Recipe(tried): A&P Spanish Bar Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

What wonderful memories. This was my favorite cake and I remember Mom bringing this special treat home from the A&P store.

This makes one 9x13 cake but you can cut it into bars and run a fork lengthwise across the icing to make it like the A&P Spanish Bar Cakes.

SPANISH BAR CAKE

DRY INGREDIENTS:
2 l/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
NEXT INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup butter, softened
l/4 cup solid shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs beaten
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup chunky applesauce
1 cup plump raisins (soak the raisins in warm water to plump them up while mixing the other ingredients - drain before adding to batter)
1/2 cup rough cut toasted walnuts (optional)
Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9x13 pan.

Sift the dry ingredients together and set aside.

Cream the butter, shortening, and sugar together, add eggs and beat well. Turn mixer on low speed and add vanilla and applesauce. Add raisins and walnuts. Keeping the mixer at low speed start adding the dry ingredients. Don't overmix just make sure the flour is all in then stop mixing. Pour into the prepared pan.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 45 minutes or until the center tests done.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
4 tbsp butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla
2 l/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 TBSP fresh lemon juice

Beat well adding more milk or confectioner's sugar to make it smooth and easy to spread.

Enjoy!