Irish Oatmeal Cake

As I promised, here is the recipe for the oatmeal cake I baked yesterday for Marks birthday. This recipe is from Moosewood Restaurant Book of Desserts. Everything I have baked from this book has been fabulous!

Irish Oatmeal Cake

Cake:

2 cups flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/4 tsp baking soda

1 cup rolled oats

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Butterscotch Frosting: ( I made 1 1/2 times the recipe, we like a lot of frosting)

6 tbsp butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 tbsp milk

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter and flour two 9" cake pans.

Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. In a blender, whirl the oats to a consistency of cornmeal. Stir them into the flour mixture and set aside.

With an electric mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar until light. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the vanilla and buttermilk and add alternatively with the flour mixture. Mix until well blended.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 30 minutes, until a knife tests clean and the cake begins to pull away from the side of the pan. Cool in the pans for about 5 minutes and then turn out onto racks to cool completely. 

For the frosting, melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the brown sugar and simmer on very low heat for at least 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. (Cooking the brown sugar creates a smoother frosting, so don't cheat on the time.)

Transfer the butter-brown sugar mixture to a bowl. With an electric mixer, beat in the confectioners sugar and vanilla. Add the milk a little at a time until the frosting is smooth and creamy. While the frosting is still warm, fill and frost the cake.

Serves 12 to 16.