Sorry it didn’t meet your needs. I used Splenda instead of sugar, Egg Beaters instead of whole eggs and I added extra applesauce and omitted the oil. Have a blessed Christmas season! Thanks, Esther! 4 cups all-purpose flour box powdered sugar Condiments. ;0), Where there’s a will there’s a way! 1 cup chopped walnuts I’m very excited about your recipe. old and so anxious to sink my teeth into a “Spanish Bar Cake again. The cake I remember had maybe 4 layers with frosting between each layer. My sister was blown away when she tried it, and she’s saving a piece (????) We ALWAYS went home with the Spanish Bar Cake. 2 teaspoons baking soda Our stallion BURGUNDYS REIGNING SUN is the most look-alike son of his sire Burgundy Sun. It’s so good to hear that this hit the spot, Dottie! You hit the nail on the head, girl! I hope it’s just what you remember! My “significant other” remembered the old A & P cake and said too, that this one really hit the mark. Thanks to your website I can now start my adventure. LOL. It was package like the Spanish Bar Cake & was heavenly! Store manager for many years. Sounds like a delicious adventure Can’t wait to hear your results. Join the discussion today. Thanks everyone. Yay! My Dad took one bite and said to my Mom, “This tastes like the cake you used to buy at A & P.” Success!! Lightly grease one 13x9 inch cake pan. Have been thinking or Spanish bar cake recently. They even had a coconut bar cake. Refrigerate after baking the cakes. . I had this cake many times growing up in the ’50s. c. Thank you, Caroline! Thank YOU, Kathleen! Copyright © 2017 Oakrun Farm Bakery is a registered trademark of ARYZTA Ltd. The cake is dense and spice flavored with raisins and a cream cheese frosting. Spanish Bar Cake Review. . 4 cups water You know it has to be sliced in 3/4″ slices which we used our forks to cut into smaller, bite-sized blocks. When we were dating our Sunday afternoon consist of going to the grocery store to get things for his lunch a Spanish Bar cake was always on his list. I spent a large part of my life, growing up in Chicago. Everyone in our age group who had eaten the Spanish Bar Cake as a child thought this tasted just like it…except the icing was better!! Back in the day, there was a grocery store called A&P, and it developed this famous cake. No problem here though as it was such an amazing and easy recipe and turned out fantastic. At first I thought the icing was kind of sugary but it definitely got better with age and was “right on”! Cook raisins and water for 10 minutes over medium heat. Best wishes! Try a traditional “birthday cake” white frosting made with shortening, powdered sugar, and vanilla with just enough milk to made it easy to spread. 1/2 cup soft shortening 1/2 cup light brown sugar 1 egg 3/4 cup molasses 1 cup boiling water 2 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ginger 1 teaspoon cinnamon THIS recipe tastes a LOT more like the original A&P Spanish Bar cake, than the recipe that is posted at the top of this webpage. That would’ve been my biggest issue as a kid, too I’m enjoying everyone’s memories so much! My dad and brother think that someone should market it! Looks like the cake I loved as a child. I know I just stepped back in time to great memories. Just made this – thank you Pinterest! I mentioned in an earlier post here that the flavor of the cake featured on this webpage is unbalanced, tasting predominantly of nutmeg. I’m so glad it was the recipe you loved and remembered Let us know how your tweaks go! So glad to help, Kyleene! He would always buy one if he went shopping there, and we would all eat it right up! We don’t like raisins….Can you leave them out? The icing recipe made way too much for a 9 X 13 pan, in my opinion. Julie: I can’t thank you enough for sharing it with us — I am SO glad my cake could bring the memories back for you!! Our treat at Christmas time was the Ann Page Fruitcake. Error: API access disrupted. I know, as a person that has to watch his sugar and carbs for now, just a taste is all I can do, I always say if this was my last meal, damn I would eat the whole Spanish Bar Cake, and really enjoy every last bite. I love this bar cake, my mother use to get this @ the A&P when I was a child. My Dad, also, was the culprit that brought home this special cake from our local A&P in New Jersey. This cake was made popular by the A&P Food Stores many years back. I am 76. Never had it as a child (54) but, it sounds delicious. To make the cake easier to cut into layers, you can freeze it (before icing). I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw it. Isn’t that funny, Mary? 4 eggs – add one at a time JAVD CYPS 100 Pcs Spain Flag Spanish Toothpick Flags, Small Mini Stick Cupcake Toppers Spanish Flags,Country Picks Party Decoration Celebration Cocktail Food Bar Cake Flags 4.8 out of … Made one from above recipe, not quite a match for the original. Spanish Bar Cake#2-----. Does anyone remember? Set