Lazy Daisy Coconut Oatmeal Cake

Ingredients

• For cake:
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 3/4 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 plus 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, very soft
• 1 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut
• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• For topping:
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, very soft
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 2 cups shredded sweetened coconut
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped

Directions

1. Stir together the oats, boiling water, and milk, then leave the mixture alone for 20 minutes. Set the oven racks in the upper-middle and lower-middle positions, and heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9- by 9-inch pan.
2. Add the salt, butter, sugar, and vanilla to the softened oats, and mix until everything comes together. Stir in the eggs, then the coconut. Add the flour, baking soda, and cinnamon to the bowl, and keep stirring until the batter is fully combined. Scrape it into the prepared pan and bake on the middle rack until the cake is just set, about 30 minutes.
3. While the cake is in the oven, use that same unwashed bowl for the topping. Mix the butter, brown sugar, milk, coconut, and nuts until you have damp, crumbly bits.
4. When the cake is done, take it out of the oven and scatter the topping evenly over the surface. Put the pan back in the oven and switch the heat to broil. Let it heat briefly, just until the topping softens and the coconut turns lightly toasted, about 1 minute. Move the pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool.