Spice Cake Bars

Today was a potluck at church.  I needed a dessert that would go together quickly and feed a crowd.  I decided on a recipe that I got from a friend's grandmother in Lena, Wisconsin.  It has some secret ingredients...

Yep, baby food!  The original title was "Baby Food Bars".  I renamed them for now for 2 reasons: a) I didn't have the right baby food, so used other options; and b) The term "baby food" reminds me of those pureed mixed meats, so it didn't sound very appetizing!

Spice Cake Bars
aka Baby Food Bars
Source: Caroline Imig's mother

Beat:

• 3 eggs

Add:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup oil

Then add:

• 4 oz. jar carrot baby food (I subbed finely grated fresh carrots)
• 4 oz. jar applesauce baby food (I subbed regular applesauce)
• 4 oz. jar apricot with tapioca (Used apricot with mixed fruit)
• 1 tsp. vanilla 

Beat well. Blend in:

• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon (I added 2 tsp., plus a dash of cloves, cardemon, ginger & nutmeg, just for fun)

Bake in a greased large sheet pan for 25-30 minutes at 350˚.  

Note:  I used a half sheet pan 18"x13" and the edges were very thin.  I will either use a smaller noncommercial size pan next time, or increase the recipe by 20%.

Make frosting while it cools. (The more quickly it cools, the moister the cake will be!)

Frosting

Blend together:

• 1 stick butter (softened)
• 8 oz. package cream cheese (softened)
• 2 tsp. vanilla

Stir in and beat until creamy:

• 2 cups powdered sugar (sift if lumpy)

Frost and enjoy!