Oatmeal Cake with Broiled Icing
By America's Test KitchenPublished on March 22, 2011
Time
1½ hours, plus 1 hour cooling
Yield
Serves 9 (Makes one 8-inch square cake)
Ingredients
Cake
1 cup (3 ounces/85 grams) quick-cooking oats ¾ cup water, room temperature¾ cup (3¾ ounces/106 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, softened½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) granulated sugar ½ cup packed (3½ ounces/99 grams) light brown sugar 1 large egg, room temperature½ teaspoon vanilla extractIcing
¼ cup packed (1¾ ounces/50 grams) light brown sugar 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled3 tablespoons milk ¾ cup sweetened shredded coconut ½ cup (2½ ounces/71 grams) pecans, choppedBefore You Begin
Do not use old-fashioned or instant oats for this recipe. Be sure to use a metal baking dish; glass pans are not recommended when broiling. If you have a drawer-style broiler (underneath the oven), position the rack as far as possible from the broiler element and monitor the icing carefully as it cooks in step 5. A vertical sawing motion with a serrated knife works best for cutting through the crunchy icing and tender crumb.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut two 16-inch lengths aluminum foil and fold both lengthwise to 5-inch widths. Spray 8-inch square baking pan with vegetable oil spray. Press 1 piece of foil into pan. Repeat with second piece, overlapping pieces by about 1 inch. Spray foil lightly with oil spray.
- Combine oats and room-temperature water in bowl and let sit until water is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in second bowl.
- Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed until combined and mixture has consistency of damp sand, 2 to 4 minutes, scraping down bowl halfway through mixing. Add egg and vanilla and beat until combined, about 30 seconds. Add flour mixture in 2 additions and mix until just incorporated, about 30 seconds. Add soaked oats and mix until combined, about 15 seconds. Give batter final stir by hand.
- Transfer batter to prepared pan and smooth top with rubber spatula. Gently tap pan on counter 2 or 3 times to settle batter. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out with few crumbs attached, 30 to 35 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Let cake cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes.
- While cake cools, adjust oven rack about 9 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Whisk sugar, melted butter, and milk together in bowl; stir in coconut and pecans. Spread mixture evenly over warm cake. Broil until topping is bubbling and golden, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Let cake cool in pan on wire rack for 1 hour. Using foil overhang, lift cake from pan. Serve.
for the cake
for the icing
Time
1½ hours, plus 1 hour coolingYield
Serves 9 (Makes one 8-inch square cake)Ingredients
Cake
1 cup (3 ounces/85 grams) quick-cooking oats
¾ cup water, room temperature
¾ cup (3¾ ounces/106 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) granulated sugar
½ cup packed (3½ ounces/99 grams) light brown sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Icing
¼ cup packed (1¾ ounces/50 grams) light brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 tablespoons milk
¾ cup sweetened shredded coconut
½ cup (2½ ounces/71 grams) pecans, chopped
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Cake
1 cup (3 ounces/85 grams) quick-cooking oats
¾ cup water, room temperature
¾ cup (3¾ ounces/106 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) granulated sugar
½ cup packed (3½ ounces/99 grams) light brown sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Icing
¼ cup packed (1¾ ounces/50 grams) light brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 tablespoons milk
¾ cup sweetened shredded coconut
½ cup (2½ ounces/71 grams) pecans, chopped
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Cake
1 cup (3 ounces/85 grams) quick-cooking oats
¾ cup water, room temperature
¾ cup (3¾ ounces/106 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) granulated sugar
½ cup packed (3½ ounces/99 grams) light brown sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Icing
¼ cup packed (1¾ ounces/50 grams) light brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 tablespoons milk
¾ cup sweetened shredded coconut
½ cup (2½ ounces/71 grams) pecans, chopped
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
To get a moist but not dense oatmeal cake recipe with buttery undertones, we replaced some of the brown sugar in the cake with granulated sugar and soaked the oats at room temperature rather than in boiling water before mixing them into the batter. Cutting back on the sugar improved our broiled icing recipe, and using melted butter simplified it, giving us a delicious and easy topping with chewy coconut, crunchy nuts, and a butterscotchlike flavor.
Before You Begin
Do not use old-fashioned or instant oats for this recipe. Be sure to use a metal baking dish; glass pans are not recommended when broiling. If you have a drawer-style broiler (underneath the oven), position the rack as far as possible from the broiler element and monitor the icing carefully as it cooks in step 5. A vertical sawing motion with a serrated knife works best for cutting through the crunchy icing and tender crumb.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut two 16-inch lengths aluminum foil and fold both lengthwise to 5-inch widths. Spray 8-inch square baking pan with vegetable oil spray. Press 1 piece of foil into pan. Repeat with second piece, overlapping pieces by about 1 inch. Spray foil lightly with oil spray.
- Combine oats and room-temperature water in bowl and let sit until water is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in second bowl.
- Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed until combined and mixture has consistency of damp sand, 2 to 4 minutes, scraping down bowl halfway through mixing. Add egg and vanilla and beat until combined, about 30 seconds. Add flour mixture in 2 additions and mix until just incorporated, about 30 seconds. Add soaked oats and mix until combined, about 15 seconds. Give batter final stir by hand.
- Transfer batter to prepared pan and smooth top with rubber spatula. Gently tap pan on counter 2 or 3 times to settle batter. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out with few crumbs attached, 30 to 35 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Let cake cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes.
- While cake cools, adjust oven rack about 9 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Whisk sugar, melted butter, and milk together in bowl; stir in coconut and pecans. Spread mixture evenly over warm cake. Broil until topping is bubbling and golden, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Let cake cool in pan on wire rack for 1 hour. Using foil overhang, lift cake from pan. Serve.
for the cake
for the icing
Gift This Recipe
Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.
Key Equipment
Keep Exploring
My Rating
This is a members' feature.
0 Comments