Old Fashioned Oatmeal Cake – a simple broiled coconut pecan icing makes this cake simply irresistible! It’s whipped up in minutes, and calls for ingredients you probably already have on hand.
OLD FASHIONED CAKE TO DIE FOR
The recipe for this moist and delicious oatmeal cake comes from an old church cookbook that my mom gave me when I left for college. It is splattered, torn, and totally falling apart, but I treasure it. So many favorite recipes from old friends back in Colorado where I grew up.
My dad in particular loves this cake. He is not a fan of anything fancy, (no chocolate mousse layer cake for him – haha!) Since he likes things simple, I made this cake for his birthday this summer. I hadn’t made it in years, and I forgot how good it is.
The cake is tender and buttery, and the topping is to die for! The whole thing just melts in your mouth, and every bite is perfect. Eating it was a nice little jaunt down memory lane for me.
HOW TO MAKE OATMEAL CAKE
(To skip my tips and just see the full recipe card, scroll to the very bottom of the post.)
Ingredients needed for cake:
- boiling water (used to pre cook the oats)
- oats (either regular old fashioned oats or quick oats will work for this cake recipe)
- butter (I use regular salted butter in all of my recipes.)
- granulated sugar (regular table sugar)
- brown sugar (I use light, but dark brown sugar also works.)
- eggs (I use large eggs in all of my baking.)
- all purpose flour (I like to use unbleached flour, but that is a matter of preference.)
- baking soda
- salt
- ground cinnamon
- ground nutmeg
Ingredients needed for broiled icing:
- sweetened flaked coconut
- brown sugar
- pecans (You could use walnuts instead if you prefer.)
- half & half cream (evaporated milk will also work)
- butter
- vanilla extract
PREP WORK: Grease a 9×13″ cake pan with non stick spray, set aside.
COOK OATS: Boil your water, add the oats and butter. Let cool for 10 minutes. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
PREPARE CAKE BATTER: Pour the cooled oatmeal mixture into a large mixing bowl. Beat in the sugar and eggs. Stir in the dry ingredients.
BAKE: Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake for about 30 minutes.
ICING: When cake is almost done, combine all the icing ingredients in a small bowl. Spread over the hot cake and broil for 1-2 minutes. Watch closely so it doesn’t burn!
HOW TO STORE LEFTOVER CAKE
This cake is definitely best served warm, so if you happen to have any leftovers (which we didn’t), just heat up a slice in the microwave for a few seconds. The cake will last at room temperature for 3-4 days.
This Oatmeal Cake may not win any beauty awards, but its old fashioned goodness is hard to beat! For an extra special treat, try it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
More recipes using heart healthy oats:
MORE CAKES MADE IN A 9X13″ PAN:
- Banana Pudding Cake
- Easy Coconut Cake
- Butterfinger Chocolate Poke Cake
- Fudgy Grasshopper Cake
- Cinnamon Roll Cake
OATMEAL CAKE WITH COCONUT PECAN ICING
Oatmeal Cake with Broiled Icing
Equipment
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 ¼ cups water
- 1 cup oats quick or old fashioned
- ½ cup salted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 ⅓ cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
Icing:
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- ¼ cup half & half
- 2 Tbsp salted butter melted
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- For cake: Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the oats and butter and let sit for 10 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Pour oat mixture into a large mixing bowl. Beat in the sugars and eggs till well combined.
- Add the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg and stir till well combined.
- Pour into a well greased 9x13" pan and bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes.
- For icing: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, stir until well combined. Spread over hot cake and broil for 1-2 minutes or until bubbly. Watch carefully!
Nutrition
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I have made this cake before and the kids love it I lost my recipe for this cake but I’m so happy I found this one …Thanks a lot
I’m so glad you found it Wanda, hope it’s made often at your house! 🙂
Made this last night. My mom used to make it and so did my husbands mom. Easy to put together and so tasted like home. My kids also loved it – easy way to make everyone happy. Thanks for posting!
Aw, I love that. So happy that you were able to bring back fond memories, and I hope it’s a favorite for years to come!
My mother would cut this recipe in half for my birthday. She & I were the only 2 of 7 that liked it! And bake something else for others. We did add raisins to the cake, which isn’t for everyone. And I was also the only person who got a piece of cake right out of the oven on their birthday. Wonderful cake, wonderful memories!!
Those are some fun memories! I’m the only one at my house that likes raisins, so I don’t add them, but I bet they would be tasty!
I absolutely love that this cake recipe uses oats! Delicious and unique.
Yes, it is different from most cake recipes, but such a great comfort food, especially warm!
My mouth is watering! I can’t wait to make this!