aside. I sure miss, going to the local A & P and buying this cake, of course, I can still dream of the amazing taste of it. No one has mentioned that it could also be purchased in individually wrapped slices in some convenience stores. I am 61 and I haven’t had that cake in years. I put ½ of this frosting on each of two cakes. My Dad loved this cake and bought it whenever he could. I remember the A & P store in town. He loved it. Kerbey Lane Cafe 1.9 miles. THE NAME OF THE A & P CAKE WAS “ANN PAGE SPANISH BAR” MOST OF THE DESSERT ITEMS AT THE A & P WERE “ANN PAGE” BRAND ITEMS. I didn’t include the raisins on that attempt because my husband said he didn’t remember raisins being in it. May have had a cameo logo on the lable (?). when cool, slice in half horizontally ——– I can’t wait to try this the next time I need to bring a dessert somewhere (I don’t bake for myself because I just gobble it all up). Yesterday I went to Lowes food store and bought a cinnamon harvest cake, to my surprise it taste exactly like the old fashioned Spanish bar. It is, but a couple of people have said they didn’t need this much frosting. I wish I did have the coconut cake recipe; alas, I never tried it!! I won’t throw it out — it is worth eating, but I won’t do it again. Funny thing is, we were all sitting around in my office reliving memories about this cake the other day. Wow! I’m going to figure out how to make this cake using the recipe I found on your site . pure vanilla What sweet memories. You indeed are an “Angel in the Gap”. IT WAS JUST PLAIN GOOD !! A sugar based white icing between the layers on top makes this a crowd favourite. Wish daddy could have been here to enjoy this though. That’s how it seemed to me, too! So then I tried yours, which uses about half as much spicing. 1½ tsp. The A & P didn’t have their own bakery in store, so i don’t remember the cakes. Thanks for sharing it with us. Sorry, but this is definitely NOT a recipe for the Spanish Bar cake that was sold at A&P. I remember this cake to from my childhood. Thank You, Hello, I was googling Spanish Bar Cake & found your blog. I recently made same recipe as Connie’s but from another source. Do you have any idea of a recipe for the Coconut cake that they had? Gooey Chocolate Skillet Cake Ice Cream Sundae. 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon Read page 2 of the Spanish Bar cake - not in store anymore? Cool completely before frosting. After a few minutes she clearly remembered what it was and after I did a Google search, I found this recipe! Okay, So I ain’t that old but I am old enough to know about the old Spainish Bar cake OMG I am 30 and I remember it when I was a kid LOL it was the best 2 layered cake ever in the world I remember my mom and my grandma always buying a bar or two or even three maybe thats why they went out of businesss cause we kept buying them all and now that I am older and driving now i can’t find them so i am hopeing it is the best cake I remember as a child the picture totally look like it I am gonna surprise my mom and make it and see if she knows what it is LOL thanks so much for making me feel young again. I didn’t change a thing. 1 teaspoon pure vanilla I had wondered if this was the spanish bar cake without the frosting. My husband agreed. I remember when my dad would bring it back from our local A & P . Thanks, Connie. I bought one for my birthday about 5 years ago. Since this is Lent and my brother and I gave up eating anything that even remotely resembles a dessert for the next 40 days, I promised that I would find a recipe on the internet and bake it for him when he comes back again to my home in July. The only thing I would do differently, would be to make the cake in loaf pans, cut them in half and front the middle. It was a 4×8 loaf(bar) cake. Casino Southside (bar) 0.4 miles. My mom would kid him and say When I was a child, I am now 71, I was always excited when my parents brought home an A&P Spanish Bar. Thanks for doing this. 3 tablespoons milk, more if needed My friends and I wore our hair long, straight and parted in the middle. The kind I remember had 2 layers of cake, with a layer of frosting in the middle and on top. Thanks for a lovely recipe! My daughter and her husband live in Australia and will be with me next December for the holiday’s , so there will be lots of great occasions and this is just what i was looking for. We used to love it when my mother (who passed away almost 5 years ago) would bring that cake home with her on grocery days. THIS recipe (submitter by Cheryl Ames) has been on the AllRecipes website since at least 2000. In a large bowl, beat together the confectioners’ sugar, butter, vanilla and 3 tablespoons milk until smooth. Love it! 1 teaspoon ground cloves was craving the A&P cake and found this recipe. If you are a cranberry lover, you could substitute dried cranberries for the raisins to change it up for the Thanksgiving or Christmas holidays. Hope you