Sipping Cups of Inspiration Served One Cup at A Time
FEELING A LITTLE SPANISH THIS MORNING?
FEELING A LITTLE SPANISH THIS MORNING? I am not sure how many of you are going to remember eating THE SPANISH BAR CAKE bought at A & P grocery store. I haven’t thought of them in years but about a week ago, out of the clear blue sky I had the urge to have one. I wasn’t sure they even made them still or if I could buy one. Being diabetic, I soon mastered the urge and decided to not go on a mission to find out. Leave it alone, my body said and I did. However, the craving set into motion the memories surrounding this cake. When I was a child and my family lived in Chicago, my mother worked long shifts and this limited her baking time. Then we discovered this sweet delight, The Spanish Bar Cake with that icing. I honestly believe it was the softest, sweetest cake but it was that smooth, sweet icing mixed with that spicy cake that can still make my mouth drool. It was the highlight of our day when we knew this was our treat. Some of you may be thinking….”What could be so special about a loaf cake splashed with white icing?”
Yesterday, I had a break between my work and was waiting on the programmers to give me the go ahead on some changes I had requested. I hadn’t talked to my sister in a while and wanted to take advantage of those few precious free moments. I called her and we caught up on some lost time. It was a good call and I was pleased to find out how they were doing. During the call, I was explaining I had intended on baking another pound cake and sending her half of it, but my daughter’s time was cut short due to a job call (she is a stylist in CA) and she had to leave sooner, so no time to bake the cake. I said to my sister, “Juanelle, do you know what I had a craving for the other day? Spanish Bar Cake that we used to get from the A & P” and her reaction was so laughable. She laughed and said she already knew what I was going to say. She had the same craving and actually went into an A & P to see if they had them. On the sales brochure, they not only advertised them, they were on sale for
$ 4.99. She looked all over the store and they were SOLD out. She hesitantly bought a Red Velvet version of the bar cake and left.
We shared a good laugh and talked about it as if it were a national treasure. I thought about this cake and wondered if my memory is as good as I think it is. Is the Spanish Bar Cake as delicious as my childhood memory recalls? Maybe, or maybe it was a family tradition enjoyed by a bunch of children which made it so good? Yesterday while talking and laughing with my sister, I realized it might be the love we share which added more sweetness to that cake.
Now for the deeper thought…..Our time with loved ones is to be cherished and actually craved as we craved that childhood sweetness of the cake. Time is to be set aside to spend remembering the special times we have shared. In other words…..Share the cake of life with your loved ones. It will be far less calories and the loving taste will outlast any Spanish Bar Cake. LIVE LIFE; LOVE LIFE; AND LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST by filling each moment with LOVING THOUGHTS.
………..frosting……. 8 oz cream cheese …softened 4 Tbsp butter, softened 2 tsp vanilla extract 1-1/2 c confections sugar 1/3 c milk 1 Tbsp lemon juice, fresh walnuts are an option…your choice
Directions Step-By-Step 1 Gather your spices and the other ingredients together. In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar and baking soda. Then add the cocoa,cinnamon,salt,nutmeg and allspice. Mix well. Direction Photo 2 Next add the vegetable oil,applesauce,and the beaten eggs. When all of the above is mixed, Add the plumped raisins. Put in a greased and floured 9×13 cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30to35 minutes In a pre-heated oven. 3 FROSTING: Mix the cream cheese,butter,vanilla, confectioners sugar, milk and lemon juice together. Spread on the cake ****YOUR OPTION: To make a layer cake, just like the original Spanish Bar Cake (see main foto) cut the cake into 2 pieces, then spread the frosting between the layers and on the top. Step back in time and enjoy this great cake!
(C) COPYRIGHT 2012-2016 Arline L Miller with all rights and privileges reserved. Third party material sourced to original location for reference credit.
A blogger since 2012, a published author of three Five Star romance novels, A MISTRESS, A WIFE and TELL ME LIES; LOVE ME STILL and RIDDLE ME THIS, LOVE OR BLISS. Still a small town girl with a lot of experience of people watching. Ten years of blogging experience.
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