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?
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Vanilla cherry walnut overnight oatmeal is one of my favorites!
This looks great and sounds tasty! Love oatmeal :)
I love granola with dried fruit and nuts.
I’ve been wanting to try this new product! My husband loves oatmeal for breakfast, with peanut butter and (on special occasions) chocolate chips. So delicious.
Every morning I start my day with healthy oat meal, this cake looks so good
I can’t wait to try it. I have been trying all the overnight oatmeal recipes I found on Face book tooooooooo.
I just bought these oats! Delicious in oatmeal cookies!
Oatmeal is one of my favorite go-to breakfasts! I usually make a cinnamon banana oatmeal. First I add 1/2cup oats into boiling water. After a couple minutes I add in sliced, ripe bananas, raisins, chia seeds, ground flaxmeal, and then finish off with cinnamon at the end. Then, if I’m feeling extra fancy, I’ll decorate the top of my bowl of oatmeal with a variety of fruits and more cinnamon! The riper the bananas, the sweeter the oatmeal will be. :)
We enjoyed making the baked Amish oatmeal all winter. I also love making oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. I like the recipe from a Rachel Ray employee who uses oatmeal flour in the batter.
I love to make oatmeal cookies and instead of raisins, I add chocolate chips and dried cranberries!
What would be the equivalent of 1-minute oats, if the 3-minute steel cut oats are not available? Also, do you discard the soaking liquid from the oats and raisins? This will be a true winner for my Dad and boyfriend! Thank you for providing such wonderful options and recipes. I can’t wait to make this and many of your other goodies!
i blend dates, quaker whole oats, apple sauce, cinnamon together for a quick ball snack for running/on the go.
I love oatmeal for breakfast or an oatmeal bread recipe I have.
Mix the oatmeal with brown sugar, cinnamon, milk and dried apricots. Yum! #QuakerUp and #SweepsEntry
Oops, forgot to share my tweet.
https://twitter.com/xxpaperhearts/status/582653514251419648
Oatmeal made a anyway. Love it!
Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies would be delicious with those oats! I’m really hoping they start selling them in Canada. Or maybe apple oatmeal cookies with cinnamon chips…hmmm!
I will cook 4-6 servings of steel cut oats at night, put it in the fridge and in the morning all I have to do is microwave it and then I like to put a spoonful of jam in it. Breakfast perfection!
Oatmeal Scotchie Cheesecake Bars!!
http://www.crazyforcrust.com/2012/10/oatmeal-scotchie-cheesecake-bars/
love oatmeal and would love to win
very tasty!
I’d use the steel cut oats to make baked oatmeal.
Oh, I sooo love oatmeal and esp steel cut oats! a hint of brown sugar and a touch of cream and I’m in heaven. Sounds so wonderful!!
I like chocolate chip oatmeal cookies!
My whole family loves oatmeal for breakfast!!
Those no bake oatmeal peanut butter chocolate chip cookies are my favorite!
Also, could I substitute dates for the raisins in this recipe? I have a ton right now that I need to use. I love your banana snack cake recipe!
I love oatmeal!
I love maple oatmeal and peanut butter oatmeal cookies. I would love to try these using steel cut oats.
Look forward to trying this recipe.
When I was a kid, my oatmeal always wound up being oatmeal soup – with an overabundance of milk and brown sugar (and sometimes maple syrup, haha). When I’m getting over a cold all these years later, there’s nothing better than some good old oatmeal soup.
I love , love quaker oats in my morning smoothies yummm!!!!
I love oatmeal steeped in water overnight. I get up, stir it up, add whatever kind of fruit I have on hand, and Viola! There you are! Delicious breakfast that will get you through to lunch!