This Old-fashioned Oatmeal Cake with Broiled Topping called out to me because I love simple, no fuss cakes that can be thrown together quickly and aren’t overly sweet. But more than the cake, I love the headnote Tasty Kitchen member Brandi N wrote. She found the hand-written recipe for this cake in her grandmother’s old tin recipe box and said the cake was “oozing with memories” for her. When I read something like that, I know it’s gotta be good.

This cake is delicious. It’s fluffy and moist, and the broiled topping makes it taste like a cinnamon roll. It’s the perfect partner for late-afternoon coffee or tea. Plus if it has oatmeal in it, it’s has to be kind of healthy, right?

You’ll need quick rolled oats, white sugar, brown sugar, butter, vanilla, eggs, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, heavy whipping cream (or half and half), coconut, and pecans.

Start by combining quick-cooking oats with the boiling water. (TIP:  If you don’t have quick cooking oats, simply food process old-fashioned rolled oats for a few seconds.)

Adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 13-by 9-inch pan with vegetable cooking spray and flour.

Mix all the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.

In a large bowl beat the two sugars and butter until light and fluffy.

Beat in the vanilla …

And then the eggs one at a time.

Mix in the oatmeal …

Then finally add in the flour mixture.

 
 
 

 
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes.

 
 
 

 
While the cake bakes, beat the remaining brown sugar and butter in a medium bowl.

Beat in the cream (or half-and-half) until smooth.

Stir in coconut and pecans.

When the cake comes out of the oven, top it with this mixture.

We found it helpful to spoon the topping evenly over the cake …

And then spread it to cover.

 
 
 

 
Broil the iced cake 4 to 6 inches from heating element until bubbly and light golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Give it a little cooling time (if you can!), then slice, serve, and enjoy!

 
Thank you, Brandi N, for sharing your grandmother’s recipe with us!

Here’s the handy dandy printable: Old-fashioned Oatmeal Cake with Broiled Topping

 
One thing is certain: Brandi’s grandmother knew how to make a good cake. While we have access to more ingredients, techniques, tools (and the internet!), a lot of things were just better back then. This recipe makes me want to pick up the phone and call my own grandmother and ask her for her favorite cake recipe. But I already know what she’ll say. I’ll share that recipe here with you soon.

What were your grandmother’s favorite recipes?

 
 
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Three Many Cooks is the always-entertaining food blog of Pam Anderson and her two daughters, Maggy and Sharon. Pam is a well-known and much-respected food writer and author, Maggy is a “hippy adventurer meets 1950s housewife,” and Sharon refers to herself as a recovering food snob learning to survive on a graduate student’s budget. Theirs is a strong relationship both inside and outside the kitchen, and it shows in the food they create and the stories they tell.