I grew up in Michigan, and my mom was an A&P shopper. Sure, there were other grocery stores in town, but it was the A&P for staples. Every so often a little treat would find its way home in the grocery bags, and my favorite was a little snack cake called Spanish Bar Cake. It came in individual or family size, and I loved it when I’d have one of the little ones all to myself, no sharing with the brothers. It was better than any other snack cake ever.
Alas, the A&P went out of business, and so that cake was lost to me. Lost, that is, until I decided I had to make something that would match my taste memories. This is an applesauce spice cake with a little secret: a bit of cocoa powder to deepen the flavor and the color. The original had two layers, but I prefer a simple one-layer snack cake in a 13×9 size.
Oh, yes – you can halve the ingredients to make an 8×8 version, but I’m thinking you’ll regret that once the last piece is gone.
preparation
Heat oven to 350˚F. Grease a 9-inch x 13-inch pan. Get out a big mixing bowl.
one-bowl dump and mix
Put the dry ingredients in the bowl first, and stir well to mix them. Add the oil, applesauce, and eggs; beat until well combined. Add the raisins last, and stir them to distribute them evenly.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350˚ 35-40 minutes. A toothpick inserted toward the center of the cake should come out without any crumbs.
Let the cake cool on a rack.
icing
The cake must be completely cool before you put icing on it (buttercream will melt on a warm cake!) A quick check: if you can rest the cake pan on your open palm and it doesn’t feel warm, the cake is cool enough.
Mash the butter, add powdered sugar (if you’re feeling fancy sift the sugar first). Add vanilla extract, beat again. We prefer a thin glaze, rather than a thick coat of frosting. If you like a fluffier thicker frosting, double the amount.
Spanish Bar Cake
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 1½ tsp baking soda
- 1 Tbsp natural cocoa powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups unsweetened applesauce
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup plump raisins
FOR THE ICING
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
FOR THE CAKE
- Heat oven to 350˚F. Grease a 9-inch x 13-inch pan. Get out a big mixing bowl.
- Put the dry ingredients in the bowl first, and stir well to mix them. Add the oil, applesauce, and eggs; beat until well combined. Add the raisins last, and stir them to distribute them evenly.
- Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350˚ 35-40 minutes. A toothpick inserted toward the center of the cake should come out without any crumbs.
- Let the cake cool on a rack.
FOR THE ICING
- The cake must be completely cool before you put icing on it (buttercream will melt on a warm cake!) A quick check: if you can rest the cake pan on your open palm and it doesn’t feel warm, the cake is cool enough.
- Mash the butter, add powdered sugar (if you’re feeling fancy sift the sugar first). Add vanilla extract, beat again. We prefer a thin glaze, rather than a thick coat of frosting. If you like a fluffier thicker frosting, double the amount.