love it . His mother used to bring it home as well. Okay, I told you I would report back my results…a SMASHING success!! We bake a variety of delicious cakes in different sizes and flavour types to meet the needs of even the most discerning cake … I have been trying to find THE RECIPE for Spanish Bar for a while now and yours IS THE ONE! 2 large eggs, beaten Aw, that makes me so happy to hear, Leah! spice « Oakrun Farm Bakery Known as a spice bar cake or Spanish bar cake, this unique layer cake combines a blend of mixed spices, brown sugar and marinated raisins. I loved it back in the 60s and I still do. 430 likes. It sounds like a winner. frost in between layers (skip corn syrup in frosting) I have tried so many recipes for the A & P Spanish Bar, and yours is the closest I have found to the original taste and texture. Thanks for your recipe. No nuts. I’m going to add a touch of molasses. If necessary, add more milk until the frosting is of spreading consistency. I think once the texture is corrected, that it will prove that THIS recipe submitted by Cheryl Ames is a winner and duplicates the original. I told my brother who lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada about it and he remembered Dad bringing it home. It was our treat for the week. Can’t wait to try your recipe! NOTE: This recipe was on the powdered sugar box. I can’t believe that in a flash I had an answer for you. It wasn’t hard for us to devour 2-3 cakes in one day. ★ Oakrun Farm Bakery Ltd ★ 58 Carluke Rd E, ON, L9G 3L1, Ancaster, Ontario, oakrun.com, 905-648-1818 ★ Bakery County Ag Svc Inc 1377 Hwy #S West, ... Hi everyone, I was hoping someone could enlighten me with regards to a cake by the name of "Spanish bar cake". I hope everyone at the potluck loves it! I would go on and on about how good it was. You can always cut the cake and layer it as you remember. We bake a variety of delicious cakes in different sizes and flavour types to meet the needs of even the most discerning cake lover.  Choose from heavenly light Angel food cakes, to single flavour layer iced cakes, to decadent bundt cakes and coffee/tea time favourites, loaf and pound cakes. I am so glad to have found this recipe. Thanks for the recipe. 1 4 oz box instant vanilla pudding I can still smell the wonderful aroma as I opened the end of the cellophane packaging. He would bring home a spanish bar cake occasionaly as a special treat , the unfortunate thing was that it had to be shared with my five brothers, not that unfortunate really there was always plenty to go around . Hi! Charlotte, NC. PS I found the Garibaldi Raisin cookies at the Vermont Store online…same thing, a cookie from our childhood… I’m going to try again with a darker cocoa, more raisins and your recipe. You can’t imagine how many times I’ve thought about this cake that I ate in my childhood. When I served it, both he and TWO of his brothers excitedly pronounced that it tasted perfect, but was a lighter color than they remembered. Then use a serrated knife to cut it in half and cut off any uneven top dome or edges. The most popular cake in the 50's and 60's, make this Spanish Bar and reminisce about those deliciously good old days! While shopping today I had such a craving for a cake my Dad used to buy when I was little. (My sister-in-law thought the original cake could have had chopped dates instead of raisins.) 2. I hope folks get a chance to try it if they’re interested! Thanks for helping me re-live my childhood! Our local supermarket ( Village Market) in Boston carries “Spanish Bar Cake” very similar if not identical to the A&P’s of the 50’s- 60’s -They call it “Spice Bar Cake” though, however the taste matches my memory of it- A real treat! That makes me so happy to hear! As far as I remember, there were no nuts in the cake and it was a loaf, with 2layers…between layers was a thin layer of icing, on top, a pure white buttercream. It is delicious, but there is enough for 2 cakes. So I recently got online and did some googling, and of course found a bunch of recipes attempting to replicate it. I have used different recipes, so I tried yours (and switched up a few things) You should be in the cake hall of fame. I looked for it for awhile, but soon realized it’s just not on the market any more…I’m not going to tell him about this recipe, just make it and surprise him for Christmas! Our family of eight shared one cake and we always wanted more!!! Wasn’t the old A & P something?? Hi, Julie, Oh my! I hope you love it once you try it! If you were here I would hug you!!!! Maybe next time, try switching just half. I remember this cake from when I was little. I remember it being very dark in color. I’m trying this one as soon as I can get to the store tomorrow. Baking & … Looking at the ingredients and the pictures perfect !!! Although I am now 56 years old I can well remember the tast of this cake. Will let you know. The cake was divided into two halves and the middle had icing