Cathy's Rolled Oats Cake

Cathy's been telling me about this cake for awhile now, and kept saying she had to make it for us...and I'm SO happy to report that she made it for our "last meal" before we fled the snow like the snowbirds we are, and it is delicious. It's a moist, flavorful, spice cake with a crunchy-nutty frosting (note: Dave is allergic to nuts so she frosted 1/2 of the cake with the same frosting but left the nuts out - both halves are great so if you don't want to add the nuts you don't have to!), it's not a delicate cake and would transport very easily (this is important to know if you've ever labored making a pretty layered decorated cake and then had it totally fall apart while transporting it to someone else's house -  or have the frosting completely slide right off the cake while riding in the car...don't ask). 

Cake Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups water, boiling
• 1 cup quick cooking oatmeal
• 1 stick butter or margarine
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Frosting Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 
• 1 1/8 cups coconut flakes
• 1 cup chopped nuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven 350'
2. Pour boiling water over oats and let stand for 20 minutes. 
3. Cream butter, add sugars and beat well. Add eggs, beat again. Add the rest of the cake ingredients and mix well.
4. Bake in greased 13x9 cake pan for 35-40 minutes.
5. Mix together the frosting ingredients, spread over hot cake. Put under the broiler for about 10 minutes, watching carefully that it doesn't burn.