Today is my Dad’s Birthday!  The whole family is headed out to celebrate with an early dinner at one of his favorite restaurants.  And though I know we’ll have dessert at the restaurant, I couldn’t let his birthday go by without baking for him, could I?  =)

Dad’s favorite cake is a recipe of his mom’s, her amazing Oatmeal Cake.  That cake is awesome, it’s a spicy, coarse-crumbed cake with an ooey-gooey boiled coconut frosting.  For some reason, it didn’t work as a cupcake.  I tried, but it dried out and shriveled up.  I played with it, played with the oven temp and the ingredients a smidge and got much better results.  It’s not quite my grandma’s cake but I’m convinced that a few more tweaks and I’ll have it right.

The best thing about this cake is how moist it is, a lot of which comes from the frosting that kind of oozes into the pores of the cake.  I didn’t want to lose that in the cupcake interpretation so I decided to fill it with the coconut frosting and top it with a caramel whipped cream.  Oh my heavens…as soon as I’m done typing this up I need to go spend some time on the elliptical machine because more than one spoonful of that frosting made its way to my tummy today.  What happened to my willpower??

I hope you’ll try this cupcake.  It’s been a favorite of my family’s for as long as I can remember.
Happy Birthday, Pa-Pa!

Cake Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 cups boiling water
1 cup rolled oats (not instant or quick oats)
1/2 cup butter (1 stick, room temperature)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 and 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare two cupcake pans with cupcake liners.  Boil water.  Pour over oats and let sit until cool.  In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.  Set aside.  In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter, brown sugar and white sugar for about 3 minutes or until light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time, beating each until incorporated.  Slowly add flour mixture, beating until just combined, and then add oats.  Stir until combined.  Fill each cupcake tin 2/3 full (not more than that, these rise a lot!).  Bake for 22-24 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.  Let cool in pans for 5-7 minutes, then remove to cool completely on a wire rack.

Filling ingredients:
1 stick of butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
6 oz evaporated milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
8 oz flaked, sweetened coconut

In a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat, melt butter.  Add brown sugar and stir until boiling.  Slowly add evaporated milk, stirring continuously until bubbling.  Add vanilla and coconut, stirring until well combined.  Set aside until slightly cooled.

Cut a cone out of the top of each cupcake, reserving the cone, and fill with a heaping teaspoon of filling mixture.  Replace cone top.

Frosting ingredients:
3 cups heavy (whipping) cream
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Have ready a heavy saucepan no more than 6 to 7 in. in diameter, a bowl (wider than bottom of saucepan) filled with cold water, and a candy thermometer.

Pour 1/2 cup cream into saucepan, resting bulb of candy thermometer in liquid. Add sugar and butter and stir over low heat until sugar dissolves and mixture boils. Continue boiling, without stirring, until candy thermometer registers 238°F, or a small amount dropped into cold water forms a soft ball. Immediately remove from heat and place bottom of pan in bowl with water. Let cool to lukewarm (about 110°F).

Beat remaining 2 1/2 cups cream and the vanilla in a large bowl with mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form when beaters are lifted. Whisk or stir about 1/2 cup into the caramel, then another 1/2 cup. Add caramel mixture to remaining whipped cream and beat a few seconds until stiff. Use immediately, or cover and refrigerate up to 2 days. Rewhip briefly before using.

Place frosting in a piping bag and pipe a big dallop of frosting on each cupcake.  Garnish with caramel sauce or toasted flaked coconut.

Refrigerate cupcakes until ready to serve. Enjoy!
Frosting adapted from Woman’s Day.  Cake and Filling adapted from family recipe.