Coconut Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal Cake (gluten-free, dairy-free)

Don’t let the word oatmeal fool you, this coconut chocolate chip oatmeal cake is certainly more of a dessert than it is breakfast. But perhaps we can compromise by serving it during a special brunch?

Before I tell you about this dairy-free and gluten-free oatmeal cake, I have to admit something (and it’s all going to make sense soon). I am secretly a grandma. 👵🏾

Okay, not literally – because hello, my kids are 3 and under. What I mean is… I have this (really cool) grandma kind of personality/vibe and I kind of always have.

Like when I was 10 years old, I took a weekly quilting class with nine of the cutest little old ladies you’ve ever met. I spent most of my childhood (including my early teenage years 🙈) begging my parents to take me to craft stores (Michaels or Joann Fabrics) on the weekends. I learned how to knit before I learned how to write. I even had my very own sewing machine in grade school. Oh, and I was going to actual scrap-book meetings until I was in college, lol. Have I made my point yet? Well, I got a little older and slowly realized that these were not “normal” hobbies for someone in elementary/middle/high school to have…

SO… knowing this somewhat strange information about my past… let’s get back to present day.

Apparently this oatmeal cake… is a “grandma cake.” 👵🏾🍰

Like, a cake that everyone’s grandmother used to make decades ago (well, not my grandmas, I’m Indian so my lovely grandmas were making stuff like this homemade achar).

How did I come up with the brilliant idea to make this grandma cake? I’m going to tell you exactly how it happened.

Me thinking to myself: I want to make an oatmeal cake. Like, a sweet cake but with rolled oats. This will be perfect for [friend’s name] who just had a baby – a unique but also decadent way to use oatmeal in a dish – which is of course good for new moms! Wow. This is such a great idea. I bet no one has done this before. Let me check google!

::hops on google and finds like a million results with people sharing family recipes for oatmeal cakes with stories about how their grandmothers made this old fashioned cake like decades ago::

Me continuing to think to myself: Oh. It makes sense that I thought this was a good idea…

Me to myself again: Well, my cake is going to be more modern… but also not too modern because I mean, grandmas know best.

So, maybe this cake is a bit similar to a cake your grandma or great grandma made? I’m pretty sure mine is at least a little different though – because it’s gluten-free and dairy-free and I’m guessing no one’s grandma had time for that.

My recipe calls for condensed coconut milk and gluten-free all purpose flour (I have made this cake using this brand and this brand but pretty sure any gf mix will work). And there are chocolate chips. And a drizzle of coconut butter (you can also use frosting) because I’m a little extra.

That being said, I think this might be more of a glamma cake. You know, glam-ma. Like, a cake made by a glamorous grandma?

Or, you know, a 33-year-old mother with a cool grandma vibe. 🙋🏽‍♀️

This decadent dairy-free coconut chocolate chip oatmeal cake is perfect for dessert or for a special brunch! Top it with an optional coconut butter glaze or frosting!

This is one of the few cakes on my site calling for a gluten-free flour mix (I have tested this cake using both King Arthur Gluten Free Flour and Pillsbury Gluten Free Flour and am fairly certain any brand will work), however if you’d prefer to stick to individual paleo-friendly flours, try my coconut tres leches instead.

5 from 5 reviews

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Ingredients

 

• ▢ 1 cup boiling water
• ▢ 1 cup rolled oats
• ▢ 8 tablespoons ghee or butter or coconut oil*
• ▢ 1 can condensed coconut milk
• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 cup gluten-free all purpose flour
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut flakes
• ▢ ½ cup mini chocolate chips plus extra to top
• ▢ Coconut butter or frosting optional

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350F.
• Add the oats, ghee/coconut oil and boiling water to a large bowl and let this sit for 5 minutes.
• Then add condensed coconut milk, eggs and vanilla extract and mix well.
• Pour the flour, baking soda and salt into the bowl and mix well.
• Finally, stir the coconut flakes and chocolate chips into the bowl, mix well, and pour the whole mixture into a well-greased 7×11 pan/glass dish.
• Sprinkle the top of the cake with more chocolate chips if desired.
• Bake for 1 hour, making sure to cover the cake with foil at the 30 minute mark to prevent the top from getting too brown. You will know the cake is done once the middle is set.
• You can top the cake with a coconut butter drizzle by melting a few tablespoons of coconut butter in a small saucepan, then drizzling it on top of the cake. Or you can use frosting!

Notes

• *When using gluten-free flour in this recipe, use the scoop and level method to measure.
•  *I have tried this with ghee and coconut oil – both turn out well, but I prefer ghee.

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