A few months back a new donut shop opened in the center of town. Which happens to be about a mile from where I live. I have yet to taste a donut that disappointed my fussy donut palate. In other words, all of the donuts are all really, really, really good, but there is one donut in particular that is dangerously good. You might already have a really good idea as to which donut that might be. If you guessed the Apple Fritter Donut you would be right! In all honesty, it has taken a significant amount of restraint to turn my weekly trip to the donut shop into a daily one. After the third or fourth apple fritter (not all in one sitting and not all in one week thank goodness), I was again inspired to make my own apple fritters. However, after looking a bajillion recipes, I remembered why I have yet to make homemade apple fritters. While there are some baked apple fritter recipes out there, the majority of them call for the apple laden batter to be deep fried. I have always been a reluctant 'fryer'. Which explains why there haven't been any homemade apple fritters coming out of my kitchen. But while driving home from a short trip up to Door County for my birthday, I had an epiphany. I also happened to have a very large bag of Honey Crisp apples (picked up at one of the many Door County apple orchards) in my trunk. Could an apple fritter cake be as good (possibly even better than) as a deep fried apple fritter? Could such a cake have all of the flavor, texture and oompf as a deep fried apple fritter And most importantly, could it be one that could satisfy my almost insatiable cravings for an apple fritter? My guesses were yes, yes, and yes!
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If you ever go down the apple fritter cake or apple fritter skillet cake rabbit hole, you will discover there are essentially two different kinds of 'fritter' cakes. Ones made with refrigerated biscuits and ones made from scratch. I decided taking the homemade path would get me closer to experiencing apple fritter nirvana. Along with helping to curtail my trips to the donut shop in town.
In addition to diced, sautéed Honey Crisp apples, the cake is made with some chunky applesauce. The combination of these two ingredients help to give the cake a great apple flavor and texture. Cinnamon, nutmeg, light brown sugar, dark brown sugar, and butter help to create a deeply spiced, perfectly sweet, luscious, buttery cake. One destined to elicit rave reviews whether you serve it for breakfast, brunch, as an mid-morning, afternoon, or late-night snack, or at a gathering of friends. With apples currently in season and fall temperatures looming nearby, I hope this Apple Fritter Skillet Cake becomes an immediate baking priority in your life. Especially if you consider yourself an apple fritter fanatic and don't happen to live in a town with a donut shop.
The cake has three different components: the sautéed, diced apples; the cake batter; and, the icing. The cast iron pan used to sauté the apples is the same one used to bake the cake. Both the cake batter and icing are made in bowls using whisks. If the simplicity of this recipe doesn't entice you to make this delectable cake, the anticipation of a moist, spice cake, destined to make any apple fritter lover swoon should.
Hands down, the best apple to use in this Apple Fritter Skillet Cake is the Honey. Crisp! Not because they happen to be my most favorite apple, but because they are sweet, crisp, and transform into tender bites when baked. You will need about 4 medium sized (or 3 larger sized) Honey Crisps to get four heaping filled cups of half-inch peeled and diced apples. Once the diced apples are sautéed in butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and a pinch of Kosher salt, temporarily transfer them to a bowl. Then remove one cup of the apples and about four tablespoons of the syrup to use to top the cake batter. The remaining three cups and syrup will get mixed into the very thick cake batter.
For the prettiest presentation and best bake, I highly recommend using a 11" to 12" cake iron pan (I used this 30cm cake iron pan from Staub). Baking time will range from 25 to 35 minutes depending on the size of your pan. However, I encourage you to begin checking for doneness at the 25 minute mark. The glaze gets poured on the warm (but not hot) apple fritter cake about 10 minutes after the cake comes out of the oven. Some of the glaze will melt into the warm cake and some will remain on top, giving it that gorgeous apple fritter 'please eat me' finished look!
If you love Honey Crisp apples, comfort food, apple fritters, the fall season, sweet things, or simple delicious food, you are going to be smitten with this Apple Fritter Skillet Cake. There may be no better way to welcome in the arrival of the fall and Honey Crisp apple seasons than with a generous wedge of this buttery spiced apple cake. Okay, maybe the occasion calls for at least two slices!
Recipe
Apple Fritter Skillet Cake
Serves 8-12, depending on how you slice it.
Ingredients
Cake
4 heaping cups (1 lb. 3 oz/539) peeled, half inch diced Honey Crisp Apples (from about 4 medium sized or 3 large apples) - divided after being sautéed
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup (100g) light brown sugar
1 slightly heaping teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of Kosher salt
2 1/2 cups (336g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/2 cup (100g) light brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup (120g) chunky applesauce, organic, if possible (see notes)
1/2 cup whole milk
1 Tablespoon dark brown sugar
Icing
2 cups (220g) confectionary sugar, sifted
1/4 cup whole milk
Directions
Apples, Cake and Icing
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F).
2. In an 11" to 12" cast iron skillet, melt 3 Tablespoons of butter.
3. Add in the diced apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, and pinch of Kosher salt. Cook over medium-high heat until the apples are tender and the butter and sugar are syrupy (about 8-10 minutes).
4. Remove the sautéed apples and syrup from the pan (but remember you are going to bake the cake in this pan so keep it off the heat on the stovetop). Remove 1 cup of the apples and about 4 Tablespoons of the syrup. Set aside.
5. In a medium sized bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, Kosher salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.
6. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, apple sauce and brown sugar until well blended.
7. Whisk in the applesauce, eggs, and vanilla until fully incorporated.
8. Whisk in dry ingredients. Midway through mixing, when the batter starts coming together, add in the milk. When fully incorporated used a spatula to mix in the reserved 3 cups of sautéed apples and any remaining syrup. Pour into the same cast iron pan used to cook the apples.
9. Top the cake with the reserved 1 cup of sautéed apples and 4 Tablespoons of syrup. Sprinkle the 1 Tablespoon of dark brown sugar over the top.
10. Place pan in the oven and bake for 25-35 minutes. Check for doneness at 25 minutes.
11. When done, remove the pan from oven and set on a cooling rack for 10 minutes.
12. While the cake is cooling, whisk together the confectionary sugar and milk until smooth. Drizzle the icing over the still warm (but not too hot) cake.
13. Enjoy generous slices of the cake warm or at room temperature. It's delicious both ways. But if you have any leftovers, heat a slice in the microwave (the icing will melt into the fritter cake) to get that out of the oven taste.
14. Cover leftovers and store at room temperature for up to a day. After that, cover and refrigerate.
Notes: (1) This cake was meant to be made and served in a cast iron pan. If by chance you don't have one, you can bake in 9"x12" baking dish. The apples should then be sautéed in a separate skillet. (2) I think smaller Honey Crisp apples are a little sweeter and crisper than large ones. So I recommend buying medium sized apples for baking. (3) If you can't find chunky applesauce, use regular applesauce.
Apple Orchard, Door County, Wisconsin (September 2022)
