Oh my gosh... the recipe I've been waiting for: Caramel apple skillet cake

I have been remiss. I have not updated in months. The thing is, it's been a while since I made anything that totally knocked my socks off. Today, everything changed. This cake is life-changing-ly delicious. Don't trust me; make it for yourself. Also, I should warn you that I was in outright experimentation mode when I made this, and it turned out more like a cobbler because I used extra sugar and butter for the sauce and my skillet is much smaller than the one The Pioneer Woman used in the recipe I heavily adapted: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/09/apple-cake-in-an-iron-skillet/


I also used goat butter. It's been sitting in my fridge ever since I went off all dairy, and today I decided to live dangerously. We'll see how I feel later... right now I'm sugar high and fancy free. 


I will definitely be making this again, and again, ... and again. Next time I will try the same method but with coconut oil instead of goat butter. And use a bit less sugar and butter/oil. I used a cup of each and the skillet overflowed in the oven and filled my kitchen with smoke. Really, though, excess caramel sauce is the kind of problem I'll gladly handle. The way this turned out I would definitely not invert it onto a platter. The sauce would run everywhere. Just scoop out a warm chunk, ladle out the sauce that collects in the skillet and pour over the cake, then add vanilla coconut milk ice cream. Best. Ever. 

To begin: 

Preheat your oven to 350F. Melt 3/4 cup goat butter (or coconut oil.... probably. No promises there yet) in a 9" skillet over low heat, then add 3/4 cup evaporated cane juice or brown sugar. I used ECJ. Stir to distribute the sugar evenly, and leave over low heat. If you do not have a skillet, buy one. It will change your life. 

Peel and core 3 apples (I used fuji) and slice them into 1/8ths. Arrange all but 4 slices into the bottom of your skillet, rounded side down. Let them sit and get happy in the sugary buttery goodness while you make the cake batter. 

The batter:

I used Gluten Free Goddess' coconut cake batter, omitting the oil and sugar and adding half an apple (those 4 slices that didn't go in the skillet) finely chopped and 1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice mix. I wrote the cake recipe on a card some time ago, as this is my new favorite cake and cupcake recipe. For those of you who are anti-coconut, know that the flavor is very, very mild. Follow these instructions:

and remember to omit the 1/2c oil and the 1 1/2 c cane sugar. It will be sweet enough; don't worry. If the card is too tricky to read, look here: http://karinaskitchen.blogspot.com/2011/03/preheat-oven-to-350-degrees-f.html 

It's the same recipe, minus a couple tweaks I've made. In case you were wondering, the frosting is also epically delicious. You should make that too, but not for this cake. 

Moving on:

Your apples should have looked something like this when you started the batter - 

- and now they should be softer, browner, and the sugar mixture should be syrupy and bubbly. 

Spoon about 1/2 the batter over the hot apples in small dollops, covering the entire surface. Make a batter 'lid' for your apples, if you will. Smooth the dollops together with a wet spatula. Use an oven mitt to transfer the skillet into the oven and be sure to place a baking sheet on another rack beneath your skillet if you over-loaded it the way I did. Trust. I learned the hard way. Bake at 350F for about 20 minutes. 

Remove when the cake appears golden and crisp, like this: 

Use the remaining batter to make mini apple biscuits! I just scooped a few tablespoons of batter into 12 silicone muffin cups and baked them at 350F for about 12 minutes. They're perfect for breakfast with jam :)

I am feeling freshly inspired. More to come soon :)