also. I used your recipe, with just a few changes. Let cool completely on wire racks. I want to make my own, but not quite sure on the amounts and cooking times for a loaf cake. I hope it works out! Torchy's Tacos 2 miles By the way, you can make the cake two layers by slicing up your sheet cake and stacking it so it’ll be just like you remember Let me know how it goes! I have never seen nor heard of it again, until now. 20 ingredients. thanks again. You’re absolutely right that the frosting couldn’t have been cream cheese based since the cake was sold wrapped in cellophane and not refrigerated at the store. I grew up eating them, but we got them at IGA. They taste fine, but homemade cakes from scratch are my favorites. Too cute! Refrigerated. 1 18 oz box yellow cake mix We’ll see how it turns out! Cool thoroughly and frost if desired. 3 cups raw grated carrots I grew up in the 50’s, my dad worked at the A&P, Spanish Bar cake was THE best treat ever. As a lifetime lover of A & P Spanish Bar cake, Seeing these amazing pictures, has my mouth watering for my all time favorite desert. But my sisters and I agree that it needs to be a cream cheese frosting. and I can’t wait to make it…. About a month ago, I was eating lunch with my dad and brother. but my grandmother had a recipe for a spice cake, she added blackberry jam with seeds and cocoa and that recipe comes very close to the color and texture of the spanish bar cake that i remember, with the exception , she used a sugar glaze instead of buttercream icing. So good to hear it’s what you remember!! 4. I grew up with A & P stores a mile from my house. I love this story, Bob! She made it for me, my sisters and brother, and also for her grandma (daddy passing away 5 years ago). Going to recreate memories for my family! Buttercream Frosting (optional) And since I’m crazy about the combination of spices, raisins and orange, I flavor my frosting with shredded orange zest and orange juice. Hope it takes you all back! I made this recipe last night and it tastes EXACTLY like the A&P cake that I remember from my childhood. Let me know what you think!! I’m so glad to be able to try your recipe. found your blog today, after I, too, thought about how much my family would enjoy this treat from my childhood!!! Thank you Julie! Lightly grease one 13×9 pan. !” geez, all those years thinking about that cake…and now I have a recipe to go with it! The only thing I’m going to do different is increase the cocoa to 2 tablespoons (to darken the cake) and cut the nutmeg/allspice a touch. cakes When life gets crazy busy it’s good to know there are some things you can count on, like the wonderfully moist traditional cakes made in the ovens at Oakrun Farm Bakery. Oak Run Farm - breeder of Phara bloodlines for more than 20 years. However, the last one I ate was made as I watched at the Waldensian Bakery in Valdese, NC (western NC), back around 1979 or 1970, I think. We used caramel sauce for our Spanish cake, but many recipes have a cream cheese-based frosting. What a great recipe – thanks! 1 cup vegetable shortening I hope you and your family love it, and that it does justice to the memory of the ones your father brought home. I remember my mother buying this cake at the A & P when I was a kid. , Just made a sugar-free, fat-free version of this. We had it quite often and me and my son are always trying cakes that are supposed to be “Spanish Bars”but alas, none of them are even close. OMG, this is so close to the ones we ate when I was a child! Oak Run Farm. I hated it when A&P stores closed and I couldn’t buy it anymore. … Jane Parker, a name well known for it’s fruitcakes, now brings back the very popular Spanish Bar Cake. I was born in 1985, but remember having this cake all the time as a kid! It was a heavy confectioner’s sugar frosting. Pour batter into prepared pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Maybe more Dad’s did the shopping in those days. Susan Beagle, Hooray!! Oh no, this cake was a summer time special treat that I and my other 3 sisters and brother could get a tasty bit of only if we were good, and only after we had cleaned our rooms………..argh………….well, being the youngest of all the children, momma and daddy would always let me be the one who got to open the end of the wrapper (making sure to get icing on each and every little finger), but a line was drawn by my siblings on letting me cut the pieces. 2 cup Applesauce. NOW, the quest for the Cherry Pound cake recipe. You can even make it two layers — just cut it with a serrated knife, frost in between, and layer it up. thank you so much for printing this spanish bar cake recipe. And about 10 years in Northern Wisconsin. IN WISCONSIN IN THE 50’s, IT WAS THE A & P STORE AND THE NATIONAL TEA STORES THAT COMPETED FOR OUR BUSINESS BUT ONLY THE A & P HAD THE SPANISH BAR CAKE. We all agree that your recipe hit the nail on the head, and I, well I still found a way to get the icing on all my fingers.