Sweet and Simple: Applesauce Spice Bars
By: Amy Jeanroy
Published: February 28, 2013

There is cake, and then there is something we like to refer to as snacking cake. 
This is a recipe for an old fashioned applesauce spice bar, that holds up well in a lunchbox, stays moist and sweet to the last piece, and is flavorful enough that your family will ask for it again and again. Check out this applesauce spice bar recipe(you may want to leave out the booze if you are sending it along with the little chefs). 
Applesauce Spice Bars
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Click here for complete recipe.

Comments:
telesma
March 1, 2013

You should explain the difference. Snack cakes are generally simple, everyday affairs. Other from-scratch cakes aren't as simple - chiffon, angel food, sponge, etc. -  many requiring special techniques like beating egg whites seperately and folding them in, and they often require cake flour instead of all-purpose. They are more delicate than snack cakes, and many will collapse if not handled carefully, whereas a snack cake can usually be mixed quickly and tossed into the oven with little worry.
Snack cakes are also made in a single layer and many times have no frosting, or have a simple glaze or icing instead of frosting, and they tend to have things mixed into the batter, like nuts or fruit or chocolate chips. Layer cakes and other more delicate cakes don't usually have anything like that baked into them.
All of that boils down to the simpler, heartier cakes being a lot easier to have on hand for snacking than fancier, more delicate cakes. Which is why we call them snack cakes. The difference was more important before packaged cake mixes existed, but there you go. :)