This Old Fashioned Oatmeal Cake is so super simple! It’s soft, cinnamony and topped with creamy cream cheese frosting.
You know that whole thing about eating cake for breakfast? So now’s the time for that.
This super soft and simple cake is packed with oatmeal which I think makes it healthy…and might I mention it’s topped with cream cheese frosting so you’ve got oatmeal and cream cheese. Yep, breakfast.
Also, can I just say how hard it is to make brown food look delicious? I took 12 trillion photos of this piece of cake to no avail. I tried red hand towels, I tried all white backgrounds, I tried cake in the pan, cake out of the pan… cake without frosting, cake with frosting. Anyhow, brown food’s not so photogenic.
But with that said, let’s see past it’s blah, boring appearance and get to the heart of the matter. This is a cake that your Gram probably made, which automatically makes it the best, and it’s both dense and soft and kinda like banana bread, but not banana-y. Still with me?
The cooked oatmeal that’s baked in gives it a great texture without really tasting like oatmeal. And I should mention you could TOTALLY use leftover oatmeal. Like if you’re that person who makes a big batch of oatmeal and eats it for breakfast throughout the week, you could use that here…even flavored oatmeal would work, I’m thinking brown sugar cinnamon…oh yeahhh!
So let’s get to it. You can whip this up in minutes and it’s perfect for a weeknight dessert, or a potluck meal. Love homey recipes like this one.
Just soak a cup of oats in some boiling water…
It will make a scant 2 cups of oatmeal if you’re using leftovers…
The cake batter is really easy and when you add the flour, just add the oatmeal too. The moisture from the oats is what keeps your cake moist!
Let the cake cool in the pan and then frost it with cream cheese frosting!
Like I said, this easy cake is perfect for anytime of day!
ps ~ we eat this with our fingers around here! Snack cake all the way!
PrintOld Fashioned Oatmeal Cake
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Yield: serves 9
Yield:
Print Recipe
PinIngredients:
Cake
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
Frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk or cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C
- Spray a 9×9 pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
- In a small pot bring the water to a boil. Add in the oats, stir and remove the pot from the heat. Allow the oats to soak for 20 minutes.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment mix the butter and sugar together on medium speed for 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Add in the vanilla and the eggs and mix until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. With the mixer still on medium speed add in the salt, baking soda and cinnamon and mix until incorporated.
- Turn the mixer to low and add in the oats and the flour, mixing until just combined.
- Spread the cake batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the cake is set in the center and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan.
Frosting
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment mix the butter and cream cheese together on medium speed until smooth, 2 minutes. Turn the mixer to low and add in the powdered sugar and milk. Mix for another minute until the frosting is creamy.
- Spread the frosting on top of the cooled cake.
- Serve immediately or store airtight for up to 3 days.
Notes:
recipe adapted from food.com
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Hi! I’m Shelly and I’m an addict. Of the buttercream sort. I started this site a few years ago as a way to justify my sugary, buttery obsession with desserts. It has worked out well for me so far, because as it turns out you guys all love sugary, buttery desserts too! It feels good to know you're not alone, doesn’t it?
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Made this once with leftover rice-grain porridge (norwegian style) and once with leftover barley-pearl porridge. Turned out PERFECT, fluffy and chunky textured. And a tad to sweet. Reduce amount of sugar, and you get the perfect cake for friday lunch cake at work. This recipe is now written down in my “fail-safe-cookbook”. Thnx very much!!
★★★★★
Oh, yeah, the barley-version looked just like the foto 🙂
Awesome!! Thanks for the comment!
This was a great way to use slow cooker apple raisin oatmeal. Added ground ginger to the cake and like one other reviewer wrote only used 1 cup confectioner sugar. Dusted cinnamon on cake after I put icing on. Then topped with walnut halves. Will make again.
★★★★★
Had leftover 9 hr crockpot steel cut oats with dried fruit so i used it… was absolutely fantastic ??????
★★★★★
To make in a 9×13 pan do i triple recipe? thank you.
I would not make this again. The cake was a weird texture, mine did not turn out quite like the photo. I baked it for 35 minutes and took it out without the benefit of a toothpick test, but the whole cake was firm. The icing recipe is WAY too sweet. I should have payed more attention, but the recipe should have called for only one cup of powdered sugar, not two. I have a cream cheese frosting recipe that I always use and it is identical except for just one cup of sugar and a tsp of vanilla. If… Read more »
Does this rise alot after baking? 🙂
Not a lot
Awesome Oatmeal Cake..Thank You for this recipe
Clik Here
★★★★★
Wow..Yummy Oatmeal Cake definey i’m going to try this ..Thank You
★★★★★
I’m on board with anything that has oats in it – one of my absolute favourite things!
I made this for work today and it was very good! Many compliments and there is none left! I did add an extra egg yolk since I like a really dense cake but fabulous recipe! 🙂
I think this cake looks fantastic! I’ve been really into a slice of cake at 4pm lately, and I think this will be the next one on my list–thanks! 🙂
★★★★★
The biggest problem with this blog is that it is virtually impossible to get any actual comments on the recipes. I’m curious, does anyone on this blog ever actually bake any of these cakes or recipes? I mean you all spend your valuable time oohing and ahhing at the pictures…but do any of you actually make the cake and try it? Here’s my suggestion, get off the computer or your couch, roll up your sleeves, stop the inane comments and actually bake a cake or two. These are some really great recipes, but you could spend a lifetime sifting through… Read more »
Of course some of us follow em 🙂
I’ve tried at least 3 from this blog till now.
I’m actually gonna bake this one tomorrow! Hope it turns out great ^_^
★★★★
I baked it tonight! I doubled the recipe and it is delicious.
I agree. Only comment if you have made the recipe. It’s not a fan club.
★★★★
Anything with oatmeal should count as breakfast 🙂
I’ve always loved old fashioned oatmeal cake. No matter how many time my ex told me to try a newer recipe I said “No”. My love with him may end but with this cake is everlasting, you can tell.
★★★★★
Cant wait to try this later tonight, if you use the quick 1-Minute oats still use one cup and should we still soak for 20 minutes? thank you.
Yep! Follow the directions as-is!