Easy Vanilla Cake In A Skillet

Try this Easy Vanilla Cake In A Skillet made with simple ingredients and baked in a cast-iron skillet with a crispy golden-brown crust and a tender vanilla cake on the inside.

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If you love vanilla flavor, you will find this cake filled with lots of vanilla bean seeds that create such a glorious flavor. Add a delicate sprinkling of powdered sugar and cinnamon, and top for some added sweetness.

I learned to bake in my grandmother's farmhouse kitchen. She was busy, so recipes had to be easy and tasty. Her cast iron skillet had a permanent place on the stove.  Needless to say, her  Vanilla Cinnamon Skillet Cake was a staple, and I think it is the best recipe for a simple vanilla cake ever. It wasn't fancy, but it was oh-so-good.

This small cake recipe is easy enough to bake midweek for a quick dessert; no layering or frosting is required, and you get six delicious slices.

Jump to:

• Why use a cast-iron skillet for baking cakes?
• Simple ingredients
• How to bake a vanilla skillet cake: Step by step
•  
• Cake baking and ingredient tips
• More skillet recipes
• Try these recipes next
• Recipe

Why use a cast-iron skillet for baking cakes?

• Cast-iron skillets hold and retain heat very well and allows for even baking, no matter if it is a cake, cobbler, brownie, or even bread. You will find the center of your baked goods is baked evenly throughout.
• Many times you can use the cast-iron skillet to melt or saute ingredients first before adding more toppings. No extra bowls or pans are needed. Just think of melting the butter and brown sugar for a pineapple upside-down cake.
• Nothing is better than a well-seasoned iron skillet that creates deliciously crispy bottoms and edges, not hard as a rock crispy, but a nice delicate crispy that adds a caramelized flavor to your baked goods, like the perfect crispy edges on brownies.

Check out this post on How To Season An Iron Skillet, just in case you need to get your cast iron back in shape or are buying a new one.

Lodge Skillets are my favorite, and this preseasoned 10.25 Cast-Iron Skillet is exactly what you need for baking this skillet cake. You don't need a lid for cake baking, but for cooking in a cast-iron skillet, I would recommend the lid.

I hear you saying, what if I don't have a cast-iron skillet, that's ok because a lot of people don't have them; after all, they are heavy pieces of kitchen equipment, so instead of a cast-iron,  just use a 10' cake pan and you are good to go.

Simple ingredients

• Butter - Adds a depth of flavor
• Sugar - With the butter and sugar creamed together, you will get a nice buttery, tender crumb
• Milk - Acts as a sweetener; it adds moistness to the cake and creates a nice golden  brown crust
• Flour - this builds structure to the cake
• Baking powder - makes the cake rise
• Salt - this adds flavor
• Egg whites - this will make your cake fluffy
• Vanilla Bean - flavor, flavor, and more flavor
• Powdered Sugar & Cinnamon - a little sprinkling on top of the cake for a sweet flavor

How to bake a vanilla skillet cake: Step by step

Step 1. The most important ingredient in this cake is the vanilla bean and my favorite baking trick is to flavor the sugar.  First, you need to cut the vanilla bean open by cutting it in half longways, splitting it into two pieces, and scraping the seeds with a knife.

 

Madagascar Vanilla Beans 

Step 2. Next, measure the 1 ¼ cups of sugar, put that into a bowl, and put all the scraped vanilla bean seeds into the sugar.  Gently stir the sugar and the seeds until the seeds are mixed into the sugar.  Doing this helps release the oils in the seeds and evenly distribute them.

Step 3. In a large mixing bowl or a stand mixer, add the room-temperature butter and beat for a minute, then add the sugar mixture and beat for two more minutes until it is nice and fluffy.

Step 4.  Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Step 5. Add ¼ cup of milk to the butter/sugar mixture, and then add  ½ cup of the flour mixture. Keep adding the milk and flour, scraping the sides of the bowl.

Step 6.  Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites. For this recipe, we are just using egg whites. Lightly beat the egg whites to break them up, add them to the mixing bowl, and beat on medium speed until incorporated.

Step 7. Prepare a 10" cast iron skillet or a 10" cake pan. Next, pour the batter into the skillet/pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes.  Begin watching the cake at 30 minutes for overbrowning and doneness.

Step 8. Let the cake cool, then with a fine-mesh sifter add the powdered sugar and cinnamon and dust over the top of the cake.

Next time you crave a simple and delicious dessert, bake this luscious cake that makes the vanilla bean's flavor and aroma stand out. I promise you won't be disappointed.

More skillet recipes

• Another delicious skillet cake is this Maple Apple Cake that is filled with fresh apples and bakes golden brown. It's such a delicious fall treat.
• Bake this Cheddar Cheese Cornbread in an iron skillet to pair with soups and salads.
• Bake our favorite Upside Down Cake made with cherries and apricots.

Don't forget to Pin it to your favorite dessert board.

Try these recipes next

Recipe

Have you ever run out of an ingredient while making a recipe? It happens all the time. Save this valuable guide on Recipe Ingredient Substitution so you never have to run to the store mid-recipe again.

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About Jere'

From learning to cook on a farm in Indiana to culinary school in California,  my passion for food is never-ending.  Turning on my oven to bake something for friends and family is my happy place, and I am glad to be here at One Hot Oven, sharing both sweet and savory recipes with all my baking friends.