This easy skillet cake with cranberries and apples highlights some of my favorite fall flavors – in a lightly spiced batter.

Fall and winter are such cozy seasons for baking that I find myself with something in the oven at least a few times a week. This skillet cake is a wonderfully versatile recipe that you can really serve any time of day.

This post is sponsored by Lodge Cast Iron. Their new bakeware line is gorgeous, sturdy, super versatile (hello, stove to oven to table!) and sure to become some of your favorites. I’ve used Lodge Cast Iron for years in my kitchen and I was very excited to learn about their new line of bakeware including this Baker’s Skillet which is perfect for everything from a savory quiche to a simple and comforting cake like this one.

Have a slice with tea or coffee in the afternoon, but make sure to save a bit for breakfast the next day too. Or, you can dress it up with a little bit of confectioner’s sugar and whipped crème fraiche for a gorgeous, low lift dessert.

The addition of rye flour here makes the cake exceptionally tender and I love the addition of tart cranberries for both color and a little pop of bright flavor that offsets the sweet and spice. If you don’t keep rye flour you can substitute and equal amount of all purpose or whole wheat flour, and feel free to sub pears for the apples too.

Skillet Rye Cranberry Apple Cake

Makes one 9 or 10-inch cake

3/4 cup (150g) light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, melted

2/3 cup (160g) crème fraiche

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup (130g) all purpose flour

1/2 cup (65g) light rye flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 cups peeled and chopped apple, from 1 large apple

3/4 cup (75g) fresh or frozen cranberries

4 teaspoons crunchy sugar like turbinado

Confectioners sugar and whipped crème fraiche to serve, if desired

1. Position a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously butter the Lodge Bakers’s Skillet or 9-inch cake pan

2. In a large bowl, whisk the brown sugar and eggs until pale and foamy, about 1 minute. Add the melted butter, crème fraiche, and spices. Whisk until smooth and emulsified.

3. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and whisk until almost combined.

4. Switch to a rubber spatula and add the cranberries and apples. Fold to combine making sure no streaks of flour remain.

4. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top of the batter with an offset spatula. Sprinkle the sugar over the top.

5. Bake until puffed and golden, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 35 minutes. Set the pan on a rack to cool. Serve warm or room temperature with a dusting of confectioners sugar and whipped crème fraiche if desired.

hidden rose apple tart | apt 2b baking co

Guys, it has been a rough and confusing couple of weeks over here and I know a lot of you are feeling it too. Instead of a rosy story about this tart and how excited I am for Thanksgiving, I thought I would share some resources for simple actionable things you can do today to help protect people (and yourself!) who are going to need protecting for at least the next two years.

Support pro-women, pro-LGBTQ, pro-Earth, pro-Immigrant, and anti-Bigotry organizations. Here is a list complied by Jezebel. There is also a direct link to Planned Parenthood in the sidebar.

No Kid Hungry - Help ensure every kid in America has healthy food to eat, all year round.

Subscribe to the NY Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and/or the New Yorker. Support good journalism and keep it alive - we need it now more than ever.

Call your Congressperson.

Ok, Have a Happy Thanksgiving. Have the hard conversations. Don't sit idle! And eat some good food too.

Hidden Rose Apple Tart

makes one 9-inch tart

1/2 recipe all butter pie crust or your favorite pie crust

Hazelnut Frangipane (recipe follows)

4 medium apples

3 tablespoons sugar

pinch salt

1 egg

1 tablespoon turbinado sugar

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Peel and slice the apples into thin slices.

Roll out the pie crust to a 12-inch circle and transfer it to the parchment lined baking sheet. Spread the frangipane on the crust, leaving a 2-inch border around the edges. Lay the apple slices over the frangipane in a slightly overlapping layer in a decorative pattern, leaving a 2-inch border around the edge. Sprinkle the sugar along with a pinch of salt evenly over the fruit.

Fold the excess dough over the fruit and press gently to seal the folds. Put the baking sheet in the freezer and freeze the tart until the dough is very firm, about 15 minutes. While the tart is chilling, preheat the oven to 400ºF and whisk the egg in a small bowl.

After the tart has chilled, brush the dough with the beaten egg and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake the tart until deep golden brown, 35-45 minutes.