Skillet Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Buttercream
Ingredients
- FOR THE CARAMEL APPLES:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 large baking apples peeled, cored and diced into 1/2-inch pieces
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- FOR THE CAKE:
- ½ cup unsalted butter 1 stick, at room temperature, plus more for the pan
- 1 ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- FOR THE FROSTING:
- ½ cup unsalted butter 1 stick, at room temperature
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch of kosher salt
- 1-2 Tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Make the apples: In a sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat.
- Add the apples, brown sugar and salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and the apples soften slightly, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Let cool to room temperature.
- Make the cake: Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease a 10-inch oven-proof skillet with butter.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, and mix to combine.
- Scrape the bowl well, then beat in the vanilla.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg to combine.
- Add the flour mixture to the mixer and mix just until incorporated.
- Scrape the bowl well.
- With a rubber spatula, gently fold the apple mixture (including all of the caramel-like liquid in the pan) into the batter.
- Mix just until incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the prepared skillet and spread into an even layer.
- Bake until the surface is evenly golden brown and appears set – a toothpick inserted into the center should have a few moist crumbs clinging to it, 30 to 35 minutes.
- Let cool completely.
- Make the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whip butter on medium-high speed until very fluffy, about 8 minutes, occasionally scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Add powdered sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt, and beat on low to incorporate.
- Add heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract, mixing on low until combined.
- Increase mixer speed to medium-high and beat until very light and fluffy, about 5 to 6 minutes, occasionally scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Notes
I used 3 medium Honeycrisp apples and baked the cake in a 10-inch cast iron skillet, but any oven-proof skillet will work with this recipe.
For the frosting, you can easily substitute 1-2 Tablespoons half-and-half instead of the heavy whipping cream. Start with 1 Tablespoon and add more as needed to get to the right frosting consistency.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!