This truly is the best Cast Iron Skillet Cake recipe! A moist buttermilk cake baked in a skillet until golden brown, then topped with a gooey pecan praline topping and served warm. It’s super delicious, easy to make, and great for serving a crowd!
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I don’t know about you, but I LOVE desserts with caramel and pecans. It’s such a natural pairing. I also love desserts that are easy, that everyone loves, and that can serve a group of people when I have guests over.
Enter The Best Cast Iron Skillet Cake! It’s so simple to make, but everyone is always so impressed by it. The buttermilk makes it moist and tender, and the praline topping is warm and gooey in the very best way. We adapted this recipe to fit a 12 inch skillet from a Peaceful Cooking recipe that we love.
🍳 Essential tools
The most important tool you need for this recipe is a cast iron skillet… it is The Best Cast Iron Skillet Cake afterall. My favorite cast iron skillet is this 12 inch one from Walmart. It’s not a fancy brand, but it works great and has lasted forever. Plus it has a handy handle on the front that makes it easy to put in and take out of the oven.
This recipe will not bake the same in a normal skillet; you have to make it in a cast iron skillet. Also, it will overflow if made in a 10 inch skillet, so make sure to use a full 12 inch one.
🧈 Ingredients
Flour: Just regular all-purpose flour here.
Baking powder and baking soda: These will react with the buttermilk to help the cake rise and be fluffy.
Salt: Just a little to draw out the vanilla flavor in the cake.
Butter: I suggest using unsalted butter in the cake and praline topping since there is already salt added to the recipe. If you use salted butter, add a bit less salt than called for.
Sugar: Just regular white granulated sugar for the skillet cake.
Eggs: Make sure to have the eggs at room temperature before baking.
Vanilla: This adds all the flavor to the cake and also adds some to the praline topping. Don’t skip it in this recipe!
Buttermilk: Buttermilk makes the cake extra moist and even adds a little tang that pairs nicely with the praline topping.
Brown sugar: Use this to make the praline topping.
Heavy cream: This lightens the praline topping and gives it the perfect consistency for spreading on the cake.
Pecans: You can chop them yourself or buy them pre-chopped.
🔪 Instructions
The buttermilk skillet cake can be made in essentially 6 steps.
- First, preheat your oven to 375°F and spray a 12-inch cast iron skillet with non-stick baking spray.
- Next, whisk together the dry ingredients and set aside. Easy.
- Now cream the butter and sugar together for 3 minutes on medium speed until it is light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating on medium speed for 1 minute in between each addition. Scrape down the sides occasionally and add the vanilla after the eggs.
- Next add ½ the dry mix to the batter and combine on low speed. Add the buttermilk and mix again on low speed, then add the remaining dry mix. Mix on low speed until just combined. It will be pretty thick.
- Pour the batter in the skillet and spread into an even layer. Then bake for 25-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
While the cake is baking, make the praline topping. It’s a very simple three step process.
- Combine the brown sugar, butter, cream, and salt in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat until melted.
- Bring the mixture to a soft boil for 3-5 minutes, stirring often. The sugar should be dissolved.
- Last, remove it from the heat and mix in the vanilla and pecans. Let it cool for 15-20 minutes to thicken while the cake finishes baking.
When finished, remove it from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Then pour over the thickened praline topping and use a spoon or spatula to spread it all the way to the edges. Allow it to cool for 10 minutes, then serve warm. Topping it with vanilla ice cream is especially delicious!
👨👩👧👦 For a crowd
Since this skillet cake is baked in a 12-inch cast iron, it serves 10-12 people on its own. If you have a larger crowd, serve it in smaller portions with ice cream to help it stretch, or double the recipe and make two cakes.
If you do bake two cakes at once, switch the racks they are on halfway through the baking time. This will help them bake evenly. Also keep in mind that you will need to make the batter in a very large mixer or make each batch separately to avoid overmixing.
🙋 Questions and Answers
You can freeze any leftovers you have. (If you have any 😉) Allow it to cool fully, then store in slices in an air-tight container. Freeze for up to 3 months, then thaw at room temperature. You can reheat slices gently in the microwave.
This cake is really best served freshly baked, so I don’t advise making it ahead. If you make the batter ahead and let it sit out, it can change the texture of the final cake. So I really do try to make the cake close to when I want to serve it.
