Oatmeal-Raisin Snack Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
I tend to go in cycles with my favorite cookies… I’m always up for a good chocolate chip cookie, but I tend to have bursts of cravings for other flavors like oatmeal-raisin, snickerdoodles and peanut butter. I love chewy, nutty texture of oatmeal-raisin cookies and I’m almost able to convince myself that they’re healthy since… oats! This snack cake tastes like a hybrid of a frosted oatmeal-raisin cookie and my great aunt’s famous poor man’s cookies, which is actually a spiced snack cake with raisins and nuts, and topped a boiled frosting.
I’ve always been a huge fan of oatmeal since I was a kid, grabbing those maple brown sugar packets for breakfast from elementary school all the way through college and my first “real” job. Eventually, I started using plain oats and cooking them on the stove, adding in things like apples, raisins, dates, nuts, bananas, and whatever other add-ins I was hungry for on a particular day. I then transitioned to steel cut oats for the increased health benefits, but they do take some extra time to cook and I don’t find them nearly as convenient as the pouches or even the traditional rolled oats on the stovetop.
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When Quaker Oats contacted me and asked if I wanted to try their new quick-cooking 3-minute steel cut oats, I was thrilled to give them a try. Being able to make steel cut oats in three minutes versus the typical 30 minutes is awesome, especially since my days of leisurely breakfasts are on hiatus for the unforeseen future. They even have instant steel cut oats pouches in two different flavors – Brown Sugar & Cinnamon and Cranberries & Blueberries.
It didn’t take me long at all to throw these quick-cooking oats into a recipe that’s a hybrid of one of my favorite cookies and one of my favorite old family recipes.
Three years ago: Conch Fritters
Four years ago: Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
Oatmeal-Raisin Snack Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1½ cups (375 ml) boiling water
- 1½ cups (217.5 g) raisins
- 1 cup (160 g) quick-cooking steel cut oats
- 1⅓ cups (166.67 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
- ½ cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (220 g) light brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) cream cheese, cold
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups (240 g) powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Make the Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the boiling water, raisins and oats and let sit for 20 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt; set aside.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and both sugars together on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium and add the eggs and vanilla extract, beating to combine. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the oat mixture, then gradually add the flour mixture, beating until just combined. Give the mixture a final stir with a rubber spatula and transfer to the prepared baking pan.
- Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40 to 45 minutes. Place on a wire rack and cool completely before frosting.
- Make the Cream Cheese Frosting: Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low and gradually add the powdered sugar until it is all incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and salt, increase the mixer speed to medium-high and beat until light and smooth, about 2 minutes. Spread over the cooled cake and serve. Leftovers can be stored at room temperature, covered, for up to 4 days.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
I would make pumpkin oatmeal breakfast bars!
I just baked oatmeal chocolate chip cookies for my daughter away at college. Would love to try the recipe with the steel cut oats.
Overnight slow cooker steel cut oats with apples, raisins and walnuts!
I didn’t know that Quaker was coming out with quick cook steel cut oats – I can’t wait to try them and that recipe looks delicious!
I love quaker oats (haven’t tried steel cut yet) and I love all of your fabulous recipes!
Thanks for the chance to win this prize pack!
These sound delicious!
Love oatmeal with maple and brown sugar, or maybe just some fruit.
We haven’t tried steel cut yet, but love the traditional with a small pat of butter and honey
I do steel cut oats in the crock pot overnight with bananas and nuts and almond butter. Going to have to look for the Quaker 3-minute version!
I love Steel Cut Oats and Cream Cheese – this recipe looks like a Win Win!!
Oatmeal with a little milk and lots of brown sugar OR granola bars.
My son’s and use Quaker oatmeal all the time. We always make the oatmeal raisin cookies. I want to try the cake recipe with the cream cheese frosting soon.
I love steel cut oatmeal. I eat oatmeal almost every morning with PB2 and a banana or fresh fruit depending on the season.
Looks yummy. I go through the same thing chocolate chip cookies to oatmeal raisin. One night, I just baked both. Problem solved.
I love making baked oatmeal, then reheating the leftovers for quick weekday breakfasts.
I love to eat oats for breakfast with banana, peanut butter, and honey mixed in. YUM! It would be fantastic to up the health ante with quick steel cut oats.
I’m eager to try a savory oatmeal – maybe something with Parmesan, chives, and an egg!
This looks so yummy!! I’ll have to try it for sure! :)
I would like to try the steel cut oats in my Mom’s Oatmeal cookies. We enjoy oatmeal for breakfast many days in the winter.
I love using Quaker Oats to make homemade granola and overnight oats for a quick and easy breakfast!
That looks delicious! And I will have to try those steel-cut oats now that they can be made much more quickly.
I love steel cut oatmeal, and this recipe looks amazing like usual!
They would be yummy in monster cookies!
I love my oatmeal with a swirl of pb and some sliced bananas on top!
Can’t wait to try your Oatmeal Snack Cake! Notice I minused the raisins. :)
The recipe sounds great – I’m a big fan of Quaker oats, and intrigued by quick cooking steel cut oats. Will have to try it for dessert and breakfast!
my favorite is steel cut oats with little brown butter and strawberries!
The latest recipe hit in my house that uses oatmeal is peanut butter baked oatmeal…my husband gives it two thumbs up!
That frosting looks amazing! Can’t wait to try this recipe!
I love all kinds of oatmeal, especially on a cold winter’s morning. :) But, I also eat it year-round too!
Oats are my favorite breakfast item!