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Oatmeal Cake

by Lynda Grove

Oatmeal Cake
1 cup quick cooking oats
1 ½ cups boiling water
½ cup oil (canola or vegetable)
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Pour boiling water over oatmeal; let stand 20 minutes. In a separate mixing bowl, cream oil and sugars with mixer. Add eggs, then add oatmeal. Mix thoroughly. Add flour, baking soda and cinnamon, and mix until well blended. Pour into bundt pan. Bake 45 minutes, then test cake with toothpick. Cake is ready when the toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool 10 minutes, then invert onto an oven-safe plate. Make sure the plate has about an inch of extra space around the edge for the glaze step.

Glaze
1/3 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup evaporated milk
3/4 cup pecans
3/4 cup coconut

In a saucepan, bring butter, brown sugar and evaporated milk to a boil; stirring regularly. Add coconut and pecans. Strain the coconuts and pecans from mixture; set aside. Pour glaze over cake (it will be a bit runny). Pile strained coconut and pecans on top of cake and cover with any remaining glaze. Turn oven on broil and place cake with topping in oven for 3–5 minutes. Watch closely. Topping will bubble and brown lightly—be careful, it will burn quickly after it browns.

Best if made one day in advance.