Here’s everything you need to know about A&P Spanish Bar Cake — a classic nostalgic dessert popularized by the A&P grocery store bakery in North America!
🧁 What It Is
Spanish Bar Cake is a moist, old‑fashioned spice cake studded with raisins and often nuts, traditionally baked in a slab or bar form, cut into “bars,” and layered or topped with a sweet cream cheese or buttercream‑type frosting. It’s famous for its warm spice flavors like cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. (Cookist)
🍰 Classic Ingredients
Typical elements you’ll find in recipes inspired by the original A&P version include:
Cake:
- All‑purpose flour
- Sugar
- Vegetable oil or applesauce
- Eggs
- Raisins (often plumped in hot water beforehand)
- Warm spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves
- Baking soda & salt
(Optional: finely chopped walnuts) (Cookist)
Frosting:
- Cream cheese
- Butter
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla (sometimes lemon or orange zest/juice for extra brightness)
- A little milk to thin it to spreadable consistency (Cookist)
🍽️ How It’s Made
- Prepare the cake batter: Mix dry ingredients (flour, sugar, spices) with wet ones (oil or applesauce, eggs), then stir in raisins (and nuts if using).
- Bake: Pour into a rectangular pan (often 9×13 in the U.S.) and bake until done.
- Cool & split: Once completely cool, slice the cake horizontally into two layers.
- Frost: Spread frosting between the layers and over the top. Traditional Spanish Bar Cake often has decorative fork lines in the icing. (Cookist)
🧠 A Bit of Culinary History
- Though called Spanish, the cake isn’t a Spanish dessert — the name likely comes from early American marketing and the “exotic” feel of sweet spices.
- This style of cake was a signature offering in the A&P supermarket bakery departments from the mid‑20th century onwards, making it a nostalgic favorite for many families. (JaneParker.com)
🍰 Serving & Storage
- Serve: Slices at room temperature with tea or coffee — perfect with warm drinks.
- Store: Keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge for several days; layers hold together nicely for leftovers. (Cookist)
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