still in january, but at least the end

i started this year with a ton of cooking and baking. many many cookings and many many bakings. so i picked one cake that i made that got the most attention and people liked, my adaptation on oatmeal cake. it is for sure not healthy, but i liked it. the end. this cake took a lot of time and was no comparison to the deliciousness created at ellerbee's, but still tasty.

my adaptation of ellerbee's amazing oatmeal cookie cake






CAKE
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 1/4 cups boiling water
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg

GLAZE
1/2 cup butter; unsalted
3 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar

ICING
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 pinch salt
1vanilla bean
1 ½ cups heavy whipped cream , unwhipped (33-35%)

Before starting this cake, throw a cup of golden raisins in a bowl with 1/4 cup of white rum and 1/2 a vanilla bean. if you don't like raisins - omit..obvi.

Put the oats in a mixing bowl, pour the boiling water over them, and set aside for 20 minutes. Heat the oven to 350ºF. Combine the shortening, sugars, and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Beat well with an electric mixer, adding the soaked oatmeal.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Beat them into the wet mixture until the batter is evenly mixed. Pour the batter into the prepared pans. (i used 8 inch rounds - this recipe wanted a 9x13) Bake for 30 minutes or until the cake pulls away from the sides or a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Meanwhile, make the glaze. Melt the butter in a medium-size saucepan and stir in the milk. Add the brown sugar. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil and cook for several minutes, until it coats the back of your mixing spoon. Remove the pan from the heat and continue to stir for 20 more seconds
When you take out the cakes, leave in pan for 5 minutes and then plan on rack lined beneath with wax paper. After 20 minutes, with a toothpick, poke holes in each layer..several, but not a million and pour half the glaze over each cake. make sure to give the cakes enough time to soak in the mixture. slow is the idea here. then let sit for another 30 minutes before frosting the cakes. (adapted recipe from familyfun.go.com)

For Frosting: In a bowl whip the 1-1/2 cups whipping cream until stiff peaks form. In another large bowl beat together the cream cheese with sugar, salt and vanilla until smooth. Using a spatula fold in the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture. (recipe from food.com)