I cannot believe I’ve never used my ‘oven-proof’ skillet in the oven. I always feared it would warp and contort beyond recognition. But my Dutch baby pancake proved that my fears were unfounded. There was a whole new world of skillet baking to be discovered. Most of the recipes I found called for a cast-iron skillet, but I decided to try my luck with a regular (but very old and well-seasoned) non-stick pan.
A skillet cake is as easy as it looks and sounds. Somehow, washing a cake pan seems like too much of a chore than washing one of my everyday pans.
To start things off, I decided on a simple apple cake. Now, how wrong can it go? The beauty of a fruit cake lies in the fact that if it is ruined, you can tell everyone it is a crumble! Haha… just kidding!!
The recipe is pretty easy. It’s a regular vanilla cake, with a layer of apples on top. To spice things up, I added a pinch of cardamom powder to the batter. When it comes to apple desserts, cinnamon is the traditional choice. But any sweet spice, like cardamom, works beautifully too.
I adapted the recipe from this Martha Stewart recipe for a plum skillet cake. If it works for plums, it should work for apples too. I was right, but Martha was wrong about the skillet size. The cake overflowed slightly in my 8-inch pan. I fixed it halfway through the baking and thank goodness, I had the foresight to place a drip pan on the bottom rack. Next time though, I will be using my 10-inch skillet or reducing the recipe accordingly.
And yes, there will be a next time. Because, just for a little while, I felt like I lived in one of those Country Living kitchens. There is something absolutely romantic about baking in a skillet!
You will need:
- Butter – 1/4 cup + a little extra for greasing the pan
- Sugar – 3/4 cup
- Egg – 1, large
- Vanilla extract – 1/2 tsp
- All purpose flour – 1 cup
- Baking powder – 1/2 tsp
- Baking soda – 1/4 tsp
- Salt – 1/4 tsp
- Cardamom powder – 1/8 – 1/4 tsp
- Buttermilk – 1/2 cup
- Apples – 2, sliced thinly
- Lemon juice – 1 tsp
- Brown sugar – 2 tbsp
How to:
- Pre-heat the oven to 375 deg.F. Melt a little butter in a 9 or 10 inch skillet, just about a tablespoon. If you are using a cast-iron skillet, dust with a little flour too.
- Sift the dry ingredients together and keep aside.
- In a mixing bowl, cream the sugar and butter together. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix well.
- Add the flour and buttermilk to this alternately, beginning and ending with the flour. Do not over-mix. The batter will be thick. Pour into the skillet and smooth the top with a spatula.
- Place the skillet in the hot oven and bake for 5 minutes. We will arrange the apples when the cake is slightly baked to prevent the fruit from sinking into the cake.
- Meanwhile, thinly slice the apples and toss with the lemon juice. After 5 minutes, take the skillet out and arrange the apple slices on top. Sprinkle the brown sugar on top and return the pan to the oven. Bake for a further 15-20 minutes or till the cake passes the toothpick test.
- Allow to cool slightly and serve warm along with tea , coffee or some ice cream.
Notes:
- Baking time may vary for a cast-iron skillet.
Sit back and enjoy a warm slice of apple cake. Heaven!
So, what are you waiting for. Grab a skillet and get baking!
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- DIY Show Off
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- By Stephanie Lynn
- Jam Hands
- Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms
- This Gal Cooks
- Two Cup Tuesday
- Home To 4 Kiddos
- Anyonita Nibbles
- Kitchen Meets Girl
Thank you for sharing this post at City of Creative Dream’s City of Links on Friday! I appreciate you taking the time to party with me. Hope to see you again this week 🙂
Thanks for visitng, Shanice!
I’ve also had some issues with recipes from Martha Stewart. They just never seem to go smoothly but its never enough for me to not ever make them again. This skillet cake just makes me all kinds of happy! I agree, making anything in a skillet just feels so homey.
Hi,
Thanks for visiting and commenting! I had my doubts when I filled the skillet, I should have listened to my gut!
Oh well, it still turned out ok. So all’s well that ends, or in this case, bakes well!
Hi Anjana, Not sure what happened to the link at the party this morning, but it’s fixed now. Thanks for letting me know. And we’re always happy to have you share with us!
Thanks for sorting that out!
Great recipe! I will surely try this!
Please do!
That cake looks beautiful and delicious!
Thank you, Sharon!
Yum! I would love it if you joined and contribute your awesome posts at my link party at City of Creative Dreams , starts on Fridays 😀 Hope to see you there at City of Creative Dreams Link Party.
Thank you. Will check it out!
This looks so delicious – and just like something out of Country Living 😉
Thank you, Marisa!
oh that looks incredible! Pinning!
Thank you, Emily!
This looks delicious Anjana!
Thank you!
Looks yum, Anjana!
Thank you, Aditi!
Looks delicious. My trees are loaded this year with apples, you can bet I will be making this delicious looking cake!
It’ll be amazing with freshly picked apples!
Anjana, this skillet apple cake looks so yummy – definitely pinning it. I’m visiting from the Metamorphosis Monday Party. Can’t wait to try your recipe 🙂
Thank you, Marie. Appreciate it!
Oh this looks delicious. Thanks tons for the recipe and thanks for linking to Inspire Me.
Thanks Marty!
Oh my goodness, that looks delicious!!
Thank you, Deb!
This is gorgeous Anjana and baking a cake in a skillet sounds like fun :).
Thank you, Sonal. Skillet baking is so much fun!
Work of art! 🙂
Thank you, Priya. Apples are naturally beautiful, so this is a pretty cake with minimal effort!
You used twice the amount of butter in your recipe. You have 1/2 C=1 stick=8T
Martha Stewart only used 4T of butter. Is that a typo or should I use the whole stick of butter?
Oops… thanks for pointing that out. Seems to be a typo, it is 1/4 cup butter. I’ve corrected it now!
Looks utterly professional and pretty x
Aww… that’s a huge compliment. Thank you, Deena!
Psst… it’s really easy, no professional skill required 😉
I have to make this recipe for my children!
thank you!
Simi
Please do and let me know how they liked it!
Oven-proof skillet sounds good! 🙂 And this cake looks stunning!
Thank you, Jhuls!
Apple cakes are always delicious!!! 🙂
Sure they are 🙂
Sounds delicious!
Thank you, Aruna!
Please pass me a slice a la mode, Anjana! 😀
Sure will, Patty!
Looks wonderful. I sent you an email a few days ago and I’m wondering whether perhaps it went to your junk mail. Would you mind checking. Just in relation to the paper accordion tutorial. Thanks so much.
I got your mail and will update it.
Thank you lovely lady. I am so going to try this skillet cake. Looks amazing!!
Thank you. Please do and let me know how it goes!