So at work today one of the teachers asked me to stop with all the sweets.  She's too tempted.  I'm sorry.  I felt bad.  I did offer some advice (make the stuff and share) but I'm not sure it helped.  I'm not setting out to have a baking blog here.  Not at all.  In fact, I really want to make sure that I'm balanced in my postings... or at least varied.  And yet here I am posting another cake.
Thing is, I despise bought treats.  I can't tell you how much they make me crazy.  The bought cookies, candies, cakes... they're not tasty, they're full of god-knows-what and we eat too much of them when they're around.  (I've decided - unilaterally - to donate some of our hallowe'en treats BTW)  It seems that when I make homemade treats we don't gorge.  We appreciate.  They taste better and somehow they're more filling... and special.  My kids love homemade treats way more than other stuff.  I'm not trying to be snobby in the least.  This is a conscious decision that we've made in our house.  No bought sweets, no sugar cereal, no pre-made food.
It's a pain in the neck sometimes.
I can't just open the cupboard and grab.  OH.  True confessions here... I do buy treats sometimes... chips.  Not often but sometimes.  Almost forgot and it's good to make sure that it gets off my chest.  What if you came to my house and found my chips.  For the most part though... I make my own ice cream, my own cookies, cupcakes, muffins, dips... and if I can't make it them we pretty much don't eat it.  As a consolation prize, your house is probably way cleaner and tidier than mine.  Trust me... I'm no hero.


When we make it ourselves, we think about it more.  We use up what we have in the house.  We use oats... in our cake.  Who uses oats in a cake?  Actually the best cake I've ever had was an oatmeal/date cake that I made for this elderly rich couple in Montreal.  I was in University and they hired me to come in multiple days a week and serve them afternoon tea on their silver (with homemade ginger cookies of course) and then dinner in their dining room... from their silver.  Yup, just the two of them.  The oatmeal/date cake was from the Chicago Symphony cookbook... or maybe the Philadelphia Symphony cookbook... jeez I can't remember which flippin' symphony but the cake was outta this world and I've lost it forever.  If anyone has it PLEASE send it to me and I'll post it.  So, I make cake with oats.  And it's awesome.  It should've been quick oats but I just used the regular stuff and it's just as good.


I'm sorry for posting yet another sweet.  I'm sorry that it's so tempting.  It's my awesome-ass photography skills that make it look so good.  For chocolate lovers, I'm sorry that it doesn't have chocolate in it but damn - like haven't you had enough chocolate from me lately.  For oatmeal lovers:  I'm sorry that I didn't' get a chance to share with you.  For me:  I'm not sorry that I took a little bit of it to work everyday.


Oatmeal Cake adapted from 'More With Less'
makes 1 9x13 inch cake

1 cup oatmeal
1 1/4 cup boiling water
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease and flour a 9x13 inch cake pan.
Combine the oatmeal and boiling water.  Set aside for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile:
Cream together the brown sugar, sugar and butter until fluffy.  Add in the eggs and vanilla and beat until incorporated.
Add the oatmeal mixture and mix well.
Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together.
Add the flour to the liquid mixture.  Mix until well incorporated.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  Bake for about 30 - 35 minutes or until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan and a cake tester comes out clean.
Cool for about 10 minutes before removing from the pan.  Or you can cool it in the pan and just cut it out from there.

Icing:
1 1/4 cup icing sugar
1 tbsp butter
1/4 cup cream
1 tbsp vanilla
1 - 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Combine all the ingredients and pour onto the cooled cake.