Easy and Delicious Oatmeal Cake

As part of our homeschooling curriculum this year, my oldest is learning some very basic homekeeping/home ec skills. Basically, she is taught how to do a new homekeeping skill every week and is expected to perform that skill during her chore times. These can be bed making, folding laundry, sweeping, dusting, etc. She is learning to sew, crochet, embroider and cross stitch. And cook. I expect all of my girls to not only know how to cook, but to be comfortable in the kitchen cooking, baking, canning and dehydrating. To me, these are important life skills.

Once a week, my little woman in the making is required to work with me and make a recipe for the family. It can be a snack, side dish or dessert. It doesn't really matter what we cook, it matters to me that she is learning to measure properly, use kitchen utensils safely, follow directions and have a good time doing it. :)

Last week she wanted to make dessert and I had seen an oatmeal cake that looked super easy. It had a simple frosting that was cooked on the stovetop, then spread on the cake and broiled. Aha! I though, it would be good for her to see how fast things cook under the broiler, so we made the cake.

It is fabulous. So good, in fact that we ate it all before I even thought about getting a picture. So, instead of seeing my picture, I'm going to include the link where I saw the cake and you can go see her pictures.
I hope you make this cake, it is a one bowl cake. I think these are sometimes called "Lazy Daisy" cakes, but I'm not sure. Next time, I will be adding some chocolate chips to the frosting and some carrot and zucchini to the cake itself. It really reminded me of a carrot cake in flavor and texture. Such a good, simple, wholesome cake. Oh, and I made it with whole wheat flour and no one was the wiser :)

Oatmeal Cake

1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 cup oatmeal (I used old fashioned)
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/3 cups flour

Measure oats into a bowl and pour the boiling water over. Add the butter and let sit until the butter melts. Add everything else and mix well. Pout into a 9x1 inch pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

Coconut Walnut Frosting

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup evaporated milk or cream
1-2 cups shredded coconut (adjust to suit your tastes)
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix butter, sugar and evaporated milk together in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and continue to boil (and stir) until the mixture gets thick. She says it takes her about 4 minutes, it took me about 3 1/2, so just keep an eye on it. Stir in the coconut, walnuts and vanilla and spread onto warm cake. Put it under the broiler until the coconut gets toasted.

That's it. It couldn't be easier and so, so good.

I think you should make this today. And maybe tomorrow too. :)


Just a reminder, I have a Yoplait Kids Giveaway going on here AND there are still a couple coupons left for free yogurt here . Go check them out if you haven't already!