Oatmeal Cake

Cake
1 cup oatmeal
1¹/² cups water
¹/² cup butter, softened
plus extra for greasing pan
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
¹/² teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1¹/² cups cake flour or all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 
Frosting
¹/² cup shredded coconut, sweetened
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 cup of packed brown sugar
¹/² cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350° F (175° C).
In a medium sized pot, bring 1 1/2 cups of water to a rolling boil and
add 1 cup of raw oatmeal; cook until all the water has been absorbed
by the oatmeal; remove from heat, and set aside.
In a clean bowl cream together softened butter with brown and white sugar.
Add 2 eggs to the butter and sugar mixture and beat in cooked oatmeal.
Sift together all remaining dry ingredients and add to the cooked oatmeal
mixture, add vanilla extract, and gently blend together.
Lightly grease a 11 by 7-inch pan with a little butter or
margarine. Lightly dust greased pan with flour, make sure you get the
corners and the sides of the pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment
paper. Gently pour batter onto the parchment lined pan and level batter
into an even layer. Bake in oven for approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
You’ll know it’s done when it is firm to the touch and the cake no longer
jiggles. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.
While cake is cooling, prepare frosting by placing a small- to medium sized
dry non-stick pan over medium heat. Add 1/2 cup of sweetened
shredded coconut to the dry pan and gently toast until golden, make sure
you continually stir so it doesn’t burn. In a small bowl, add almost all of the
toasted coconut (save a little for decoration after baking), softened butter,
brown sugar, and heavy cream, mix together until the sugar has melted.
Cover the cake with the frosting mixture, set the oven to the broiler setting,
and move the baking rack to the second highest position. Place your frosted
cake into the oven for approximately 1 minute or until frosting begins to
bubble all over. Remove from oven and allow to cake to cool. Garnish with
the remaining toasted coconut.
Kitchen Tip: For an extra crunch, add ½ cup of chopped nuts, such
as pecans, to the frosting right before you put it under the broiler.