Oatmeal Cake

Something different

This recipe was one I'd been looking forward to trying because I had fond memories of eating it when I was young. The conditions for my test had to be right, though. We needed a crowd to help us eat it because, as I mentioned in this post, some of my family members don't like cake. 

To be more specific, it's the frosting they don't like. My husband in particular thinks frosting is a "necessary evil." Don't ask me what he means by that. Whatever the case, I hoped the general reaction to this cake would be positive because it isn't slathered with a mile-high layer of butter and sugar. This cake is topped with something different. 

How to make Oatmeal Cake

The first step was to combine the oats, butter, and boiling water in a bowl and let it sit for 20 minutes. I returned to find that the oats had absorbed almost all the water and the butter had softened. 

So far, so good. However, the rest of the directions were sparse. They just said to add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. I decided to add them in two stages, first the sugar, eggs, and vanilla . . . 

And then the flour, salt, and baking soda. 

After mixing all of that together, I added the nuts. 

I then spread the batter into a greased 9 x 13-inch pan. 

It was such an easy process--much easier than divvying cookie dough onto a baking sheet--that I was sad I hardly ever get to make cake. I put it in the oven and began working on the topping by adding all the ingredients to a saucepan. 

I cooked the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it began to boil, a sign that it was done. 

The recipe said to spread the topping over the cake while "it" was still warm. I assumed that meant the cake but also the topping, which would thicken upon cooling.

There wasn't a lot of topping, but spreading it warm did help it cover the whole cake.   

The verdict

I cut the cake and added some ice cream on the side in hopes of appeasing the cake haters. 

As it turned out, there were no cake haters at the table that day. Even my two girls who had opted for something other than cake at their weddings went back for more. 

So, what makes this cake special? It's hard to say. If you look at the ingredients list, you wouldn't think it would be as delicious as it is, but this is one of those mystical times when the parts add up to more than the whole. The cake is moist and tender, yes, but the caramelized, crunchy-chewy topping sends it into the stratosphere. Trust me and make this one for yourself. Click on the top right corner of the recipe below to download or print it out. Enjoy! (I'm certain you will.)