Cinnamon Brown Butter Skillet Cake

ByAudra
18 Comments
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Last week something miraculous happened. Both my little sisters who live in my neighborhood came over, offering to hold and entertain Hugo so I could get things done. It was amazing. I changed the sheets, answered so many emails, vacuumed, and baked this cake. I had nothing in mind at the time but when I knew my sisters were on Aunty Patrol I had a frantic “what can I bake?” moment. I didn’t want to go to the store, so I perused my pantry to figure out what I could make. Luckily I had all the baking basics and thought a skillet cake would be fun. This one-bowl recipe soon came to be and man oh man was it good.

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I love easy cakes and this is so so simple. You brown the butter in a cast iron skillet and just like that you’ve already greased your baking pan and prepared the most important ingredient for the recipe! The texture of the cake is perfect. Fluffy, full of flavor and moist as can be. It’s topped with my favorite brown butter icing with a bit of cinnamon. (My sister Ameara said it tasted like a snickerdoodle!)

This is a perfect solution to needing a quick dessert in a pinch, (especially if you want one that makes your house smell amazing!) Sometimes the best recipes come when you least expect it huh?

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Cinnamon Brown Butter Skillet Cake

Cinnamon Brown Butter Skillet Cake

Yield: 1 9 inch cake

Ingredients

  • 1 stick plus 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 2 eggs

Icing:

  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2-3 tablespoons milk

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375F.
  2. In a 9 inch cast iron skillet, melt the butter (1 stick and 2 T,) after melted, continue to let it cook, stirring occasionally, until browned. Pour 1/2 cup of the butter into a glass measuring cup and allow it to cool slightly. Use a spoon to bring the remaining browned butter up around the edges of the skillet, coating it well.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugars, baking soda and salt, whisk together.
  4. Create a well in the middle of the bowl and add the eggs, vanilla, buttermilk and browned butter. Whisk the wet ingredients first and then fold everything together, until just combined with no dry streaks.
  5. Pour the batter into the skillet, smoothing the top with a spatula.
  6. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until cake is golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. While the cake cools slightly make the icing:

For the Icing:

  1. In a small saucepan brown the 4 tablespoons of butter. Whisk in the cinnamon, vanilla and powdered sugar until smooth. Add the milk gradually until icing is smooth and as thick as you'd like. (If you like you can thin it out a bit so it can be drizzled rather than spread!)
  2. Poke the warm cake with a fork and spread or drizzle the icing over the top. Serve warm.

Notes

Recipe loosely adapted from Land' O Lakes

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 1 Serving Size: 1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

© Audra

18 Comments

  8. That’s the awesomeness of having sisters! I’m sure they didn’t mind that they were getting this cake in return :) It looks amazing. I mean, BROWN BUTTER. You can’t go wrong.

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  10. I’ve heard great things about skillet cakes (did anyone say there’s just one bowl involved?!) and have always been so intrigued by them but I have to admit I’ve never tried and made one myself! I guess it’s time to give this whole thing a go, especially if the result will be anything close to the one in your pictures!

    xo, Elisa

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  12. It is good to know you can whip this up in a pinch!!! I need more recipes like this in my arsenal. I was so excited that my guy slept for two and a half hours today that I whipped up biscuits just to say I cooked.

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  14. Wow this cake looks so good! I love cinnamon type cakes because hello, cinnamon! So glad you got some time to yourself to bake something :)

    Reply

  17. I made this today to kick off the fall baking season – and what a great start! My skillet was too large (12in), so I baked it in a 9in square pan and skipped the extra 2 tablespoons of butter in the second step. I added about 3/4 cup of cinnamon chips to the batter, and used heavy cream instead of milk in the icing. Delicious! I’m thinking of making it again and adding a chopped apple. Thank you for yet another great recipe. :)

    Reply

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