Baking Oatmeal Cake with Coconut Pecan Topping

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch (23 cm) round cake or springform pan and line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
2. Measure the oats into a large bowl and pour the boiling water over top. Let sit for about 10 minutes to allow the oats to plump up and the water to cool. Stir in the brown sugar, granulated sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla by hand.
3. In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt and add the dry ingredients all at once to the oats, stirring until evenly blended. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake the cake for 45 to 50 minutes, until a tester inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool the cake on a cooling rack to room temperature.
4. For the filling, whisk the brown sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan to combine. Whisk in the cream, maple syrup and eggs and heat over medium-high, whisking constantly until thickened and the filling just begins to bubble, about 6 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and whisk in the butter, then stir in the coconut, pecans (or walnuts), vanilla and salt. Scrape the filling into a bowl, cool and then chill completely before using.