Cookin' with Moxie

It’s my turn to host our Club:Baked selection of the month! Baked is one of my favorite bakeries although I’ve never stepped foot in their door. One of the amazing creators of most of these treats is Matt Lewis, states on his Twitter account, “we like to bake so much it hurts.” Ain’t that the truth? I think I live and breathe that motto.

These amazing bakers have just added another cookbook to their repertoire – Baked Elements: The Importance of Being Baked in 10 Favorite Ingredients, which comes out today, September 1st! You better believe I already pre-ordered this book at Amazon. More to come on that. Now, onto this delicious breakfast cake…

What a breakfast cake it is! Anyone who knows me understands my affinity for all things sweet at breakfast. This one fits the bill just perfectly. It reminds me so much of my Grandma’s Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies which makes me smile. I’d be grinning ear to ear if Grandma had slathered those cookies with cream cheese frosting though.

I thought the technique to make this cake was very interesting, as are most of the Baked recipes I’ve made from their cookbook. For example, I typically mix a little flour in my chocolate chips before adding them to the batter so that they don’t all sink to the bottom but adding Scotch, that one is new to me. Yet I did it. I’ve also never added oatmeal to my cake batter, but again, I did it. I have to admit I was very tempted to eat the oatmeal while it was cooling down. Who wouldn’t like that – there was a stick of butter in it! I would make this cake again any day, it is just that good. Even if I just need to relive the smell of Grandma’s baking, this recipe takes the cake!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients:

• 8 ounces chocolate chips
• 1/2 teaspoon liquor, such as bourbon or Scotch*
• 1 & 1/2 cups + 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into small cubes, at room temperature
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 & 1/4 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 & 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 5 & 1/2 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Butter the sides and bottom of a 9″x13″ baking pan.
2. Toss chocolate chips with liquor in a small bowl. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of flour over the chips and toss until coated. Set aside.
3. Heat 1 & 1/4 cups water to boiling. Place the oats and butter in a large bowl. Pour boiling water over oat mixture. Wait 30 seconds, then stir to moisten oats and melt the butter. Seat aside for 25-30 minutes.
4. Whisk eggs, sugars, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Fold in oatmeal, stirring until well combined. Fold in remaining flour, and then stir in chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pan.
5. Bake 40-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 30 minutes.

To make the frosting:

1. Beat butter until smooth. Add cream cheese and beat until combined. Beat in confectioners’ sugar and vanilla extract until smooth (about 1 minute). Cover bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
2. Spread a thin layer of frosting over cake. Chill for 15 minutes before serving. The frosted cake can be kept, refrigerated and tightly covered, for up to 3 days. Bring the cake back to room temperature before serving.

To see how other Club: Bakers fared this time around, head over the Club: Baked website.

Tutti Mangia!

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