A few weeks ago, one of my gym buddies gave me a jar of her homemade granola. She makes a large batch periodically and shares it with our circle of friends. Her granola has been the snack of choice amongst us.
She encouraged me to make my own and said it was super easy. “A batch of granola stores well for a couple of weeks, yields plenty to snack on, and provides enough for sharing with friends,” she said.
I’ve recently added oatmeal to my morning ritual so I jumped in and baked my first batch of granola. Old-fashioned rolled oats, nuts, dried fruits, sweetener such as honey or maple syrup, and oil makes a mighty tasty granola that’s better and cheaper than the ones you buy. The combinations are infinite, too, and M & I will continue testing and experimenting, respectively.
With all of that hard work at the gym, though, we deserve a sweet reward that goes further. This granola craze/phase sparked a what-if moment. The result is an oat-filled cake with blueberry, almonds — and a slightly naughty whipped cream frosting. To go back to its roots, I topped it with granola.
adapted from Cook’s Illustrated
1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 325℉. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Whisk maple syrup, brown sugar, extracts and salt in large bowl. Whisk in oil. Fold in oats, almonds and coconut (if use) until thoroughly coated.
3. Transfer oat mixture to prepared baking sheet and spread across sheet into thin, even layer (about 3/8 inch thick). Using stiff metal spatula, compress oat mixture until very compact. Bake until lightly browned, 30-40 minutes, rotating pan once halfway through baking. Remove granola from oven and cool on wire rack to room temperature, about 1 hour. Break cooled granola into pieces of desired size. Stir in dried blueberries. (Granola can be stored in airtight container for up to 2 weeks.)
1. Spray two 9-inch cake pans with cooking spray, line with parchment, spray parchment and set aside. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add oats and cook, stirring frequently, until oats turn golden brown and smell of cooking popcorn, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer oats to food processor and process into fine meal, about 30 seconds. Add flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda to oats and pulse until combined, about 3 pulses.
2. Whisk 6 tablespoons melted butter and brown sugar together in large bowl until smooth, add 1/2 cup of coconut milk to loosen mixture. Add eggs and whisk until smooth, pour in remaining coconut milk and continue to mix until combine. Add half of oat mixture into wet ingredients to combine (tap whisk against side of bowl to release clumps if necessary). Add remaining oat mixture and continue to fold with whisk until no streaks of flour remain. Divide batter into prepared pans and aside batter for 20 minutes to thicken. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350℉.
3. After 20 minutes, place cake pans in oven and baked until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Place cake pans on cooking rack for 10 minutes. Remove cake from pans and place on lightly greased cooling rack. Cool to room temperature, about 40 minutes.
1. In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine cream cheese, sugar, extracts and salt. Whisk mixture on medium speed until smooth and fluffy. Reduce speed to medium-low, slowing pour in heavy cream and whisk for 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium-high and whisk mixture until stiff peak.
1. With serrated knife, trim top of cakes to level, cut each cake horizontally into two even layers.
2. Place one cake layer on cake stand or serving platter, using icing spatula, distribute 1/2 cup blueberry preserve evenly on cake. Place another cake layer on top and repeat with blueberry preserve until you end with the fourth cake layer on top. Spread frosting on top and side of cake, decorate top with granola, blueberries and coconut flakes (if use). Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.
