This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of KitchenAid. All opinions and text are mine.

Skillet Apple Cake drizzled with a sweet, creamy glaze makes a fresh and irresistibly delicious dessert or even breakfast. Why not? There's fresh apples in this cake. Fruit for breakfast is perfectly acceptable, right?!

And everyone knows an apple a day keeps the doctor away! Okay, that might not be completely accurate, but apples are packed with good-for-you-stuff, so keeping apples on hand is a good idea. Not only are they full of fiber and vitamin C, they are also low in calories with no fat or cholesterol.

Nutritious and delicious, apples make a convenient snack. They are easy to keep and they travel well. You can pack an apple with you when you are on the go for an easy snack that will fill you up and keep you satisfied too.

I try to always keep apples on hand. We have some in the fridge and some in the fruit bowl too. Don likes his apples cold and takes one to work each day. I love using them in smoothies to add fiber as well as sweetness. I usually buy Fuji apples as they are delicious and budget-friendly (most of the time), but if I had to pick a fave it would be the Envy apple. The Envy is a cross between Braeburn and Royal Gala apples. It seemingly takes on the best of both of these apples. It is remarkably sweet and juicy, with a distinctive crunch and even stays fresh longer after being cut, making it perfect for a fruit tray.

Sadly, the Envy isn't always readily available, so when I can't find it (or don't want to pay a premium for it) I turn to the Fuji, which is what I used in this recipe. The Fuji apple is sweet, juicy, and firm. The firmness makes it a good choice for my Skillet Apple Cake as it doesn't turn to mush. We're not making applesauce! We need a firmer apple that will hold its shape so our cake looks pretty. Nobody wants a mushy cake!

TIP: If you prefer, scroll down past my photo tutorial to find the ingredients and directions together in one place.

To make this cake, Preheat the oven to 375°F and butter a 10" cast iron skillet, generously.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine 1 cup all-purpose flour with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Whisk to mix well.

In a measuring cup or small bowl, whisk together 1 egg, 2 tablespoons milk, and 2 tablespoons melted butter.

In a large mixing bowl, cream 4 tablespoons unsalted butter on medium speed for about 20 seconds until smooth. Add in 1/4 cup sugar and mix for another minute. Scrape bottom and sides of mixing bowl and mix another minute longer until the mixture is light and airy.

I use my KitchenAid stand mixer and highly recommend it. I've had it for many years and use it often. It has held up very well, and is super versatile. They come in a variety of fun colors, but mine is Onyx Black, which looks great in my kitchen, if I do say so myself <wink>

Have you seen the NEW KitchenAid Black Stainless Steel appliances?! They would be perfect in my kitchen too!! **dreaming**

Stir in the flour until just combined.

Then add the egg mixture and stir.

Make sure everything is combined by scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and then spread the batter evenly into the prepared skillet.

Arrange the apple slices on the cake in a decorative manner. I started on the outside near the edge of the pan and overlapped the apples slightly, moving inward until the top of the cake was covered in apples.

Combine 2 tablespoons sugar with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle over the cake, evenly.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.

Prepare glaze by combining 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar with 1 tablespoon melted butter and a teaspoon of milk. Keep adding milk a little at a time until it is the consistency you like. Drizzle over cake.

Omit the glaze if you don't want the extra sweetness. I've served this cake several different ways. Don loves the glaze, it was actually his idea to drizzle it on there after I served it to him with just a sprinkling of powdered sugar. I like it both ways. The glaze gives it a cinnamon roll taste that is so super satisfying, but sometimes I want it a little less indulgent and opt to have a naked piece of cake <smile>.

I like to serve this cake right out of the skillet by just running a knife around the edges to loosen and then slicing into serving pieces. It should come out easily from the skillet. If you prefer to transfer to a serving platter, loosen the edges and invert onto a plate and then invert again onto the serving platter. Enjoy!

Did you know KitchenAid has teamed up with Food Network and they are hosting a #KitchenAidContest? It's true! You could win a private cooking lesson with Chef Zakarian and the new black stainless suite of appliances from KitchenAid. Isn't that amazing!!

To enter, create an original dish using apples and post a photo of your dish on Instagram or Twitter with the hashtag #KitchenAidContest. I'd love to see your creations, so please tag me on twitter or instagram @lifetastesgoood or leave the link in the comments below and I'll retweet/regram it for you! Good luck!!

For more info and to enter directly on the contest website, click here.

Skillet Apple Cake

By Life Tastes Good
Published 09/01/2015

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 egg at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons whole milk
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) of unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 Fuji apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into about 1/8th inch slices
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
• milk as needed to thin the glaze to desired consistency

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F and butter a 10" cast iron skillet generously.
2. In a medium mixing bowl combine 1 cup all-purpose flour with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Whisk to mix well.
3. In a measuring cup or small bowl, whisk together 1 egg, 2 tablespoons milk, and 2 tablespoons melted butter.
4. In a large mixing bowl, cream 4 tablespoons unsalted butter on medium speed for about 20 seconds until smooth. Add in 1/4 cup sugar and mix for another minute. Scrape bottom and sides of mixing bowl and mix another minute longer until the mixture is light and airy.
5. Stir in the flour until just combined. Then add the egg mixture and stir until just combined. Make sure everything is combined by scraping bottom and sides with a rubber spatula and then spread the batter evenly into the prepared skillet.
6. Arrange the apple slices on the cake in a decorative manner. I started on the outside near the edge of the pan and overlapped the apples slightly, moving inward until the top of the cake was covered in apples. Peel, core, and slice more apples as needed.
7. Combine 2 tablespoons sugar with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle over the cake, evenly.
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
9. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.
10. Prepare glaze by combining 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar with 1 tablespoon melted butter and a teaspoon of milk. Keep adding milk a little at a time until it is the consistency you like.
11. I like to serve this cake right out of the skillet by just running a knife around the edges to loosen and then slicing into serving pieces. It should come out easily from the skillet. If you prefer to transfer to a serving platter, loosen the edges and invert onto a plate and then invert again onto the serving platter. Enjoy!

Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 15 mins.

Cook time: 20 mins.
Total time: 35 mins.

Tags: Skillet Apple Cake, Glaze, Apples, Fresh, Dessert, Breakfast, Fruit, KitchenAid, #KitchenAidContest, Contest

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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of KitchenAid. The opinions and text are all mine.