APPLE SKILLET CAKE W. BLACK PEPPER CARAMEL & WHIPPED MASCARPONE

For some reason I felt like baking recently. I was craving something sweet, warm and fabulous but I didn't necessarily want to go out and buy it this time around. Sometimes I do actually enjoy baking at home and even though I don't do it often, I have a great time when I do. 

I was thinking of a skillet cake, where I can dump all the ingredients in, bake, then smother it in whipped cream or ice cream when it was time to eat. I follow A Cozy Kitchen on Instagram (I LOVE her!) and when she posted her chai-spiced apple skillet cake, I knew I wanted to recreate the base of the recipe. 

I changed the recipe slightly by removing most of the spices, added some black pepper caramel and whipped some mascarpone as a topping. The best thing about this recipe aside from how fabulous it taste is the fact that its so easy! You will not mess this cake or this recipe up. With the holidays rolling around this is a great recipe to have on hand if you have the host, take a dish, or even for brunch over the holiday weekends. 

Apple Skillet Cake with Black Pepper Caramel and Whipped Mascarpone 

3 apples, peeled, seeded and sliced  

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup shaken buttermilk

2 large egg

5 tablespoons melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 can sweetened condensed milk, outer label removed 

1 container of Mascarpone cheese, softened   

Powdered sugar 

3 teaspoons black pepper

salt 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch cast iron skillet and set aside.

BLACK PEPPER CARAMEL -  remove the label from the can of sweet condensed milk. Place unopened can in a large pot and fill pot with water so that the can is completely submerged. Over medium heat, simmer the can in the boiling water for 2-3 hours making sure the can is fully submerged in the water at all times. At the 3 hour mark, carefully remove can from the boiling water with tongs and allow to cool. Once slightly cooled enough to handle, open can and pour caramel into a bowl.  Stir in your desired about of black pepper and a pinch of sea salt. Set aside until ready to use. 

SWEETENED MASCARPONE - In a bowl, mix softened mascarpone cheese, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and a splash of milk. Add in powdered sugar and adjust to your desired level of sweetness. Keep chilled until ready to use. 

APPLE SKILLET CAKE - In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, white sugar, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon and salt.

In a 4-cup measuring cup or medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, melted butter and vanilla extract.

Add the liquid into the dry mixture and mix just until combined; a few lumps in the batter is totally fine. Pour the batter into the prepared skillet and add the apples on top, pushing some of the apples into the batter a bit. If your apples have created any juices, pour those on top.

Transfer to the oven to bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a skewer comes out mostly clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 5 to 10 minutes.

When the apple cake is warm, drizzle a small amount of black pepper caramel over the entire cake. 

When ready to serve, place slices of warm apple cake on to plates. Drizzle black pepper caramel over cake and spoon sweetened mascarpone on top. Serve & eat fabulously immediately.