Spanish Bar Cake: a tasty recipe for an amazing old-fashioned dessert

If you've never heard of a Spanish bar cake, it was first created by the Jane Parker Bakery and sold in A&P supermarkets through the United States and Canada. It's essentially a classic raisin spice cake that's been cut into two halves, then frosted and stacked on top of each other.

Spanish bar cake is tender and moist, with the perfect amount of warming spices and rich, deep flavor to satisfy with every bite. You'll need raisins, shortening or butter, and classic baking spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice to get that perfect Spanish bar cake flavor. It's fantastic with a cup of tea, especially when the weather starts to dip!

What are Bar Cakes?

A bar cake is a layered cake that features frosting in the middle layer and over the top of the cake. The Spanish bar cake is one of the most famous bar cakes, which was first made by Jane Parker Bakery; they still make these wonderful cakes to this day.

Expert Tips for the Best Spanish Bar Cake

Use a 9×13-inch baking dish for this recipe.

Make sure you leave an inch or two of parchment paper hanging over the sides of the baking dish. This will make it easier to remove your bar cake.

To make gluten-free Spanish bar cake, simply swap out the AP flour for your preferred gluten-free flour.

Don't overmix the batter otherwise, your bar cake will turn out dense.

For an ultra-moist cake, substitute molasses for sugar.

How to Store Spanish Bar Cake

Keep your Spanish bar cake fresh by storing it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.

How to Make Spanish Bar Cake

Preheat oven to 325F. Lightly grease a baking dish with cooking spray, then line it with parchment paper.

Bring water and raisins to a simmer in a saucepan. Cook for 10 minutes.

Stir in the shortening, then let the mixture cool to room temperature.

In a large bowl, sift the flour, sugar, baking soda, ground spices, and salt.

Stir to combine, then pour the dry ingredients into the raisin mixture.

Add in the egg.

Then gently fold pecans until just combined.

Transfer the cake batter to the baking dish. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven and leave to cool.

For the frosting, add sugar, butter, vanilla, and milk to a large bowl and beat to combine. Add more milk to get to your desired consistency.

Cut the cooled cake in half. Frost the first layer.

Then place the second layer on top of the first. Frost the top of the second layer.

Notes

Use room temperature ingredients to make your cake and frosting. This helps the ingredients to combine more easily.