Oatmeal Cake – a soft and moist classic oatmeal cake topped with a coconut pecan streusel!
We all have those recipes that our grandmother or our mother used to make, and this is one of them. The classic oatmeal cake has been around forever, and it’s one that everyone seems to remember when they were kids. It’s super easy to make, and not just your average cake!
I always have a big box or oats on hand for recipes like protein balls, or our favorite peanut butter oat bars or even just chocolate oats for breakfast . So this cake really can happen anytime!

What is oatmeal cake
This is one of those old fashioned cakes that have been around forever! It’s not a super light and fluffy cake, like some you might think. The oats give the cake a moist and delicious texture. It’s almost like the texture of banana bread.
The cake is topped with icing not your average. You melt butter and brown sugar with pecans and coconut to create this delicious streusel-like icing that’s poured over the baked cake. It’s super delicious.

What you will need
- Milk
- Old fashioned oats
- All purpose flour
- Cinnamon
- Baking soda
- Salt
- brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Butter
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract

Frosting ingredients
- Butter
- brown sugar
- Milk
- Unsweetened coconut
- pecan nuts

How to make oatmeal cake
Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for full measurements and instructions!
- The first step is to soak the oats. Mix the hot milk with the rolled oats for about 10 minutes, while you measure out the rest of the ingredients.
- In another medium bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.
- Using an electric mixer, cream the butter with the brown sugar and white sugar until nice and creamy. Stir in eggs and vanilla extract until eggs are fully incorporated.
- Add half the flour to the butter mixture, then the soaked oats (including any liquid in the bowl). Once mostly incorporated, add the remaining flour until just combined.
- Pour into prepared 13×9-inch baking dish and bake until set, 35 to 40 minutes.
- For the filling, add the butter, brown sugar and milk to a saucepan. Bring to a boil, while stirring. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove the pan from the heat. Stir in coconut and pecans. Pour over cake and spread evenly.
- Let rest for about 10 minutes, slice and serve!

The recipe calls for old fashioned oats, and it really is the best cake. If you use quick bake they are much thinner so the texture of your cake is going to be very different. Rolled oats make a moister and just better cake.
Yes, it will last 2-3 days. Just store it covered at room temperature, and it should still taste great when you go to serve it.
Yes, pecans are the classic topping for oatmeal cake, but really any nut will work. Nuts would be my second choice which would pair well with the flavors. And if you need or want to get rid of the nuts, you can really leave them out.

Recipe tips and variations
- Don’t like pecans? Use walnuts or almonds or you can just leave them out if you have a nut allergy.
- Not a coconut fan? It’s always delicious with just the nuts for garnish.
- I used 1% milk in this recipe, but really any variety of milk will work.
- Many people like rolled oats and raisins together, you can stir 1/3 cup of raisins into the cake batter for a slight twist on this classic cake.
- Want more spice? I sometimes add just a little ground nutmeg to really enhance the flavor of the oats.

Yield: 16
Oat cake

Oatmeal Cake – a soft and moist classic oatmeal cake topped with a coconut pecan streusel!
Preparation time 15 minutes
Cooking time 40 minutes
Total time 55 minutes
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 1/2 cups hot milk
- 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 large whole eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Accompaniement
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon of milk
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In medium bowl, combine hot milk and rolled oats; let soak for about 10 minutes, while you measure out the remaining ingredients.
- In another medium bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.
- Using an electric mixer, cream the butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar until just combined, they will be crumbly. Beat eggs and vanilla until well blended and fully incorporated.
- Add half the flour to the butter mixture, then the soaked oats (including any liquid in the bowl). Once barely mixed, add the rest of the flour until the white streaks are gone and the batter is just smooth.
- Pour into prepared baking dish and bake until set, 35 to 40 minutes.
- For the filling, add the butter, brown sugar and milk to a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove from the heat. Stir in coconut and pecans. Pour over cake and spread evenly.
- Let rest for about 10 minutes, slice and serve!
Remarks
(adapted from Taste and Tell)
Nutrition information
Yield
16
Portion
16 servings
Amount per serving calories 273Total fat 8gSaturated fat 4gtrans fat 0gUnsaturated fats 3gCholesterol 28mgSodium 185mgCarbohydrates 48gFiber 2gSugar 36gProtein 4g
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