Brown Butter Apple Skillet Cake

A single-layer cake baked right in the skillet, layered with sliced local apples and a nutty brown butter batter.

Brown butter is the whole point of this cake. Cooking the butter until the milk solids turn golden and toasty, rather than just melting it, adds a depth that plain butter can't match — it tastes almost like caramel before any sugar has even been added. Paired with apples straight from a Valley orchard, arranged in a tight spiral across the top, the result is a cake that's rustic enough for a weeknight but handsome enough for company. Baking it in a cast iron skillet gives the edges a slight crispness that a cake pan won't produce, and it means one less dish to wash. Firm, tart apples hold their shape best here — save the softer varieties for sauce.

Ingredients

• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1¼ cups granulated sugar, divided
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup milk
• 3 medium firm apples, cored and thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a 10-inch cast iron skillet, melt the butter over medium heat, swirling occasionally, until it turns golden brown and smells nutty, about 5 minutes. Pour off 3 tablespoons into a small bowl and set aside, leaving the rest in the skillet.
2. Off the heat, whisk 1 cup of the sugar into the butter remaining in the skillet, followed by the eggs and vanilla, until smooth.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold the dry ingredients into the skillet mixture in two additions, alternating with the milk, until just combined.
4. Smooth the batter evenly across the bottom of the skillet.
5. Arrange the apple slices in overlapping circles over the batter, starting from the outside edge and working in.
6. Stir the reserved cinnamon and remaining ¼ cup sugar together and sprinkle evenly over the apples. Drizzle with the reserved brown butter.
7. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the top is deeply golden.
8. Cool in the skillet for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving warm.