Easy Oatmeal Cake Recipe with Amazing Coconut Walnut Icing

I think we can all agree that great icing can take a cake to new heights. After all, people always say, that’s the “icing on the cake” when they are talking about something that’s an extra benefit to something  that is already good. That phrase certainly holds true when talking about the icing on this Oatmeal Cake (literally). Today we are going to teach you how to make one of our all time favorite cakes (we often struggle to decide between this cake an Heath Bar Cake), our Easy Oatmeal Cake with Coconut Walnut frosting.

You might be wondering…

What makes the icing so special?

Well, it’s hard to go wrong with brown sugar, butter, vanilla, evaporated milk, coconut, and chopped walnuts (You might want to schedule some extra exercise in the days surrounding cake consumption). It’s a little indulgent, but sometimes you’ve gotta splurge and go for the flavor. I believe this icing is very close to the icing you find on a traditional German Chocolate Cake. This Betty Crocker recipe for German Chocolate Cake uses many of the same ingredients. I also found this Lazy Daisy Coconut Oatmeal Cake which looks similar. I had never heard of “Lazy Daisy” Oatmeal Cake before, but it looks quite delicious. While the oatmeal cake by itself is very good, the sugary coconut walnut infused icing of this cake definitely take it to the next level. Sometimes the icing on the cake is the icing on the cake!

I know. By now you’re craving this. I know I am!

And you might also be wondering:

Is Oatmeal Cake with Coconut Walnut Icing Easy to Make?

Good news. We call it Easy Oatmeal Cake for a reason. It may be more involved than boxed cake mix, but, once you practice this a few times, it really is pretty easy to make. The Oatmeal Cake part is pretty straight forward. Mix brown sugar, sugar, and shortening. Stir in eggs. Add in your oatmeal mixture (We just use Old Fashioned Quaker Oatmeal) and stir. Mix in remaining ingredients. Pour into greased 13 x 9 inch pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees. Nothing to it.

As for the icing:

The key to perfect icing

Practice! I find the taste of the icing is always great, but it took me a little practice to get the texture of this icing just right. Trust me, making this Oatmeal Cake a few times is the type of practice you can handle (and eat!).

This Oatmeal cake really has found it’s way into our hearts. Besides the amazing icing which I could eat all by itself, it also reminds me how much I enjoy baking with Oats. We use Quaker’s Quick Oats when we make our homemade granola, we love baking oatmeal cookies, and I can’t wait to try out making oatmeal bars and some other oat based recipes.

On to the recipe I know you’ve been waiting for:

Easy Oatmeal Cake Recipe with Amazing Coconut Walnut Icing

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Ingredients

For the cake

• 1 cup oatmeal (We use Old Fashioned or Quick Quaker Oats)
• 1.5 cup boiling water
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 2 eggs
• 1.5 cups flour
• 1 tsp soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon

For the icing

• 6 Tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup evaporated milk
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup coconut
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Add boiling water to oatmeal. Stir slightly and let stand for 20 minutes.
• Mix brown sugar, sugar, and shortening.
• Stir in eggs.
• Add oatmeal mixture and stir.
• Mix in remaining cake ingredients.
• Pour into greased 13 x 9 inch pan.
• Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350F.
• In a small saucepan, melt butter, sugar, and evaporated milk.
• Cook until bubbles and remove from heat.
• Add coconut, walnuts, and vanilla and stir.
• Pour immediately onto slightly cooled cake.