A&P Spanish Bar offers nostalgia in the form of a delicious pleasure. This Jane Parker ripoff has all of the tastes of the original 20th-century snack. A raisin-studded cake is gently flavored and covered with a thick cream cheese icing. You’ll find a method (or a reason) to do it whether it’s morning, noon, or night.
A&P Spanish Bar offers nostalgia in the form of a delicious pleasure. This Jane Parker ripoff has all of the tastes of the original 20th-century snack. A raisin-studded cake is gently flavored and covered with a thick cream cheese icing. You’ll find a method (or an excuse) to devour a slice at any time of day or night.
A&P was one of the firms that fundamentally altered how people bought for food. When you walk inside an A&P, you’re likely to discover veggies, meats, baked goods, and tea all in one place, all self-serve. Going to the grocer was an engaging affair when A&P first opened in 1859, as you had to ask the shopkeeper for specific things to be weighed and wrapped. A&P revolutionized the game by prepackaging everything, allowing customers to simply grab one item and place it in their basket. By the 1930s, it had grown to become the nation’s largest chain grocery store, offering low prices that smaller grocers just couldn’t compete with, especially during the Great Depression. Their technique was to hire few people and have in-store brands, which allowed them to keep pricing low — if you wanted coffee, you’d get Eight o’clock, and if you wanted a sweet treat, you’d get Anne Paige or Jane Parker goodies. By the mid-century, this had become an issue for the corporation, especially since the increase in commercial and publicly displayed items led to customers expecting well-known national brands. The A&P strategy with few staff and store-brand products would eventually lead to an outmoded business by the 1970s, and it would liquidate its remaining locations by 2015.
TO MAKE THE CAKE:
2 c. water
a third of a cup raisins
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cups regular flour
1 granulated sugar cup
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 big gently beaten egg
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)
8 ounces room temperature cream cheese FOR THE FROSTING
1/4 cup room temperature unsalted butter
2 a quarter cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
HOW TO MAKE A CAKE:
Preheat the oven to 325°F and coat an 8-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside. Line the bottom with parchment paper.
In a big saucepan, bring water and raisins to a mild boil and simmer for 10 minutes. To the cooked mixture, add vegetable oil. Allow the mixture to cool until it reaches room temperature.
In a mixing basin, whisk together the flour, sugar, pumpkin spice mix, baking soda, and salt to break up any lumps.
Incorporate the dry ingredients into the raisin mixture that has been cooked. Stir in the egg and walnuts (if using).
Pour mixture into prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out largely clean with a few wet crumbs. Allow to cool fully before assembling.
TO MAKE THE FROSTING: In a large mixing basin, cream cheese and butter should be combined until smooth and lump-free, about 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the powdered sugar and salt gradually until smooth.
TO BUILD THE A&P SPANISH BAR:
Place the cake on a cutting board after removing it from the baking pan.
Cut the cake in half.
Place one layer on a serving plate and cover with icing.
Finish with the second layer and the leftover icing.
Draw lines in the frost with a fork to create a grooved pattern.
