Oatmeal Snack Cake

 There are very few recipes that I bake where I don’t use oatmeal as an ingredient in some form or another.  I often stir a handful of oatmeal into the batter for cakes, cookies, and muffins.  Or, I might sprinkle oats over the top of the batter just before popping pans into the oven.  I even stir oats into my ground beef when making meatloaf, hamburgers, or meatballs.  I’m a big fan of the flavor, texture, and health benefit that oats can bring to many recipes. 

This Oatmeal Snack Cake is chocked full of flavor and is great with a cup of coffee, packed in the lunchbox for a mid-day treat, or served with a scoop of ice cream after an evening meal.  The sweet glaze drizzled over the top of the cake is optional but it dresses things up a bit.  Mostly, I just bake the recipe the way it’s written, slice it after cooling, pack it into a Tupperware container,  and wait for it to disappear.  

Oatmeal Snack Cake

1 1⁄4 cups boiling water

1 cup old fashioned oats

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 1⁄3 cups flour

1 teaspoon  ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon  baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon  vanilla

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cups walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 13X9″ baking pan, set aside.  

Pour boiling water over dry oatmeal; set aside for 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix the flour, soda, cinnamon, and salt.  In a separate mixing bowl, combine sugars and oil until well blended. Add eggs, vanilla, and cooled oatmeal, mix thoroughly.  Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients.  Stir in raisins and nuts.  Pour into prepared baking pan.  Bake for 30-40 minutes. Cool completely before slicing. Drizzle with icing or sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.