Steel-Cut-Oats Snack Cake
For the past four years, I’ve spent the month of February thinking a lot about oats. Mostly it’s my daily bowl of steel-cut oats and the various, exciting toppings that I dream up differently every day. But my mind does wander to cake, too.
This snack cake is the result of some tinkering around, what first began as an attempt to steel-cut-oat-ify these Nova Scotia Oat Cakes, but quickly devolved into its own thing. All the experiments have been delicious, but this version, with a tahini, maple, and browned butter base, has taken, well, the cake. I’m excited to share it with you.
Steel-Cut-Oats Snack Cake
Toasty, tender, and with the trademark chew of steel-cut oats and a pleasingly shellacked crust — this is a cake for slicing off a square at a time and eating in its entirety over the course of an afternoon. (It does keep and freeze well, though.) Note: I’ve been baking it in a quarter sheet pan, but I imagine that an 8x8- or 9x9-inch square baking pan would work just as well, as long as you adjust the cooking time.
Makes about 25 squares when baked in a quarter-sheet pan
½ cup (100 grams) steel cut oats
1 cup water
2 eggs
1 cup (130 grams) all-purpose flour
½ cup (50 grams) almond flour, spooned and leveled
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup (100 grams) brown sugar
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ cup tahini (well-stirred)
1 tablespoons sesame seeds, for sprinkling (optional)
In a saucepan, combine the oats and water. Bring to a boil, then off the heat and let stand for at least 20 minutes, and up to an hour. Scrape into a small bowl and add the eggs, whisking to combine.
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line a quarter sheet pan, or 13x9-inch baking pan, with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, stir together the flours, salt, and baking soda.
Back in the saucepan (I just quickly rinse it of the oatmeal dregs), brown the butter: melt it over medium heat, then continue cooking, whisking or swirling often, until the milk solids begin to turn reddish-brown and it smells toasty—6 to 10 minutes. Whisk in the brown sugar, maple syrup, and tahini, and bring to a simmer. Then scrape into the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients, followed by the steel-cut oats. Use a spatula to thoroughly combine.
Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with the sesame seeds, if using. Transfer to the oven and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes (30-35 minutes if using glass bakeware), until set in the center, well browned evenly across the top, and beginning to pull from the sides of the pan. Cool before slicing.