Harvest Skillet Cake
I love the smell of cinnamon, oranges, cloves, and nutmeg; I will often put a small pan of this glorious mixture to simmer, on the stove, especially during the autumn. The smells remind me of my childhood home, during this time of year, when everyone was baking something delicious and preparing for the holidays. My Harvest Skillet Cake combines the wonder of spice cake with the gooey deliciousness of pineapple upside down cake.
This is what I think of as a Monday – Friday cake, though it would certainly be welcomed at a weekend brunch. It starts with a store bought cake mix; and thus is quick and easy to make and can be enjoyed during the week, without much fuss or prepared for Thanksgiving morning breakfast. Though it does not have to be baked in a cast-iron skillet, you certainly will love the convenience of using the same pan to bake your cake that you sautéed your apples in.
Ingredients:
Cake
1 package of yellow or white Cake Mix
1 tablespoon of Cinnamon
1 teaspoon of Nutmeg
1 teaspoon of Ginger
1 teaspoon of Cardamom
Oil, as directed by box
3 eggs
Use Apple Cider or Juice to replace water called for in Cake Mix directions – about 1 cup
Apple Topping
3-4 Apples, sliced and sprinkled with Lemon juice – about 2 tablespoons
½ cup of Butter
1 cup of Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon of Cinnamon
½ teaspoon of Nutmeg
If needed, ¼ cup of Apple Juice
Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees, or to temperature on the cake mix box; if you like you can make any simple white or yellow cake recipe, adding above spices. Slice and core apples, I prefer to leave the peeling on, but that is a personal choice. Sprinkle the apple slices with lemon juice, and place them in a hot, cast-iron skillet, with ½ cup of butter, if you find them dry you may add the extra cider or juice. Brown apples until they begin to soften, add brown sugar, stirring until sugar melts. Set aside, and mix cake batter. Add dry ingredients to packaged cake mix, and then proceed as directed by box. Poor batter over hot apple mix, and place into preheated oven; bake as directed, when cake begins to pull away from sides of pan, remove from oven, check that center is done by inserting a toothpick or knife, if it comes out clean, your cake is ready!
I like to serve the cake warm, with a dollop of whip cream or vanilla ice-cream, but it can certainly be served by itself. Right before serving, invert on a large, round, heat resistant dish, as you would a pineapple upside down cake. Enjoy!
