4 Broiled Coconut Oatmeal Cake

When my first child was born, a co-worker gave me the most delicious cake I had ever eaten.  When I asked her for the recipe, I was surprised by the title: Boiled Oatmeal Cake.  She explained to me that she put boiling water over the oats to make this cake.

I found another version of her cake and I just had to make it.  This is a soft, tender spice cake with a slightly sweet coconut pecan icing that is broiled, not cooked on the stove.  The icing makes this cake; you could eat it on cardboard and still enjoy it.

Start by lining an 8x8 square pan with foil or parchment paper.  

Make sure it overlaps the edges.

Take another piece of foil/parchment paper and lay it the other direction on top of the first piece of foil

This will help you "lift" the cake out of the pan when you are ready to serve.

This method also works great for brownies!

Grease the pan with butter or oil.

I used my oil spray (filled with canola oil) and then brushed it to make sure it coated the foil evenly.

Pour room temperature water over quick cooking oats.

You heard me right.

No boiling water, please!

Room temp water will do the job.

Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a bowl and set aside.

Say that seven times really fast.  I dare you.

Just kidding.

Beat butter and sugars together.

Yes, brown sugar and white sugar ~

Add eggs and vanilla and mix till creamy...

Add the soaked oats and flour, mixing till combined.

Spread the batter into your prepared pan and tap it lightly on your countertop to remove any large bubbles.

Nobody wants a "Swiss cheese" cake full of holes ~

Put it in the oven to bake while you get the good stuff ready...

The "good stuff" is the broiled coconut icing.

It is so easy to make!

Add melted butter to some brown sugar ~

Add milk...

Yes, this is skim milk.  My kids call it "chalk water."

When my family began to down a gallon of milk a day, I switched to skim milk.  Healthier, don't you think?

Add coconut and pecans.

They were meant to be together in this glorious mix...

Give it a quick stir. 

As soon as your cake comes out of the oven, you can frost it.

Yes, you have my permission to frost it right away!

Just spread the coconut mixture on top and set your oven on "broil."

Make sure your rack is at least 9" from the broiler.  You don't want to burn it...

Just under five minutes....Ahhhhh....perfect!

Toasted coconut, toasted pecans, swirled in a caramelly goodness.

Wait.  There's a catch.  (pun intended)

You need to let it cool for at least an hour.  You don't want to burn the roof of your mouth when you dive into this cake ~

When it's cooled, take it out of the pan by grabbing the excess foil and lifting....

Ooooooh....look how pretty that is!

...and grab yourself a nice, generous piece.

This is so good, I ate it for breakfast.

You'll want it for breakfast, too.

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Broiled Oatmeal Cake
from ATK
1 cup quick cooking oats
3/4 cup room temperature water
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon slat
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 ground nutmet
4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Broiled Icing
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3 Tablespoons butter, melted, cooled
3 Tablespoons milk
3/4 cups sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup pecans, chopped

1. Line a 8x8 pan with 2 pieces of aluminum foil. Lightly spray with cooking oil.
2. In a small bowl, mix oats, water and let sit for 5 min.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk flour soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
4. Beat butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla. Add soaked oats and mix well. Add flour mixture.
5. Put batter in greased pan and tap lightly on counter to remove air bubbles. Smooth surface with spatula.

Bake in a 350°F oven for 30-35 min, rotating pan halfway during baking.

Make Broiled Topping:
1. Whisk brown sugar, butter and milk. Stir in coconut and pecans. Put over warm cake
2. Broil in oven about 9" from the broiler until bubbly and golden, about 3-5 min.

Let cake cool in pan for 1 hour.
Transfer to plate and remove foil. Cut into squares and serve.



  1. This sounds absolutely AMAZING! I love that you frost it and THEN put it under the broiler! Can't wait to try this!

  2. This looks great!!

  3. Interesting! I can't count how many oatmeal cakes with broiled icing I've made since I started making them as a teenager, but I've never heard of putting room temperature water over the oatmeal. I'll bet that makes for a lighter cake than the soggy oats from the hot water. Presents me with a dilemma now. LOL I like soggy oatmeal cake! No doubt about it though, I have to try it this way and compare. Thanks for the recipe. :-)

  4. You are evil...in a good way. This looks so good! I'm definetely going to have to try it. Stat.


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