I cut any leftover cake into slices and store in an air-tight container or covered cake stand at room temperature. I think it is freshest in the first 1-2 days, so we usually eat it for dessert one night and have the little bits of leftover with coffee the next morning. It’s the best!
Yes, this skillet cake is specifically designed to be baked in a cast iron skillet. Another skillet just won’t cook the cake the same way, nor will it fit this amount of batter without overflowing. But you can get an inexpensive yet long-lasting cast iron skillet from Walmart for less than $10!
If you’re feeling adventurous, try drizzling chocolate ganache over the praline topping, sprinkling shredded coconut on top, or even using walnuts instead of pecans. I also highly recommend serving it with vanilla ice cream.
📖 Other delicious desserts
- Skillet Apple Pie Biscuits - Biscuits coated in brown sugar and cinnamon, then baked in a cast iron skillet with apple pie filling. They’re sweet, sticky, and SO delicious.
- Microwave Caramel Pecan Sauce - This easy sauce is good enough to eat by the spoonful. 😉 It’s also amazing on ice cream, cheesecake, and pound cake.
- White Chocolate Blondies with Maple Sauce - Moist blondies studded with walnuts and white chocolate chips, then topped with vanilla ice cream and the most luscious (but easy!) maple sauce. You can’t go wrong with these!
👨🏼🍳 Tips & Tricks
- This is a thick batter, so make sure to stir it at a gentle low speed after adding the flour. Mix until just combined to avoid overmixing.
- For a really moist buttermilk cake, don’t overbake it. Check it with a toothpick at the 25 minute mark and then every 3 minutes or so until the toothpick comes out clean.
- I’ve never had this cake overflow, but as a safety measure I always bake it with a cookie sheet on the rack below. If for any reason it does overflow, the cookie sheet will catch the mess.
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📋 Recipe
The Best Cast Iron Skillet Cake
Ingredients
Buttermilk Skillet Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 8 tbsp butter softened
- 1¼ cups sugar
- 2 eggs + 1 egg yolk room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup buttermilk room temperature
Praline Topping
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup (1½ sticks) butter
- ⅓ cup cream
- ⅛ tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1¼ cups pecans chopped
Instructions
Skillet Cake
- Preheat oven to 375°F and spray a 12 inch cast iron skillet with non-stick baking spray.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs and egg yolk one at a time, beating for 1 minute between each addition and scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Add the vanilla and mix until just combined.
- Add half the dry mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. Add the buttermilk and mix until mostly combined. Then add remaining dry ingredients and mix until just combined. The batter will be thick.
- Pour the batter into the prepared skillet and spread evenly to the edges. Bake for 25-35 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Don't overbake.
Praline Sauce
- Combine the brown sugar, butter, cream, and salt in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat until melted.
- Bring the mixture to a soft boil for 3-5 minutes, stirring often. The sugar should be dissolved.
- Remove from the heat and mix in the vanilla and pecans. Let cool for 15-20 minutes to thicken while the cake finishes baking.
Assemble
- Remove cake from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Pour warm praline sauce on warm cake and spread with a spatula to the edges. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then serve warm! Top with vanilla ice cream if desired.
Notes
- This is a thick batter, so make sure to stir it at a gentle low speed after adding the flour. Mix until just combined to avoid overmixing.
- For a really moist buttermilk cake, don’t overbake it. Check it with a toothpick at the 25 minute mark and then every 3 minutes or so until the toothpick comes out clean.
- I’ve never had this cake overflow, but as a safety measure I always bake it with a cookie sheet on the rack below. If for any reason it does overflow, the cookie sheet will catch the mess.
Nutrition
All nutrition information is provided by a third party and is an estimate only. Use your own nutritional calculator for more specific measurements.
Kristina says
The best part of this cake is hands down the topping. So so yummy. We served it about 30 minutes after it came out of the oven and it was perfect! Easily served 8 of us with plenty leftover for tomorrow’s coffee cake. 😉
Misty says
Happy you enjoyed it! It's the best for coffee in the morning 🙂
YtheWait says
SOO YYUUMM!!!!!!!!!
Misty says
Thanks, hope you give it a try!