Cake for breakfast sounds decadent, but certain cakes are considered acceptable breakfast food, and I believe this is one of them. It’s got whole wheat, and it’s loaded with apples, meaning it’s healthier than most muffins or coffee cakes. Maybe I’m just trying to justify the fact that I’m eating it for breakfast right now, but let’s not judge. If you’ve got a problem with cake for breakfast, just wait ’til after dinner, add ice cream, and you’ve got dessert. Problem solved!
Rustic Skillet Apple Cake
3/4 cup unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
1 cup granulated white sugar
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat all purpose flour
¼ cup almond flour/meal
3 Tbsp corn meal
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
4-5 apples, peeled and thinly sliced (about 6 cups)
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 Tbsp butter for greasing pan
Position a rack in the middle of your oven and preheat to 350°F. Preheat a 10-inch cast iron skillet.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and salt on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Incorporate the buttermilk, vanilla, and eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping the sides of the bowl well. In a separate bowl, mix together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, almond flour, corn meal, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom, cinnamon, and ginger (the remaining dry ingredients) by hand. Add the flour mixture to the batter, followed by the apples. Mix just until incorporated. Do not overmix.
Remove the hot preheated skillet from the oven and add about 1 tablespoon butter. Allow it to melt, and spread it around the bottom and sides by tipping the pan until it’s coated. Scoop the batter into the prepared skillet. Bake for 1 hour and 5 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan.
