Recipe: Oatmeal Cake

1 1/4 cups boiling water
1 cup oats (quick or rolled)
1/4 cup butter softened
1/2 cup applesauce
1 cup dates pureed with a little hot water
1/4 cup evaporated cane juice (or succanat)
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 cups whole grain flour (from the wheat I ground at my sisters)

Pour the boiling water over the oats and let stand for 20 minutes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a pan (this time I chose a 9 inch round, but I usually do a 9x13)

Cream the butter, applesauce, evaporated cane juice, and pureed dates. Beat in the egg. Then add the oat mixture and vanilla, mixing well.

Combine the baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and flour. Add this to the oatmeal mixture and stir to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until tester comes clean.

Slice and top with whipped cream and fresh or frozen berries.

*This is a cake I've always loved of my moms. It's a perfect after dinner dessert with company because it's not to rich or heavy and pretty with the whipped cream and berries. I wanted to bring a dessert to dinner with friends this week, and decided on this cake. I knew I wanted to adjust the original recipe and the substitutions I made turned out to be a success so I made it again for Sunday dinner at my sisters. Dates pureed with a little hot water in a food processor is an easy way to substitute sugar and doesn't take out the sweetness of the dessert. Dates are so sweet! Applesauce is the easy go-to for oil/butter in baked recipes and only adds to the desired moistness. I suppose you could play around with different flours too. Lots you do with this basic recipe.
Eat with people you love.