Sunday 12 May 2013

Oatmeal and honey cake


 


Apart from parkin, all my oat recipes have been biscuits.  Time to redress the balance a little.  The best way I can describe this recipe is that it is the flavour of a flapjack but with the lightness of a cake.  The topping provides the oaty flapjack dense texture but then is balanced by a light sponge.  My major problem with flapjacks has always been that because they are pretty heavy going I can never eat as much/as many as I want to...consider that problem solved with this cake!  Here’s the oaty topping:




You scatter this on top of the cake (before baking) like so:




The cake has a great mix of textures and – as everyone knows – the addition of oats must mean it’s healthy!




A perfect cake to accompany a mid morning cuppa or equally at home warmed up and served with a jug of custard for dessert.  Ice cream would work too (I’ll whisper that so that I don’t upset Mr CC).




I made the cake plain, as per the recipe set out below, but I really think it could take a pinch of spice if you were so inclined.  I think it’s best plain for this time of year but I can imagine it in the darkest depths of winter with a good hit of cinnamon or ginger.  Perhaps with some lightly poached plums on the side.  Oh god, I’m making myself hungry now!




This would make a great cake tin cake, by which I mean that cake you have no particular need for but like to know it’s there so you can have a slice over the course of several days.  It gets better with age as the oats and honey seem to mature and develop their flavours.  I think it would also be rather nice made as a tray bake.



Ingredients

For the topping:
100g unsalted butter
100g honey, plus extra for drizzling over the baked cake
150g rolled oats

For the cake:
200g unsalted butter
50g medium oatmeal
100g light brown muscovado sugar
150g self raising flour
4 eggs


Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan oven 160°C/350°F/gas mark 4.

Line a 20cm round springform tin with baking paper.

Start by making the topping (sounds weird, but it needs time to cool!): melt the butter and honey in a saucepan over a gentle heat.

Remove from the heat and stir in the oats taking care to ensure that every oat is covered in the buttery honey.

Tip into a bowl and leave to one side.

Now make the cake: melt the butter.

While the butter is melting, place the oatmeal, sugar and flour in a bowl.

Beat in the melted butter.

Beat in the eggs one at a time.

Pour (it will be runny) into the prepared cake tin.

Scatter the oaty topping over the cake – don’t worry that some will sink into the cake as the oats are heavy and the cake batter is liquidy. 

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Leave to cool in the tin until it is safe to de-tin, then leave the cake to cool completely on a wire rack.

When the cake comes out of the oven drizzle over some extra honey.

Bask in the glory of the wonderful thing you have created.

Eat.

15 comments:

Susie @ Fold in the Flour said...

Oh, yummy yum yum.

That looks so amazingly like a big hug in a cake. I could just do with a lovely warm piece of that right now, but with a smidge of cream, please. :)

Jean said...

Now that looks like a proper good cake!
The very idea of something that combines the heavenly delights of cake and flapjack just has to be a winner! I'll just go and fetch my apron........

Gloria Baker said...

This look amazing and delicious:-)

Choclette said...

Ooh yes, big fan of oats and honey always makes a cake moister and somehow yummier. I made a porridge cake once which was good, but definitely on the dense side.

Cakelaw said...

This looks delish - and I think it would keep well.

Unknown said...

Oh yes - oats and honey. Definitely health food - and really with plums (or may be some rhubarb) well, it would be positively oozing wellbeing. Looks lovely just as it is thought.

Baking Addict said...

I love the sound of this - oats and honey and cake - yes please!

Caroline said...

I wasn't sure when I read oatmeal and honey, but your description of a flapjack in cake form definitely sells this one!

Maggie said...

I love the topping, I would possibly eat most of this before putting the cake in the oven....

Kit @ i-lostinausten said...

This is definitely my kinda cake with honey! Looks so moist & yummy! ;)

Jo said...

I most certainly would not say no to a piece of this cake with custard right now. Oaty toppings always have such a homely, comforting quality.

Laura Loves Cakes said...

Any cake with honey in has to be a winner...and I agree with Jean this looks like a proper cake! Perfect with a cup of tea of an afternoon :-)

Stress-Baker said...

when I saw that reciepe I had to think about a simmilar one from my mum, chocolate-sponge with crusty-caramelised coco-nut topping, and so I put a bit cacoa-powder in the sponge. It's quite tasty!

The Caked Crusader said...

Hi Stress-baker

I wouldn't have thought of cocoa so thanks for sharing that. My thoughts went down the spice route!

Happy baking

morri said...

I made it last week. What I originally intended to do, was to bake a rhubarb upside-down cake (from another blog). I tried making it twice, and it was a flop both times, so eventually I had to resort to something for which I still had ingredients in the pantry. Hence, this oatmeal honey cake.

Needless to say, CC's recipes never disappoint :) The cake came out good and tasty, although in my view it's definitely an autumn-winter bake, even without the spices. The texture is firm, hearty and no-nonsense, perfect with a cup of tea. I liked it, but because of the ingredients, which are a bit on the heavy side (oats, honey, nearly three sticks of butter, etc.) I think it would be better not serve it to someone who's dieting or suffering from digestive issues.