This Skillet Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Buttercream is, quite simply, delicious. The cake is dense and moist and filled with caramel-infused apples. It probably doesn’t even need frosting, but, you know, frosting. And this brown sugar buttercream is a winner as well.
My 5-year-old niece and I made this cake last week while she was having a sleepover at our house. I love to bake with her because she learns new kitchen skills and thoroughly enjoys the process.
The original skillet apple cake recipe from which this is adapted comes from the New York Times and includes salted caramel frosting. I have no doubt that would be absolutely dreamy as well. Since I didn’t have individually-wrapped caramels on hand, though, I decided to adapt the brown sugar buttercream from A Farmgirl’s Dabbles – a decision I did not regret. I halved the original frosting recipe and it was perfect – not too little, not too much.
This cake was not only a fantastic dessert but also paired perfectly with my cup of coffee the next morning. (My niece, instead, requested Cheerios and sprinkles … her breakfast of champions!) Oh and did you notice the extra sprinkles on the cake? That was my niece’s idea as well … after all, a girl can’t really have too many sprinkles on anything!
I used my favorite 10-inch cast iron skillet (find it here) for this cake but any oven-proof skillet will work. Happy fall baking!
xoxo – Lara
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Skillet Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Buttercream
Ingredients
- FOR THE CARAMEL APPLES:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 large baking apples peeled, cored and diced into 1/2-inch pieces
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- FOR THE CAKE:
- ½ cup unsalted butter 1 stick, at room temperature, plus more for the pan
- 1 ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- FOR THE FROSTING:
- ½ cup unsalted butter 1 stick, at room temperature
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch of kosher salt
- 1-2 Tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Make the apples: In a sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat.
- Add the apples, brown sugar and salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and the apples soften slightly, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Let cool to room temperature.
- Make the cake: Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease a 10-inch oven-proof skillet with butter.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, and mix to combine.
- Scrape the bowl well, then beat in the vanilla.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg to combine.
- Add the flour mixture to the mixer and mix just until incorporated.
- Scrape the bowl well.
- With a rubber spatula, gently fold the apple mixture (including all of the caramel-like liquid in the pan) into the batter.
- Mix just until incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the prepared skillet and spread into an even layer.
- Bake until the surface is evenly golden brown and appears set – a toothpick inserted into the center should have a few moist crumbs clinging to it, 30 to 35 minutes.
- Let cool completely.
- Make the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whip butter on medium-high speed until very fluffy, about 8 minutes, occasionally scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Add powdered sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt, and beat on low to incorporate.
- Add heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract, mixing on low until combined.
- Increase mixer speed to medium-high and beat until very light and fluffy, about 5 to 6 minutes, occasionally scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl.