Easy to make and loaded with fruit, this moist apple skillet cake recipe has a buttermilk batter, and thin-sliced tart-sweet apples on top, zipped up with whiskey (or cognac). It has the irresistible texture of bread pudding. Serve warm, straight from the cast iron skillet. 

Photo of a black cast iron skillet with baked French apple cake, with sliced apples and powdered sugar on top.

This apple cake is a sweet treat that’s as homey as it gets, inspired by an old-fashioned one pan apple cake. Rustic and unfussy are two perfect words to describe it. A warm slice straight from the oven always gives me a cozy fall feeling.

Instead of a cake pan or springform pan, this dessert is baked in a cast-iron skillet, which is a big part of its homespun appeal. But aside from what it’s baked in, I think it’s the texture that might be the winning detail.

Image of a black cast iron skillet with whiskey-infused French apple cake, sliced apples and turbinado sugar on top, before baking.
Put sliced apples on top of the cake batter, then sprinkle with turbinado sugar.

My favorite apples for this cake

My top choice are Honeycrisp because I love their tart flavor and crisp, firm texture. Other variety of apples such as Granny Smith, Jonagold, Pink Lady, Gala will work well too.

  • The small amount of spirits in the batter adds a nice hint of woody, complex flavor, without tasting at all boozy. To make this really French-inspired, definitely use cognac if you have it! Good American bourbon, whiskey or rum will also do the honors quite nicely.
5 from 23 ratings

Honeycrisp Apple Skillet Cake

Karen Tedesco
Easy to make and loaded with fruit, this moist apple skillet cake recipe has a buttermilk batter, and thin-sliced apples on top, zipped up with whiskey (or cognac). It has the irresistible texture of bread pudding. Serve warm, straight from the cast iron skillet. 
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Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients
 

  • 1 stick (113 g) unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 ¼ pounds (625 g) Honeycrisp apples, 4 or 5 small (see my note above for other apple recommendations)
  • 1 cup (140 g) all purpose flour
  • ¾ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 2 eggs
  • ¾ cup (180 g) granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoons (45 ml) whiskey, bourbon, Cognac or apple brandy
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ⅓ cup (75 ml) buttermilk
  • 2 tablespoons (30 g) turbinado sugar
  • Powdered sugar for serving

Equipment

Instructions
 

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (175C)
  2. Brush a 9 or 10-inch cast iron skillet enough of the melted butter (about 1 tablespoon) to lightly coat it on the bottom and sides.
  3. Core the apples and peel all but one. Slice the unpeeled apple into half moons about ¼-inch thick. Cut the remaining apples into ½-inch chunks.
  4. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a mixing bowl.
  5. Lightly beat the eggs in another bowl with the sugar just until foamy (an immersion blender is great for this task). Stir in the whiskey, vanilla and buttermilk.
  6. Pour half of the egg mixture over the flour mixture and fold briefly. Pour in the remaining butter and stir. Add the remaining egg mixture and stir until no flour is visible. Add the chopped apples and stir gently to blend.
  7. Spoon the batter into the skillet. Arrange the sliced apples on the top, then sprinkle with the turbinado sugar.
  8. Bake until the cake springs back when poked in the center, and the edges are golden brown, 55-60 minutes. Cool 10 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

  • Substitute the whiskey with another amber-colored spirit, like bourbon or Cognac.If you don’t want any spirits in your cake, just omit it and double the amount of vanilla extract.
  • Add a 1/2 teaspoon of ground spice to the dry ingredients, such as cinnamon or ginger.
  • The cake keeps at room temperature up to 2 days.
Recipe adapted from Cook Beautiful 

Nutrition per serving

Calories: 316kcal Carbohydrates: 44g Protein: 4g Fat: 13g Sodium: 214mg Fiber: 2g Sugar: 30g

Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.

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