Old Fashioned Oatmeal Pecan Cake

Cake
1 1/3 C (315 ml) water
½ C (1 stick/113 g) unsalted butter
1 C (4 oz/113 g) rolled oats
1 C (7 oz/199 g) sugar
1 C (7 oz/199 g) brown sugar
½ t (3 g) salt
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 t (10 ml) vanilla extract
2 t (4 g) ground cinnamon
1 ½ C (7 ½ oz/213 g) all-purpose flour
1 t (4 g) baking soda
2/3 C (1 ½ oz/40 g) chopped, toasted pecans

Glaze
1 C powdered sugar, more if needed
¼ t cinnamon
1 T very soft butter
¼ teaspoon vanilla
¼ C maple syrup, more if needed

Position oven rack in middle position and heat to 350° F (177° F). Thoroughly spray 10-cup Bundt pan with nonstick baking spray with flour. Set aside.

In large saucepan, combine water and butter and bring to boil. Remove from heat and add rolled oats. Allow mixture to sit for 20 minutes to cook oats and cool. After 20 minutes, stir in sugars, salt, eggs, vanilla extract and cinnamon. Add flour and baking soda, then stir until completely combined. Mix in chopped pecans and pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake for about 42 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean or has a few moist crumbs attached. Rotate pan one half turn midway through baking. Cool completely in pan, then turn out onto wire rack and reinvert onto cake plate to serve. Top with glaze or keep things simple with sprinkling of powdered sugar.

Glaze – In medium bowl and hand mixer, beat ingredients until smooth and pourable. To thicken, add powdered sugar and to thin, add Add more maple syrup (or heavy cream or milk) a teaspoons at a time. Pour over cake and let run down sides.

Serves: 8 to 10

18 Mar 18 – Used 10 cup Williams-Sonoma Bundt pan as opposed to 10 in tube pan suggested in original recipe. I decided this primarily because I didn’t have a small tube pan an it looked like from the recipe pictures the cake was small and squat. Liberally sprayed Bundt pan with Baker’s Joy. Cake did not stick. I cooked oats in large Alcad sauce pan which worked out well because it was large enough to accommodate all the other dry & wet ingredients. I did not have to dirty another bowl. I baked cake in island oven and checked doneness at (17 + 17) 34 mins as indicated in original recipe for 10 tube pan. It was obviously not done. I baked it an additional 8 mins for a total 42. I cooled it in the pan for 10 mins before inverting and removing from pan which it did easily. I debated what glaze to use finally deciding on a cream cheese glaze/frosting because I thought it would look better for the picture. I found a cream cheese recipe on the internet but I did not soften the cream cheese enough and it therefore would not incorporate and looked lumpy. The next time I would use a simple maple syrup glaze. The Bundt cake pan made the cake look excellent. The cake was dense due to nuts and oats but texture good, moist and very flavorful.

30 Mar 18 – Made for Jan. Toasted small pecan pieces in convection oven @ 350° F for 8 mins. Well toasted but not over done. Used same pan as above for oats. Used medium glass pyrex for dry ingredients. Baked cake in island oven and checked doneness at (18 + 17) 34 mins. I screwed up and didn’t start the 18 min time. I estimated 18 mins but it might have been longer. Based on first cut I estimate overall time close to to 42 mins. I used maple syrup glaze for this cake because I wasn’t enthusiastic about the cream cheese one I picked out above. The maple syrup glaze was much better both taste and how it flowed on and I liked how the light brown color worked well with the cake.