Chocolate Oatrage Snack Cake

This chocolate oat snack cake is a microwave baking throwback that delivers serious chew. Butter, brown sugar, cooked oatmeal, and chopped walnuts get beaten until fluffy, then loaded with a full cup of chocolate chips before cooking in the microwave for about eight minutes total.

The texture lands somewhere between a blondie and a fudgy oat bar. The cooked oatmeal keeps the crumb moist and dense instead of cakey, and the brown sugar gives it a toffee-like backbone. Beating the batter for a full three minutes isn’t optional. That’s what creates the light, fluffy structure that holds up in the microwave.

The frosting is built right in. The second cup of chocolate chips gets scattered over the hot cake and left to sit for ten minutes until the residual heat melts them. Then you just spread them smooth with a spatula for a glossy, fudgy chocolate top.

Pro Tips

• Use quick-cooking oats, not old-fashioned. They absorb into the batter for a smoother texture
• Rotate the dish a quarter turn halfway through cooking for even results. Microwaves have hot spots
• The cake is done when the top looks dry and the bottom shows even color. It will firm up as it cools
• Cool the cake fully on the counter before cutting so the chocolate top sets properly

Variations

• Swap walnuts for pecans or toasted hazelnuts for a different nutty flavor
• Use peanut butter chips instead of the second cup of chocolate chips for a chocolate-peanut butter top
• Fold in dried cherries or cranberries with the first batch of chocolate chips