Spanish Bar Cake

My husband has never requested a special cake for his birthday, until this year... He asked if I could bake him a Spanish Bar Cake, a cake I wasn't familiar with.

He said his mom would occasionally buy this cake from the A&P grocery store for some of the kids' birthdays. I was from a big family too and remember what some of those store-bought cakes were like, such as the angel food cake I might get if my birthday fell just before a pay day.

So I was a bit sceptical of the Spanish Bar Cake... Why did he wait so many years to mention this cake? It's funny, though, how some of the not-so-favorite memories return as some of the fondest.

He was quite pleased (at least after I cut the 2-layer cake in half so it was shaped more like a bar). 

If you like gingerbread or spice cake, you might like this cake. But if you remember this cake from your childhood, you're sure to love it ~ just like I love angel food!

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp dark cocoa
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1 cup raisins

Recipe

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour 2-9" by 9" square cake pans.

Soak raisins in hot water until plump; drain.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, cocoa, and spices; sift together all of the dry ingredients and set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream shortening and sugar together.  Add molasses, eggs, milk and applesauce; beat with an electric mixer until combined. 

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and continue mixing until thoroughly blended. Fold in raisins.

Spread into prepared pans.

Bake in preheated oven about 30 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

After 10 minutes, remove cake from pans. 

When completely cooled, place a layer on cake plate. Spread frosting on top only. Place second layer on top of bottom layer and frost top only. For two logs, cut cake down the middle.

Frosting Ingredients

• 1 lb confectioner's sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 5 Tbsp milk (can use leftover evaporated milk from cake)

Combine all frosting ingredients and mix until thoroughly blended.

~adapted from tasteofsouthern.com