This Oatmeal Cake is a nostalgically delicious, old fashioned dessert that comes together effortlessly and tastes just like how Grandma used to make it! The best thing about this Oatmeal Cake is the incredible texture that you can’t get from any ordinary cake recipe. Grab a warm cup of coffee or tea, a slice of this marvelously moist cake, and dig in!
Reasons You’ll Love This
Oatmeal – I know you bought that oatmeal at the grocery store thinking you were going to make it for breakfast and now it’s burning a hole in your pantry… yeah. Let’s make a cake out of it instead!
Beautiful Texture – The crunch of the nuts, the chewiness of the coconut frosting and the moist, fluffiness of the cake batter is a textural rollercoaster you’re going to love.
Comfort Food – There’s nothing more comforting than a sweet oat cake that has those hints of warm flavors like cinnamon and nutmeg.
Nostalgic – May this recipe remind you of all those good times at Grandma’s house when she always had a slice of this ready for you – complete with the broiled frosting!
Sheet Cake – No need to layer anything, or become some frosting wizard overnight! You can bake this in the same dish you serve it out of.
If you’ve never had Oatmeal Cake before, you may be wondering… uhh what? Why would I eat oatmeal for dessert? Let me be the first to tell you that this doesn’t taste like oatmeal at all, and makes quite an incredible cake. If anything, you could eat this for breakfast and just tell people; “hey it’s got oatmeal in the name!”
Ingredient Info
- Oats – The quick cooking oats are the best option for this recipe. If you have the old-fashioned oats, you can use those as well.
- Flour – All purpose flour is your best bet for this recipe. When measuring the flour, make sure you spoon it into the measuring cup, and leveling the top off before adding it to the recipe.
- Sugar – White granulated sugar is one of the sugars you’ll need for this recipe.
- Half & Half – Half & Half is made of part heavy cream and part whole milk. This gives it a thicker consistency compared to milk, but a thinner consistency compared to heavy cream. However, you can substitute for just whole milk if you’d like.
- Brown Sugar – Brown sugar adds a lovely molasses flavor to this cake that I don’t recommend skipping out on.
- Butter – Use unsalted butter and make sure it’s softened. You can also substitute for unsalted margarine as well.
- Water – You’ll want boiling water for this recipe, that will help the oats soften a lot faster.
- Nuts – You can use any assortment of nuts you’d like or just one type of nut. Just make sure you give them a rough chop before using them in the topping.
- Spices – Cinnamon and nutmeg compliment this cake perfectly, don’t skip out on them!
Step By Step Instructions
- Start by grabbing a small bowl. Add the quick oats, then pour the boiling water over the oats. Let the bowl of oats soak for about 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350Ā°F and grease a 13×9 inch pan with cooking spray or shortening. Lightly flour the baking dish. In a separate large bowl, add the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, soda and salt. Whisk the dry ingredients together until combined.
- In a separate large bowl, add the white sugar and 1 cup brown sugar, as well as 1/2 cup of the softened butter. Beat that together with an electric hand or stand mixer until it becomes well combined and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and eggs and continue to beat that together until smooth. Once smooth, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, as well as the soaked oats.
- Add the batter to the greased baking dish, and spread it out evenly with a spatula. Place it in the oven, and bake the cake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center.
- While that bakes, start on the topping. Combine ā cup of brown sugar, and Ā¼ cup of softened butter, and half and half with an electric mixer until a smooth, paste-like consistency. Fold in the coconut and chopped nuts until combined.
- Once the cake is done baking, take it out of the oven and change the oven setting to broil. Spread the topping over top of the warm cake, making sure it is even. Place the cake on the top rack of the oven, very close to the heat and let the topping broil for about 1-2 minutes until it starts bubbling. Remove the finished cake, and let it cool completely for an hour before slicing and serving.
Tips and Advice
Storage – Store the leftover cake covered with a lid or foil at room temperature for about 4-5 days. Allow the oatmeal cake to cool completely before storing it, you don’t want any condensation ruining the cake!
Equipment – For this recipe you’ll need a 9×13 baking dish, an electric hand or stand mixer, a few different sizes of mixing bowls, a spatula and cooking spray or shortening.
FAQs
The origin of Oatmeal Cakes can be dated all the way back to the 14th century, in Scotland. This specific recipe however was very popular back in the 1950s.
Yes it’s a perfectly safe, and very delicious way to make a cake.
Recipes You’ll Love
Can’t get enough of those treats made with sugar, spice and everything nice? Try out a few more of these timeless, easy, and oh-so-fabulous dessert recipes!
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vanishing Oatmeal Cookies
- Oatmeal Cookie Bars
- Oatmeal Scotchies
- Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
- Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
More Cake Recipes You’ll Love!
Oatmeal cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 1/2 cups quick cook oats
- 1 1/4 cups boiling water
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar (measured packed)
- 1/2 cup butter (softened)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 eggs (at room temperature)
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Broiled Frosting
- 2/3 cup brown sugar (measured packed)
- 1/4 cup butter (melted)
- 3 tablespoons half and half ( milk can also be used)
- 1 cup sweetened flake coconut
- 1/2 cup chopped nuts of your choice
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 13×9 inch pan by greasing or buttering, then lightly dusting with flour.
- In a medium sized bowl combine oats and boiling water. Let stand for 20 minutes.
- In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together sugar, brown sugar and butter on medium until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl as needed. This make take a few minutes to fully combine the butter and sugars.
- Add in vanilla and eggs, and beat to combine. Add in oat mixture and remaining cake ingredients and beat until combined. Spread evenly into prepared pan.
- Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Frosting
- While cake is baking, beat together 2/3 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup melted butter and 3 tablespoons of half and half. Combine until smooth. Stir in coconut and nuts.
- When cake is done remove from the oven, and set the now empty oven to broil. Carefully spoon the frosting over the hot cake.
- Return the frosted cake to oven and broil for 1 to 2 minutes or until the frosting is bubbly and light golden brown. Remove from oven, and cool on a wire cooling rack for at least one hour prior to serving.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
Meet Christi, Love From The Oven
Iām Christi I love sharing easy & delicious recipes that your family & friends will love. Iām a mom, baker, cookbook author and lover of sprinkles.
Nice
The cake is so moist and the topping “YUMMY”