There aren’t enough apple desserts in the world for me!  I love apples and all the different varieties. You’ve seen me eat raw apple slices with flaky salt (don’t knock it til you try it!), sauteed apples on pancakes and oatmeal, roasted apples with yogurt or ice cream, and many different apple cakes, galettes, pies and tarts.  I love the first bite of an apple fritter but I usually can’t eat much more because they’re so sweet.  This cake gives all the vibes and flavors of an apple fritter but with much less sugar and no frying!

Why You’ll Love This Apple Fritter Skillet Cake

• A cozy treat for a chilly day – divine with a cup of coffee or tea;
• A perfect Hanukkah dessert instead of traditional doughnuts or Christmas morning breakfast;
• Easy and quick;
• Fun to serve a crowd right out of the skillet and only uses one pan;
• Less sweet and greasy than traditional apple fritters.

Ingredients

• Apples – I like Pink Lady and Honeycrisp, but choose your favorite, peeled and diced
• Butter – unsalted butter or plant butter
• Sugar – light brown sugar & powdered sugar
• Spices – cinnamon & nutmeg  (the fall/winter baking duo!)
• Flour – I used a blend of all-purpose & whole wheat flour, but you are welcome to just use all-purpose
• Apple sauce – unsweetened and at room temperature
• Vanilla – pure vanilla extract 
• Eggs- large eggs at room temperature 
• Milk – whole milk or plant-based (soy or oat would work best)

How to Make an Apple Fritter Skillet Cake

Cinnamon Apples

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Heat an 11-12” cast iron (I used this 11-inch skillet) or oven-safe skillet over medium heat and add the apples, butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
3. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are just starting to get tender and release some juice, about 10 minutes.  You’re looking for a nice syrupy consistency.
4. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Apple Fritter Cake

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the butter, sugar, and applesauce.
3. Then whisk in the vanilla and eggs until well combined.
4. Stir in the dry ingredients until almost combined. The batter will be thick, so halfway through mixing, add the milk and stir until just combined.
5. Remove 1/2 cup of the cooked apples with some of the syrup from the skillet and set aside.
6. Then pour the batter into the skillet with the remaining cooked apples and fold to combine the two. Don’t overmix.  Just combine enough that the apples are distributed through the batter.
7. Top with the reserved ½ cup of apples. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 Tablespoon of brown sugar, concentrating the sugar over the apple pieces.
8. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean with a few moist crumbs.

Icing

1.  Cool the cake in the skillet on a cooling rack for about 15 minutes and make the icing.
2. Whisk together the powdered sugar and most of the milk.  Whisk in more milk a teaspoon at a time until smooth and the consistency of glue. If it’s too thin, whisk in a spoonful of sugar at a time until you reach the perfect consistency.
3. Drizzle the icing over the warm cake.
4. Serve warm if possible, but the cake is good at room temp for up to 2 days.  It also freezes well.  Cool cake completely before freezing.

Tips

• Don’t overcook the apples in the initial step.
• If you want to freeze to enjoy at a later time, make sure the cake cools completely before freezing.
• Take the time to sift powdered sugar so you avoid clumps.
• Add liquid to powdered sugar a tiny bit at a time.  A little liquid goes a long way.
• Use a stainless skillet if you don’t have cast iron.

Substitutions

• Butter – a dairy-free plant butter would work 
• Flour – GF flour blend 1:1 sub for regular flour would work fine!
• Milk – a thicker plant milk such as soy milk or oat milk

Other recipes you may link:

• Whole-Grain Chocolate Chip Cookie Skillet Cake
• Whole Grain Pear-Cranberry Buckle
• Apple Cider-Pumpkin Bundt Cake
• Olive Oil Apple Spice Cake
• Crackle Top Blueberry Cobbler

If you give this Apple Fritter Skillet Cake a try, snap a pic and tag @pamelasalzman so I can see your beautiful creations. I also really appreciate readers taking the time to leave a rating and review! Subscribe for free to my site for the latest recipes,  updates and things I’m loving lately.  If you enjoy this recipe, check out my online class!  Give me an hour a month, and I’ll make you a better, healthier cook!