Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Snack Cake with Coconut Topping

Weekends are so much better now that I’m back at work. I appreciate them about a million times more than I did when every day was pretty much the same. Obviously it was great having Mike home all day on the weekends, but now there’s even more of a focus for both of us on spending quality time with Ellie.

There’s more time for enjoying tea, which has become my new Friday night beverage of choice.

I did end up having a beer after this, but I couldn’t even finish it because I fell asleep on the couch at 8:30. Oh parenthood, you do crazy things to people.

There’s more time to savor the view out of Ellie’s window as the sun is coming up. I was never really big on sleeping in, so this getting up before the sun comes up thing actually isn’t too much of a life change.

And more time for BAKING! When I was driving home from work yesterday I had pretty much made up my mind that I was going to bake oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. But then I realized I’ve done that too many times, and I had plenty of time to bake something new. Oatmeal snack cake seemed like a good idea, but adding chocolate chips was essential. For some people, this is probably too indulgent for breakfast or snack, but it makes a great casual dessert!

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Snack Cake with Coconut Topping

Ingredients

Cake

1 cup old fashioned oats
3/4 cup water, room temperature
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Topping

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons milk
3/4 cup shredded coconut (I used unsweetened)

Instructions

Preheat oven 350 degrees, with rack in the middle position.
Line an 8x8 inch baking sheet two overlapping pieces of foil, and spray the foil with cooking spray
Spray the foil with cooking spray.
Stir the oats and water together in a small bowl and let stand until the water is absorbed.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and butter and beat until smooth and fluffy.
Add vanilla and egg and mix until combined.
Add the flour mixture and beat on medium just until the flour disappears.
Add the oats and chocolate chips and mix until the ingredients are combined.
Pour this batter into the foil lined pan and smooth with a spatula.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean
While the cake is cooling, preheat the broiler with a rack about 8 inches below it.
Whisk together the icing ingredients in a bowl. After the cake has cooled slightly, pour the mixture onto the cake. Broil the cake for about 5 minutes, until the top is golden.
Let the cake cool completely, then lift the foil to transfer the cake to a plate to serve.

http://catesworldkitchen.com/2012/01/chocolate-chip-oatmeal-snack-cake-with-coconut-topping/

(adapted from The Bitten Word)