Tried, Tested and True

Our adopted blog, Equal Opportunity Kitchen is hosting their first event! They want to know what your Tried, Tested and True recipes are-- you know, the ones you pull out when you don't have time to mess around and you want to be sure everyone will love it. Or maybe it's a recipe your Mom always made. You know you've got a couple in your back pocket!

When I was a kid one of my mother's go-to recipes was Lazy Daisy Oatmeal Cake. Everyone loved it.  Published in the '50s by Mary Aldon, Quaker's answer to Betty Crocker, it's a moist spice cake made with cinnamon, nutmeg, and oatmeal in the batter, and topped with a broiled coconut and walnut frosting.

Jack, who really isn't so into sweets, calls it "Crack Cake," feedback I was delighted to receive (not that we, um, you know, actually have any way of knowing if it's that addictive). Truly, you can't go wrong with this cake. Trust me. Oh, and I don't know why it's called lazy, as it's a scratch cake (though it is easy and pretty much foolproof).

Lazy Daisy Oatmeal Cake
The original recipe called for Crisco (and there are a lot of recipes out there substiuting margarine), but I used butter.

1 1/4 cups boiling water
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Pour boiling water over oatmeal. Let stand 20 minutes. Beat margarine until creamy. Gradually add sugar and brown sugar. Beat until fluffy. Blend in vanilla and eggs. Add oatmeal and mix well. Sift flour, soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg together. Add to oatmeal mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes in a 9" pan.

Frosting:
1/4 cup margarine
1/2 cup light brown sugar -- packed
3 tablespoons evaporated milk (or plain milk or cream)
1/3 cup nuts -- chopped
3/4 cup coconut flakes

In a small pot melt the butter and brown sugar. Add the milk and then stir in the nuts and coconut. Spread over cake and broil until bubbly.

Comments

[Cakespy]

Crack cake!? Consider me jonesing. This one looks amazing. Nice call on adding butter. Butter makes everything better!

[giz]

Crack cake - wow - I'm already addicted - they say it only takes one hit and you're done :). This is such a great submission - exactly what we were looking for.

[Aran]

Crack cake huh! I better be careful because I'm known to be a sugar addict. And I'm glad you used butter!

[Johanna]

this is too weird - I posted about an oatmeal ginger cake I made this week and now this is the second spice and oatmeal cake I have seen this morning (the other is on apple and spice) - I am pleased that I am not the only one as oatmeal is such a good addition to a cake - I have a chocolate cake recipe with oatmeal in it that I must now try too!

[Manggy]

Jack's not into sweets? Nooooo! Hee, probably better in the long run for all of us to cut back, but come on! :P I hope all the desserts he likes gets stimulant-related names, haha :)

I hope I'll be able to contribute something to the event. I've already made a few of my TTT recipes and posted about them a long time ago, so I'll need to scour my brain for something I haven't done in a while!

[Jack]

It's true, I'm really not a big fan of sweets and desserts, but Ann has a few creations that are just too wickedly tasty even for a savoury favourer like me to resist. This is definitely one of them.

[Mansi]

I loved the name! its so fitting!! and the cake looks nice too:)

[katy]

haha, i bet it's deliciously worthy of the name! and i'm a bit frightened of crisco, although i do have a container of it for making my favorite snickerdoodle recipe...

[RecipeGirl]

Fabulous! I love to see old recipes that just work. None of this fancy schmancy stuff... sometimes the tried and true faves that are ancient are just not to be messed with!

[mimi]

ah yes, crack cake was the epidemic of the 50s, being pushed again by those pesky blogging bakers! how lovely! i guess the oatmeal makes it a crack lite?! ;)

[Cakelaw]

This cake sounds delicious with all those earthy, homey flavours - and "Lazy Daisy" is a great name for a cake!

[Bellini Valli]

Butter would be my way to go as well:D I can't wait to see the lineup for all these tried, tetsed and true recipes out there:D

[Deeba]

Oooooh Ann, I love the idea os a Crack cake! Does sounds nice.Have never tried a cake with oats...bookmarked this. Will use butter like you have...yum!!

[Pennie]

Yes, Oatmeal Cake, I know it well. Back in the day when the lunch ladies actually made the lunch instead of just reheating frozen stuff we even had this cake at my school. I still have to make it every once in a while. People are always so surprised when they find out it has oatmeal in it. It is one of those cakes you can whip up after you get home from work and take to a meeting.

[Adeline]

This cake is so good, even without the frosting.
I've taken it lots of places since the early 60's and have always been asked for the recipe.
There is a Tomato Soup Cake that is just as surprising as this one.