Spanish Bar Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening or butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
For the Frosting:
- 2 1/4 cups icing sugar
- 1/4 cup butter at room temperature
- 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla
- 1 to 2 tbsp. milk more if needed
Instructions
To prepare the cake:
- Pre-heat oven to 325°F.
- Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan and line it with parchment paper.
- Using a saucepan, add the water and raisins.
- Bring to a gentle boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the shortening to the boiled mixture.
- Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.
- In a bowl, sift together the sugar, soda, flour, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and salt.
- Add the sifted ingredients to the cooled raisin mixture, along with the beaten egg and the nuts, if you are adding them.
- Fold gently until the flour is just incorporated into the batter; do not over mix.
- Turn into the prepared pans and bake for 30 – 35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool completely and ice with frosting, if you like.
To prepare the frosting:
- In a bowl, beat together the icing sugar, butter, vanilla and a tablespoon of milk until smooth.
- If necessary, add more milk until the frosting is a good spreadable consistency.
- Cut the cake in half, frost the first layer, then top with the second layer and frost again.
- To get the characteristic lines on top, run the back of a fork over the top frosting in straight lines.
- This recipe also makes about a dozen cupcakes if you prefer.