Old-Fashioned Applesauce Oatmeal Cake (2024)

By Julie Kotzbach Published in Cakes & Cupcakes

When it comes to comforting desserts, this Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cake is everything! Topped with broiled coconut and nuts, each bite is a hug for your mouth!

Nothing beats an Old-Fashioned Appplesacue Oatmeal Cake for an easy dessert recipe. It’s as simple as 1-2-3! Mix the cake bake and bake. Mix the topping and broil. Be patient while it cools. If you can. Everyone is going to want the recipe when you serve up a slice of this cake!

LOVE THIS RECIPE? PIN IT FOR LATER!
Follow Bread Booze Bacon on Pinterest

What is Oatmeal Cake?

Oatmeal cake is a dense spice cake made with rolled oats. Nothing fancy or some secret story here. Just a classic dessert recipe you’ll fall in love with.
An old-fashioned oatmeal cake recipe is topped with a broiled mixture of coconut, brown sugar, milk, and nuts instead of frosting.

When the weather starts to cool, there’s nothing better after dinner than this easy apple oatmeal cake. My kids who swear they don’t like coconut gobble it up. I love the way this cake makes my house smell! Seriously, one bite and you’ll be hooked!

One of my favorite things about this cake is that it’s not a full-sized 9×13 pan or a layer cake. It’s the perfect size for weeknights or a smaller family to enjoy.

You can, of course, double the ingredients and bake this cake in a 9×13 pan if needed. I’m all about options.

Applesauce Oatmeal Cake Ingredients

Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats
Applesauce
Unsalted Butter
Sugar
Eggs
Vanilla
Flour
Baking Soda
Ground Cinnamon and Nutmeg
Salt
Sweetened Flaked Coconut
Brown Sugar
Nuts – walnuts and pecans are my go-to for this recipe, but I’ve also seen it made with almonds
Milk

How to Make Oatmeal Cake

Add the applesauce to a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir in rolled oats and let sit for 20 minutes. The applesauce will absorb into the oats and softened them. This is super important to the recipe process. Don’t skip the resting time!
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F after letting the oats sit for 10 minutes, then being preparing the other cake batter ingredients.
Beat together butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until pale and fluffy. Mix in eggs and vanilla until smooth.
Stir together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Mixing the spices into the flour will disperse them evenly in the batter.
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in two additions, mixing until just combined after each addition. The batter will be pretty thick at this point.
Stir the applesauce/oat mixture into the batter until completely incorporated. The batter will loosen up. Pour into a 9-inch x 9-inch baking dish that’s been coated with non-stick cooking spray.
Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. The cake will brown and when you insert a toothpick in the center it’ll come out clean. Remove cake from the oven and turn oven to broil on HIGH.
In a mixing bowl, stir together the coconut, brown sugar, nuts, butter, and milk until everything is moistened. Spread over the hot cake.
Return to oven and broil for 1 to 2 minutes until the top is golden and bubbly. Remove from oven and let rest for 30 minutes. Cut into 9 slices.

The hardest part of this recipe is ignoring this cake while it cools and dreaming about the taste. Mike’s cousin came into town and told me 2 or 3 times while she was here how good this cake was. She recommends a scoop of vanilla ice cream with your slice. I’m on board for that.

If you’ve heard of a Lazy Daisy Cake, this oatmeal is similar, but not the same.

Alazy daisy cake is a hot milk sponge cake with broiled topping. It’s considered a “pan cake” or snack cake and you don’t unmold it from the baking pan.

PS – is “snack cake” not the best concept ever? Oh you know, I just made this cake so I could snack on it. Ha!