Irish Oatmeal Cake + Irish Cream Frosting

Well friends, we're a week away from St. Patty's Day and just in case you are hosting a party or simply celebrating your Irish (or non-Irish) heritage, this cake is tops for any occasion. Let's face it, everyone's Irish on St. Patty's day, right? Even if only for the beer.

Since I have already brought you Irish stout cupcakes and the best ever Irish soda bread, this year I knew I had to change it up a bit. After a bit of brainstorming, I realized that I just had to make something with Irish oatmeal. It's one of my favorite ways to eat oats. And of course, it wouldn't be a celebration without some cake. Am I right or am I right?

This cake is extremely moist and sweet. As Shaun (aka Mr. No Sweets) claimed, it's comparable to eating a soft oatmeal cookie with sweet frosting. And I couldn't find a thing wrong with that claim. The cake has a great textrue while tasting like oatmeal with cinnamon. But in a cake form. Oh and the Bailey's frosting? I mean, you cannot go wrong with this one. Pour yourself a whiskey and cut a giant slice of cake because friends, it's time to celebrate the Irish the best way I know how...with food!

 

Irish Oatmeal Cake + Irish Cream Frosting
*Adapted from McCann's Irish Oatmeal
For the cake:
1 C quick cooking Irish oatmeal (I used McCann's)
1 1/2 C boiling water
1 C brown sugar (I made my own)
1 C granulated sugar
1/2 C butter, softened
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 C all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
For the frosting:
4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 C confectioners' sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp Bailey's Irish coffee creamer (or 1 tsp Bailey's Irish Cream liquer)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the boiling water and oatmeal; set aside for 10 minutes. Next, add the butter and mix together until combined. Add brown sugar, sugar, vanilla extract and eggs. Mix well. Pour in the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Mix gently until completely combined. Pour into a greased 9x9" baking dish. Bake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

While it's cooling, make the frosting. Mix the butter and cream cheese together until fluffy. Add the sugar, 1 cup at a time and mix on medium-high until combined. Add vanilla and Bailey's, until your desired flavor is reached. I used the coffee creamer because I had it on hand, but the liquer would have been divine as well (Note: Use significantly less liquer than creamer since it's more concentrated flavor).

Spread over the cooled cake and serve!

So there you have it. A quick and simple sweet cake that's perfect for any St. Patty's Day celebration. Or a Tuesday night. Or any day that's not St. Patty's Day. So what do you think? Do you celebrate St. Patty's Day?

Easy Oatmeal Pancake for One

I have to tell you...I am tired today friends. I finally worked up the motivation to get myself to the gym each morning before work. I'm excited and ready to tackle this challenge...but I'm tired. You see, yesterday I not only went to the gym in the morning, but also to my weekly zumba and pilates classes in the evening. So it's no surprise that this morning my tummy is rumblin' and my body is a hurtin'. But can I tell you a secret? It feels pretty fantatic.

On Sunday night, after the recommendation of my friend Kristen, I downloaded the Couch to 5K app for my iTouch. Though I wasn't exactly starting from the couch (I do go for a run a couple days a week), I want to start fresh with training to run. Not only to get 'er done, but to also have a respectable time. I've never been too fond of running but it's something that I'm determined to be good at! And beyond that? I'm going for the 10K!

So it's no wonder that I've been hungry the last few days. Though I've been dabbling in smoothies and bowls of oats, both mixed with protein powder, the routine has gotten a little stale. So I decided to change it up a bit.

My mom originally showed me how to make this quick and easy breakfast, but I've changed it up just a bit to get the most protein, fullness and deliciousness out of this dish! I simply took some old fashioned oats and turn them into a giant flapjack. Oh and in this version, I added a bit of canned pumpkin for some extra umph as well as nutrients, though you can certainly omit it altogether and still come out with a nice sized, hearty pancake. I will tell you, however, that it did not taste overly like pumpkin. Instead it kept the pancake moist without overtaking the flavor. Not to mention the fact that I finally found a healthy pancake option. Want to see how it's done?

Oatmeal Pancake for One
½ C old fashioned oats (you could even use a packet of instant oats)
2 egg whites
½ C canned pumpkin (optional)
1 packet Splenda (you could also use honey or agave nectar)
pinch salt
splash milk (of your choice, I use Almond Breeze)
splash vanilla extract
dash of cinnamon
any other add-ins you like (raisins, chia seeds, pumpkin pie spice, you get the idea)
non-stick cooking spray or a small pat of light butter (recommended)
maple syrup or jam

In a bowl, mix up the oats, egg whites, pumpkin, Splenda, salt, milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon and any other add-ins you like (I also used a dash of ground ginger). In a large skillet, heat up the butter. Pour the mixture into the skillet. It will be very thick, so use a rubber spatula to spread it out into desired thickness. Flip when the bottom comes together and turns golden. Cook through and enjoy with a drizzle of maple syrup or jam.

So there you have it. A super simple breakfast that kept me full for a few hours. What more can you ask for? So what do you think? Are you an oatmeal fan? And while we're on the subject, what's your favorite workout?

Five Minute Maple Cinnamon Oatmeal + Giveaway Winner

The winner of the Lucini Italia prize pack giveaway is...

Barbara Peters, who says her favorite Italian dish is Pizza! Congrats Barbara! Please send me an email at theavidappetite@gmail.com with your address and your pack of gourmet Italian goodies will be sent to you! And thanks to everyone who entered! Stay tuned next week for another great giveaway!

Meanwhile, I've been cooking up quite the fabulous breakfast this week.

After continuing to hit the gym 4 out of 5 weekday mornings this week (a new record for me, for sure), I realized that it's imperative to have a delicious and filling breakfast following a workout sesh. Though I whipped up some breakfast quinoa last week, when my supply ran low, it was time to ravage the pantry in search of an appropriate breakfast ingredient. And when I came across a large container of quick oats that I had purchased many moons ago to make monster cookies, I knew I'd found the makings of a quick and easy dish. (oh, and bonus that it wasn't set to expire until December!).

Five Minute Maple Cinnamon Oatmeal
1 C unsweetened vanilla almond milk, or milk of your choice
½ C quick oats
pinch of salt
dash of cinnamon
Swirl of maple syrup (this is obviously a technical unit of measure)

In a saucepan, bring the milk and salt to a boil. Add the oats and cook on medium heat for about 1 minute, stirring occasionally.

Pour into a bowl, add cinnamon and syrup to taste and enjoy immediately. 

Note: the oats continue to absorb the milk even after you’ve taken it off the heat. If it gets to dry, mix in another splash of milk.

So there you have it, a super easy, filling and healthy breakfast, perfect for those post-gym days! The vanilla almond milk gives just a bit of sweetness and a whole lot of added flavor and the texture is more sophisticated than one of those instant packets.

So what do you think? How do you do quick and healthy breakfast? Please share since I'm always looking for new ideas!