This skillet apple cake is the perfect way to showcase crisp autumn apples at their finest. With fresh apple slices on top and applesauce in the tender cake, this sweet dessert is bursting with apple flavor, and since it's cooked in your cast iron skillet, it can be baked on the grill or in the oven.
Recipe at a Glance: Skillet Apple Cake
- DETAILS
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Preparation method: Cast iron cooking (grill or oven)
- HIGHLIGHTS
- This skillet apple cake is an easy apple recipe to make in your cast iron skillet. You can cook it on the grill or in the oven.
- For extra apple flavor, this recipe uses apple slices on top of the cake, and applesauce in the batter, which also helps to keep the cake moist and tender.
- Serve this cake warm or at room temperature topped with a drizzle of caramel sauce, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or a dollop of whipped cream.
I've got a lot of love for grilled desserts, particularly around the holidays. They're simple to make and they don't take up any oven space. This apple cake is a perfect example. It comes together in just 15 minutes with basic ingredients, is pretty to look at, and most importantly, it tastes incredible.
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Ingredients and Substitutions
- Butter--I use unsalted butter for baking since the salt levels in salted butter can vary. If you're substituting salted butter, reduce the amount of salt in the recipe to ¼ teaspoon.
- Milk--You can make this with regular or your favorite non-dairy milk.
- Yogurt--I developed this recipe using plain Greek yogurt, but you can substitute full fat regular yogurt, or sour cream.
- Applesauce--Use your favorite store-bought or homemade applesauce for this recipe. Since the cake has sugar in it already, I recommend using an unsweetened applesauce here.
- Apple--You'll need one large apple to create enough slices for the top of the cake. Choose a good baking apple, like Honeycrisp, Cosmic crisp, or Pink Lady.
How to Make Apple Cake in a Cast Iron Skillet
1. Coat the cast iron skillet well with butter.
2. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients together.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until they're just combined. Spread the batter in the skillet.
5. Arrange the apple slices in a single layer on top of the cake.
6. Bake in a 375°F oven or covered grill until the cake is golden and a tester comes out clean.
Baking a Cake on the Grill
Using a grill to bake a cake isn't complicated, as long as you remember a few key things. We're treating the grill like an oven, so it needs to remain covered as much as possible. That means no peeking! Only open the lid to check on it when it's getting close to the 30 minute mark.
The other critical thing to remember is that the skillet needs to be over indirect heat. Any direct flame under your skillet is going to result in a burned cake. Ideally, you want low heat on either side of your skillet, but if your grill isn't large enough to accommodate this, heat the burner on one side of the grill, place the skillet on the other side, and turn it once during baking.
Serving Suggestions
Serve your cake warm or at room temperature, topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a dollop of whipping cream, or a drizzle of warm caramel sauce.
Storage
The cake can be stored at room temperature, covered with plastic wrap or foil for up to 3 days. The cake will lose its crispiness along the edges as it sits, but it will still be delicious.
Tips and Troubleshooting
- If you prefer very soft apple slices in your cake, slice them very thin, about ⅛-inch thick. If you prefer cooked apple slices that have a little more bite, but are still tender, slice them about ¼-inch thick.
- If you're concerned about the cake sticking to the skillet, you can line it with parchment. If you're baking the cake on the grill, make sure there is no paper hanging over the edges as it could ignite.
- Avoid lifting the lid on the grill as much as possible as the temperature will fluctuate each time it's opened.
More Skillet Cake Recipes You'll Love
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Recipe
Skillet Apple Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons (2 oz | 57 g) unsalted butter melted, plus more for the skillet
- 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large apple peeled and thinly sliced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven or grill to 375°F (190°C). If using a grill, prepare it for indirect cooking. (I use two low burners on either side of the grill with the cool zone in the center.)
- Butter a 12-inch cast iron skillet well, making sure it's completely coated.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- In a large bowl, combine the melted butter, eggs, milk, yogurt, applesauce, and vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix just until they're combined and no dry patches remain. The batter will be thick.
- Spread the batter in the prepared skillet. Arrange the apple slices in a single layer on top of the cake.
- Bake the cake in the oven, or in a covered grill over indirect heat until the cake is golden and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. If using a grill, adjust the burners as needed to maintain temperature, and avoid opening the lid frequently. If using a grill with burners lit on only one side of the grill, rotate the skillet once during baking.
- Let cool for at least 30 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
-
- Apple slices--If you prefer very soft apple slices in your cake, slice them very thin, about ⅛-inch thick. If you prefer cooked apple slices that have a little more bite, but are still tender, slice them about ¼-inch thick.
- Using parchment--If you're concerned about the cake sticking to the skillet, you can line it with parchment. If you're baking the cake on the grill, make sure there is no paper hanging over the edges as it could ignite.
- Don't peek!--Avoid lifting the lid on the grill as much as possible as the temperature will fluctuate each time it's opened.
- Storage--Store the cake, loosely covered with plastic, at room temperature for up to 3 days or wrap with plastic and freeze for up to 3 months.
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