An apple cinnamon skillet cake is an ideal cozy dessert for fall! This cake is a perfect treat for family and friends, filled with warm spices and juicy apples and topped with a rich brown butter frosting. The cast-iron skillet gives it that rustic, homemade feel, and the cake is deliciously moist and flavorful in every bite.
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Ingredients for apple skillet cake with brown butter frosting
For the apples:
- Butter
- Medium to large apples (I used Honeycrisp apples, but granny smith, gala apples, or any other sweet apples you prefer will also work. Just make sure they are fresh apples.)
- Dark brown sugar
- Salt
For the cake:
- Butter
- Dark brown sugar
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Flour
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
For the brown butter frosting:
- Butter
- Confectioner’s sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Milk
The equipment you’ll need
- Apple peeler
- Cast-iron skillet (if you don’t have a cast iron skillet, a stainless steel or oven-safe skillet will work)
- Sharp knife
- Cutting board
- Electric stand mixer or electric hand mixer
- Small bowl
- Large bowl
- Saucepan
- Regular silicone spatula and offset spatula
Cooking instructions for this delicious dessert
This is a simple recipe, but there are a few things you need to know. To prevent the top of the cake from burning while baking, cover it loosely with foil once the edges begin to brown. Also, don’t prepare the frosting until the cake has baked and cooled to room temperature. The frosting hardens very quickly, and you won’t be able to spread it on the top of the cake. You’ll also have to spread the frosting very quickly.
For the apples:
- Peel and core the apples and dice them into small pieces.
- Place the chopped apples in a sauté pan with the brown sugar and salt. Over medium heat, cook the apples, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves. Lower to medium-low heat and cook until the apples have softened. This should take about 7-9 minutes. The sugar and juices from the apples will provide a delicious syrupy mixture. Remove from heat and let the apple mixture cool to room temperature.
For the apple cake
- Preheat the oven to 350º
- Coat the bottom of the skillet and the sides generously with butter. You could use cooking spray, but I think butter is the better choice for a cast-iron skillet.
- Add the butter and brown sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment and cream the butter and sugar, on high, for about 5 minutes until combined and a little bit fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until combined
- Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat in the vanilla.
- Whisk together some of the dry ingredients (flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder) in a medium bowl until combined.
- Add the flour mixture to the bowl of the mixer and beat until just combined.
- Remove the mixing bowl from the stand and using a rubber spatula, gently pour and fold the syrupy apples and all the juices into the cake batter. Mix until just combined.
- Carefully pour batter into the prepared skillet and smooth it out evenly in the cast iron pan.
- Bake in a 350º oven until the top of the cake is evenly golden brown and the cake has a moist center. You’ll know it’s done when you insert a toothpick into the center of the cake, and it comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. The baking time is approximately 1 hour. Keep a close eye on the cake, and if the edges begin to get dark brown, cover the cake loosely with aluminum foil.
- Let the cake cool completely before adding the frosting.
For the frosting
- Heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and brown it. Stir regularly until it turns light brown and has a very nutty-like smell. This should take approximately 7 to 10 minutes.
- Once the butter is browned, remove from heat and whisk in the confectioner’s sugar, milk, and vanilla extract and mix until smooth with no lumps.
- With an offset spatula, immediately spread the frosting over the top of the cake until coated.
- You’ll need to work fast because the frosting hardens quickly.
- Cut the cake into pie-like slices and serve.
How to best store the leftover cake
Cover the cake with aluminum foil and leave it on the counter for up to three or four days. However, it’s so good, but I doubt it will last that long!
PrintApple Cinnamon Skillet Cake With Brown Butter Frosting
Cinnamon apple skillet cake is filled with warm spices, juicy apples, and topped with a rich brown butter frosting. It is the perfect treat to share with family and friends.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 90
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield: 10 to 12 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For the apples:
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 medium to large apples (I used honeycrisp apples, but granny smith, gala apples, or any other sweet apples that you prefer will also work. Just make sure they are fresh apples.)
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For the cake:
- 1/2 cup butter (you’ll need a little bit more to grease the cast-iron skillet)
- 1 1/3 cups dark brown sugar
- 2/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 2/3 cups flour
- 3 eggs (room temperature)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the frosting:
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk (more if you’d like more of glaze than frosting)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
For the apples:
- Peel and core the apples and dice them into small pieces.
- Place the chopped apples in a sauté with brown sugar and salt. Over medium heat, cook the apples, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves. Lower to medium-low heat and cook until the apples have softened. This should take 7-9 minutes. The sugar and juices from the apples will provide a syrupy mixture. Remove from heat and let the apple mixture cool to room temperature.
For the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
- Coat the bottom of the skillet and the sides generously with butter. You could use cooking spray, but I think butter is the better choice for a cast-iron skillet.
- Add the butter and brown sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment and cream the butter and sugar, on high, for about 5 minutes until combined and a little bit fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until combined
- Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat in the vanilla.
- Whisk together some of the dry ingredients (flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder) in a medium bowl until combined.
- Add the flour mixture to the bowl of the mixer and beat until just combined.
- Remove the mixing bowl from the stand and using a rubber spatula, gently pour and fold the syrupy apples and all the juices into the cake batter. Mix until just combined.
- Carefully pour batter into the prepared skillet and smooth it out evenly in the cast iron pan.
- Bake in a 350 degree oven until the top of the cake is evenly golden brown and the cake has a moist center. You’ll know it’s done when you insert a toothpick into the center of the cake and it comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. The baking time is approximately 1 hour. Keep a close eye on the cake, and if the edges begin to get dark brown, cover the cake loosely with aluminum foil.
- Let the cake cool completely before adding the frosting.
For the frosting:
- Heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and brown it. Stir regularly until it turns light brown and has a very nutty-like smell. This should take approximately 7 to 10 minutes.
- Once the butter is browned, whisk in the confectioner’s sugar, milk, and vanilla extract and mix until smooth with no lumps.
- With an offset spatula, immediately spread the frosting over the top of the cake until coated.
- You’ll need to work fast because the frosting hardens quickly.
- Cut the cake into pie-like slices and serve.
Notes
Don’t prepare the frosting until the cake has baked and cooled to room temperature. The frosting hardens very quickly, and you won’t be able to spread it on the top of the cake. You’ll also have to spread the frosting very quickly.
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Yum, Annie! Give me all the apple desserts. But what I’d really like is to have it for breakfast – now. I’m definitely incorporating this into our holiday menus but I’ll try to hold off for lunch and dinner! So good. xo
Brown butter frosting? I think it’s the only thing I HAVEN’T put brown butter in! I’m not much of a pie person so this would be right up my alley!
wow! I can’t wait to try this!
Annie, This looks so yummy and I Love the idea of baking this in the skillet. This is such a perfect fall dish for other get togethers as well.
Thank you for doing this and getting all of us together! So inspiring.
This cake looks delicious! I think I will make it with Summer over the holidays. I think I might be capable of doing this one!
Dear Annie,
Thank you for “The Complete Guide…” Your recipes have a wonderful contemporary twist and appeal. I’m in charge of bringing the sweet potatoes and pie so will be roasting your skillet sweets while baking my Grandmother’s traditional pumpkin pie.
Enjoy your Thanksgiving with your family,
Diney on Mercer Island
just made this yesterday and it is amazing!!!
Yay! It smells yummy too when it’s in the oven! Happy Thanksgiving!