The recipe I'm sharing today is a lightly sweetened version of a caramel-laden oven pancake that would make an excellent dessert, but I prefer this heavier on the fruit and lighter on the sugar option for a morning meal. Of course, one could always add maple syrup or even caramel sauce if you are wanting the sweeter side of things too.
As with other oven pancake recipes I've shared, a cast iron skillet makes it a stellar dish that's actually quite easy to make. For me, the trickiest part is flipping the pancake onto a serving plate and you can skip that if you aren't concerned about presentation. The cooked pancake isn't quite as pretty in the pan as it is on the plate.
I used some lovely golden delicious apples in this recipe and they softened and caramelized beautifully. Avoid super crisp varieties ... anything that does well in an apple pie should do the trick here. If you don't opt for the pie spice from Penzeys, blend 1 teaspoon of cinnamon with ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg and clove and ½ teaspoon of ginger instead.
Apple Oven Pancake
- 1 c . thin apple slices
- ¼ c . granulated sugar
- 2 tsp. pie spice
- ¼ c . butter
- ¾ c . all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp . salt
- 1 c . milk
- ½ tsp . vanilla
- 5 large eggs
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
In a small bowl, toss the apple slices, 2 tablespoons of the sugar and pie spice together; set aside.
Cut the butter into four pieces, and place them in a 10" cast iron skillet.
Put the skillet in the oven for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the butter has melted.
Add the apple slice mixture evenly over melted butter. Put the pan back in the oven while you make the remaining batter.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, and salt.
Whisk in the milk and continue whisking until no lumps remain.
Add the eggs, one at a time, and whisk until incorporated. Stir in the vanilla extract.
Take the skillet out of the oven, and pour the batter over the apples.
Bake for 18-25 minutes, or until the center is set and sides are lightly browned.
Place a large serving plate over the hot skillet and carefully flip to allow the pancake to flip onto the serving plate. Serve warm.
- Yields: 4 servings
- Preparation Time: 30 minutes