Apple Fritter Skillet Cake

The beginnings of Fall can be seen and felt on the farm. Cooler weather, foggier mornings and the sight and scent of Pears, Apples and Quince in the orchards. This is my first time on a farm and seeing the Fall harvest begin has been exciting! Our Applemania field trips are in full swing and have been super fun getting students on the farm, pressing apples and making apple cider. Being a home chef gets me thinking of ways I can cook and bake using the fresh, organic fruits and veggies from Live Earth Farm and in the Discovery Garden. The Fall season is always scented with warm spices like cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, cloves and nutmeg. With the harvest in full swing, I wanted to bake something that is complemented by those spices and fills our homes with nostalgic fall memories! An Apple Fritter Skillet Cake is the best way to show off the flavor and scent of our apples! Grab some of our Apples from the U-Picks this weekend, Apple Syrup and Applesauce recipe from our blog and bring those warm spiced memories to you and your family. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Apples:

3 cups peeled and diced apples – (I used apples from Live Earth Farm)

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp Apple Syrup – (Farm Discovery)

Apple Fritter Cake:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour**

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce, room temp – ( I used the applesauce recipe on our blog)

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs, room temp

1/2 cup milk

1 tbsp light brown sugar, for sprinkling

Icing:

2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup milk

½ tsp Apple Syrup – (Farm Discovery)

Instructions

Cinnamon Apples:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Place an 11-12″ cast iron or oven-safe skillet over medium heat and add the apples, butter, brown sugar, apple syrup and cinnamon.
3. Stir and continue to heat until the apples start to become tender and their juices produce a syrup-like coating (about 10 minutes).
4. Remove from heat and move on to the batter.

Apple Fritter Cake:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the butter, sugar, and apple sauce.
3. Then whisk in the vanilla and eggs.
4. Once smooth, whisk in the dry ingredients. The batter will become very thick so halfway through mixing, pour in the milk and continue to mix.
5. The batter should be thick and sticky.
6. Back to the skillet full of apples – remove 1/2 cup of the apples with some of the syrup.
7. Then pour the batter into the skillet full of apples and fold to combine the two. It doesn’t have to be well mixed. Just fold just enough to where the apples and syrup are evenly distributed.
8. Spoon the reserved 1/2 cup of apples on top in a random placement. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tbsp of brown sugar, concentrating the sugar in the apple sections.
9. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean with a few moist crumbs.

Icing:

1. While the cake cools, make the icing.
2. Whisk together the sugar, milk and apple syrup until smooth. It should have a thick and sticky consistency. If it’s too thin, whisk in a spoonful of sugar at a time until you reach the right thickness.
3. After about 15 minutes, pour the icing over the warm cake.
4. Now you’re ready to cut a slice or dig straight in with a spoon. Enjoy!