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:

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.
19 Comments
Nicoletta @sugarlovespices
May 19, 2015 at 9:48 amHi there! Shared the love ๐ Your cake looks fantastic. I’m going to give it a try! Cheers!
jerry
April 27, 2016 at 6:20 amwhat do you mean by 1.5 cups flour. is that 1an1’2cups or what?
mywifecancook
April 27, 2016 at 9:12 amThanks for the question Jerry, yes 1.5 cups equals 1 and 1/2 cups.
Greg (mywifecancook)
May 19, 2015 at 9:55 amThanks Nicoletta! Yes, the icing on this cake is dangerously good. Proceed with caution. ๐ Thanks for the share, much appreciated.
Susan Mercurio
October 26, 2021 at 1:47 pmBasically, the frosting is the same as the one for German Chocolate cake.
Kelly
June 29, 2016 at 1:27 amYou will love this cake and frosting even more if you put it under the broiler for just a minute or two after frosting the cake – it’s unbelievably good! ๐ค
Thora
December 24, 2016 at 1:29 pmThe ease of this cake, & then the taste of the frosting….wow! I just made it, haven’t had a piece yet, but I can’t wait! This is a great, easy recipe. I toasted the coconut for the frosting. I have no doubt this will be a family favorite!
mywifecancook
January 1, 2017 at 8:40 amThank you. Toasted coconut in the frosting sounds delicious! It has been a favorite in my family for decades!
kathi phillips
May 12, 2017 at 8:00 pmIs the frosting recipe mixed in with the cake recipe? Where does the cake recipe stop and the frosting begin? Instructions say add the rest of the ingredients so it is somewhat confusing to me.
mywifecancook
May 14, 2017 at 12:41 pmThanks for the question! We’ve updated the recipe to separate the icing and cake ingredients. Hope that clears up the confusion!
Rochelle
September 22, 2017 at 3:55 pmMy mother makes this every Christmas for my dad’s birthday. We were told that it was the trade mark cake for the Desert Inn in Vegas. We also place it under broiler after iced. Yummy!
mywifecancook
September 26, 2017 at 9:45 amReally? No idea where my family first got it. The broiler idea sounds delicious!
Jeanne
April 4, 2018 at 11:56 amThis is the exact oatmeal cake recipe that I make and it is awesome! The only difference is I make it into a two layer cake and double the icing recipe. It is my favorite cake that I make and I highly recommend it!
mywifecancook
April 5, 2018 at 6:38 amI love the idea of making it a layered cake! It is one of my favorite cakes as well! Thanks.
Dianne
January 30, 2019 at 10:34 pmI got this recipe at least 40 years ago. I donโt really like coconut but I LOVE this cake. I also make it in 2
layers with double icing. Very moist and super delicious!
mywifecancook
February 1, 2019 at 1:46 pmI love the idea of two layers!
Mary
February 17, 2020 at 10:18 amIf you donโt care for coconut or walnuts, you can ice it with a cream cheese frosting . Instead of walnuts you can use pecans.
Mary
December 4, 2019 at 12:19 pmWhat can you substitute the shortening for
mywifecancook
December 7, 2019 at 6:03 amI have used both coconut oil and vegan butter instead of shortening and been happy with the results. Enjoy!