It is a clear, cool and beautiful fall day. There is nothing better than the smell of a spice cake baking in the oven. This spice cake recipe is easy to do and the oats in this cake give it a very moist and dense texture.
Cake
1 cup rolled oats, not the quick cooking or instant oats
1 cup boiling water
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
l/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
Icing
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
3/4 cup pecan halves
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 stick unsalted butter
3 egg yolks
pinch of salt
1 Tablespoon dark rum
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Coat two 8″ round cake pans with nonstick spray, line with rounds of parchment, then coat with spray again.
Combine oats, water, buttermilk, and spices in a bowl; let stand for 15 minutes.
Cream butter with both sugars in a second bowl until well blended, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat to incorporate.
Blend flour, baking soda, and salt into butter mixture just until combined, then add oat mixture.
Divide batter between prepared pans and bake 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cakes comes. out clean. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then invert cakes onto the rack, lift off the pans, and peel away the parchment. Cool layers completely.
Icing
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Toast the coconut on a baking sheet until dark 10-13 minutes.
Toast pecans on another baking sheet until brown, about 15-17 minutes. Chop the pecans.
In a saucepan over medium to low heat simmer the brown sugar, cream, butter, yolks, and salt stirring constantly until the mixture thickens 8-12 minutes.
Take off the heat and add the rum and vanilla. Cool until warm to the touch and add the coconut and pecans.