how great thanks...........

Wow my sister and I were just talking about that bar cake recently. I have not found anything on the market that is the same and always wondered why someone did not come out with it again. Thanks for the receipe. I will be sending it to my sister and trying it myself very soon.

That was my fathers favorite cake we had an A&P at the bottom of our street. Thanks for the recipe

i told mom about this last night and she was so excited. She said she had a recipe for it but doesn't know where it is. First question was why didn't i write it down for her! lol Definitely going to make this for labor day. Mom doesn't do as much baking as she used to - Dad used to make the best chocolate chip cookies you ever want to taste but sadly he has not been able to (dementia/alzheimers) Miss those cookies! None of us have been able to make them like he did - he put a special ingredient in them - Love! Of course after he made a batch he would divide them up and mom and him would go on cookie runs. Everyone got their own bag of cookies! Didn't mean to go on like that but it hasn't been a good weekend with Dad and i guess I needed to let a memory out!

I sure do remember the A & P and the Spanish Bar Cake.

Where I live in Canada, our A & P stores are now called Metro. I can remember buying the SBC when they were still A&P...possibly 5-7yrs ago? (don't quote me on time frame...lol)

Thank you so much for the recipe. That is one cake dh loves!

I remember, but ours in NJ were baked by Jane Parker and wrapped in celophane and sold along with the bread. We didn't have bakeries in the A&Ps. I LOVED that cake and have been looking for recipe. The icing was sort of marshmallowy as I remember. Thanks for the recipe

on my goodness! you are bad for me! has been so long that I have had a fresh spanish bar. thanks you for the recipe!

The first thing I thought of when I read spanish bar cake was that my mother would send me to the A&P to get some when they were on sale for 3/$1.00. There were 8 of us kids, so we only got some when they were on sale!!!

yeah! 3/1.00 they were so good too.

I am glad all of you are having good memories about these Spanish Bar Cakes. That was certainly a different life then. So much calmer and more peaceful. Do you think that if we all start making these Spanish Bar Cakes it would being more peace to world? Just wishful thinking. I haven't made mine yet and this is a new recipe for me, but I have all the ingredients and will make it soon. Thank all of you for sharing such a nice trip down memory lane.
Jo Ann

Thank you so much. I love this cake and yes we bought it at the A&P as a kid. Recently I had found it at Weis every once in a while. Brings back lots of memories. Can't wait to try it.

More peaceful, I'd like to think so. Since I'll be eating this entire cake, not too sure.lol Everyone will have to fight for a piece of the first one, maybe they'll get a piece of the second one. Thanks for the recipe and the memories.

I see walnuts are optional. It's been so long, do ya'll think there were walnuts in their cakes?

Glad you remembered there has to be the lines in the frosting. Just wouldn't taste the same without the lines!lol

My husban is going to love you. We have looked for years for a Spanish bar like the A&P had. Bring back so many memories. This recipe is a keeper. Thank You.

Sounds good

I don't remember any nuts, just raisins.

I don't remember this cake, I'm sure we had it though because I DO remember going with my mom or my grandma to shop at the A&P, many times ... thanks for the recipe, will try ! Love spice type cakes :)

thanks

Oh yes, I remember how much I loved the Spanish Bar Cake, but it was in the shape of a brick, perfectly rectangular, flat on top, with the squiggly icing, but it was about 3"-4" high. Is yours the same thing? You don't give any directions about cutting it, but I assume you cut it in bars like brownies? Or do you cut the cake in strips and stack them? I'm confused! Maybe Spanish Bar Cake in Pittsburgh was different? However, your recipe sounds like it will taste exactly how I remember. Must try it soon!

Even though I have celiac disease.. yummmm might try a gluten free one.

I remember those Hostess spice cakes!!! :thumbup: My brothers always thought I was crazy not to buy the cupcakes. I never told them how delicious the spice cake was. AND you got soft frosting! Yum! And they only cost 10 cents! (Now I'm aging myself!)

Sue

Sounds really good. What is A&P?

A&p was a grocery store, i think the letters stand for Atlantic and Pacific, that used to be the name of a railroad line too. i'm putting the items for this cake on my grocery list!!! i loved those cakes,