Looking for an alternative to the traditional chocolate or yellow cake? This recipe for oatmeal cake is so moist and delicious that it will be gone before you know it!
My mom liked to bake cakes. She didn’t like to bake pies or cookies though. She said pies were too much work for the servings you got – I guess there was a work-to-serving ratio that wasn’t met. Her objection to cookies was that we liked them too much. She’d spend the afternoon baking cookies only to have none left at the end of the baking session. She said that we could eat them faster than she could pull another pan out of the oven.
Easy cake recipes to the rescue
But cakes were different. Cakes could be stirred together fairly quickly, baked without having to run to the oven every 10 minutes when the timer said “take these out before the bottom burns!” and you got enough servings to be worth the effort.
Yep, I come by it naturally. I also want to get some bang for my baking buck.
This recipe for oatmeal cake is the one my brother and I used to ask her to bake when our birthdays rolled around. When I told that to my oldest son recently he wrinkled his nose and said, “You guys wanted oatmeal cake for your birthday? What was wrong with you?”
And then he ate a piece.
Related Post: Five Flavor Pound Cake
This was another of those recipes that I loved but had never made for my own family. And yes, I’ve also wondered why I passed on so many delicious recipes. But my son’s previous experience with any kind of oatmeal cake is the one that Jungle Jim makes as a breakfast cake. It’s good – but it’s not the yummy gooey “I love this so much that I want it for my birthday!” kind of cake.
This cake, though, is exactly that kind of cake.
It’s moist, sweet, and I have never seen it last long enough to dry out. I’m sure the frosting is the real secret. Hey, put butter and sugar together to pour over a cake and you’ve got a winning recipe. Add pecans and coconuts and it goes from yummy to heavenly in a hurry.
Simply Superb Oatmeal Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup oats
- 1 cup hot water
- 2 medium eggs
- 2 cup brown sugar 1 cup is reserved for frosting
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 1/2 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1 stick butter
- 5 Tablespoons evaporated milk
- 1 cup coconut flakes
- 1 cup pecans chopped
Instructions
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Pour hot water over oats and let stand while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
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Cream 1 cup brown, white sugar and shortening.
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Add eggs and beat well.
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Slowly add dry ingredients to mixture.
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Add oatmeal mixture and combine thoroughly.
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Pour into greased and floured 9×13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes till well done.
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Top immediately with frosting.
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Frosting: Mix the remaining 1 cup of brown sugar, butter, and evaporated milk. Bring to a boil and boil 1 minute. Pour over hot cake. Sprinkle pecans and coconut flakes. Put cake under broiler brown slightly.
Give this recipe for oatmeal cake a try and let me know what you think. While we would definitely eat this for breakfast (with flour, butter, and eggs in it it’s almost like a pancake, right?) it’s delicious enough to serve for dessert…and birthdays.
Related Post: Banana Nut Spice Cake
My essential kitchen items
- My Sunbeam electric mixer was a wedding gift from my grandmother – and it’s still going strong.
- A 9×13 pan with cover helps keep your cakes fresher longer. We bought this one for our daughter for a Christmas present.
- A set of airtight clear canisters makes it easy to see what you have on hand so you know when it’s time to add more to the grocery list.
- Brown sugar will stay soft and easy to work with when you use sugar savers.
Before you leave be sure to visit my store to find a pantry inventory and other printables to tame your kitchen frenzy.
What kind of cake is most requested at your house when it’s birthday time?
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Look it over. Everything is too expensive these days to not make your grocery dollars go as far as possible!
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More great dessert recipes to try:
I’m a retired educator, mom of three adult children, cancer warrior, sandwich generation member, and lover of life!
I help older women create & live a life they love through radical self acceptance, unapologetic goal pursuit, and relishing the joys of home.
Popeye’s Surprise: Pasta, Sausage, & Spinach Dinner
What is it about oatmeal that makes everything so yummy. Love this cake.
Thanks for sharing your wonderful posts at Over The Moon Party.
Hugs,
Bev
That’s a good question, Bev. Maybe it’s the combination of the oatmeal with brown sugar and butter that just makes it melt in your mouth. Okay, I’m going to have to quit thinking about that because it’s making me hungry.
There are some recipes that you just have to taste to see how good they really are. This recipe sounds like a winner.
Do be sure to give this recipe a try. It and my Aunt Finnie’s Banana Nut Spice Cake are two that just melt in your mouth. They could only be better if they weren’t fattening. But we can’t have everything I guess.
A new take on an old favorite… Looks GREAT! 🙂
It’s hard to beat those old comforting (and delicious) recipes, isn’t it?
Looks like the raw sugar would give it a caramel flavour. I like a moist cake also.
Hi Maria! It does give it a caramel flavor – you’re right. My hubby makes fun of me because he’s one of those who can identify specific flavors while all I can really do is tell that something is yummy and don’t think about it much beyond that. We love this one!
I’ve never tried oatmeal cake. It looks tasty! Pinning to put on my to try list. Thanks for sharing at Snickerdoodle!
I’m sure lots of folks would think we were nuts for requesting this one for birthday cake – but we love it (still do).
This sounds like such a great alternative to traditional yellow cake. It sounds perfect for people who don’t like a ton of thick icing. Sounds like a keeper.
Be sure to let me know what you think of it, Melissa.