Skillet Apple Cake

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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