Lightly sweet and spiced apples are topped with a fluffy pancake batter in these fall-inspired apple cinnamon pancake skillet. Comes together easily in a skillet– cook the apples slightly first, then pour the pancake batter on top and bake! Less work than regular pancakes!
The fall season is here, and like clock work, I dive right into the classic apple and cinnamon combination. Have you tried this apple crumb cake yet? It's a staple in this house.
Today I'm sharing the ideal weekend breakfast... apple cinnamon pancake skillet. It's for when you're craving warm homemade pancakes but want less work (with fall inspiration of course!), this recipe is for you.
Reasons To Love These Apple Cinnamon Pancakes
- Extra comforting and fall-inspired: When apples and pumpkin are in surplus, it's a must to make a seasonal breakfast. It gives you the opportunity to enjoy the cozy spices that are iconic and comforting for fall.
- Much easier than pancakes: The most time consuming part of these cinnamon apple pancakes is peeling and slicing the apples. You can choose to leave the skin on, though most prefer it removed. While the apples cook, work on the pancake batter.
- Quicker than pancakes: Instead of standing over the griddle cooking individual pancakes, this is a simple 3 step process– cook apples, spread batter over apples, bake. That's it!
- Made with basic ingredients: There's nothing fancy in this recipe, just basic pancake ingredients plus some fall spices like cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg.
Grab These Ingredients
Here's the list of ingredients used in the cinnamon apples and skillet pancake.
- Apples: Use your favorite apple variety. I usually use Gala, but Honeycrisp or Granny Smith work too. Whatever type of apples you use in these apple banana muffins or whole wheat apple cinnamon muffins, you'll love here too.
- Butter: In both the cinnamon apples and the pancake. This especially gives the pancake richness.
- Brown Sugar: Using brown sugar in the cinnamon apples adds more flavor because of the molasses.
- Egg: You need 1 egg to bind the ingredients together.
- Granulated Sugar: To help sweeten the pancake.
- Cinnamon & Vanilla: For flavor.
- Milk: I recommend using whole milk for a richer pancake, but it's not required. You can use a lower fat milk if that's what you have already.
- Flour: Using all-purpose flour helps gives the pancake enough structure.
- Baking Soda & Baking Powder: Both help give the pancake the lift that it needs.
- Lemon: Using lemon helps prevent the apples from browning and adds a touch of brightness.
- Salt: Helps balance the sweetness from the apples and the pancake.
Overview: How To Make Apple Cinnamon Pancakes
- Start with the Apples: While you preheat the oven, begin cooking the apples over medium heat with the brown sugar, lemon juice, flour, and spices until they begin to soften.
- Make the Pancake Batter: Whisk together the melted butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, and milk. Then, add the dry ingredients and whisk until mostly smooth.
- Assemble: Once the apples are done, pour and spread the pancake batter over the cinnamon apples. If desired, sprinkle cinnamon sugar evenly on top.
- Bake: Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the pancake is slightly golden brown. The pancake should spring back when pressed with your finger.
Apple Cinnamon Pancake Skillet #1 Success Tip
The trick to these cinnamon apple pancakes is to pre-cook the apples slightly before baking. Why? The apples take longer to cook than the pancake so we give them a head start that way they cook through completely.
Time Saving Tips
What I love most about this recipe is it's versatility– whether it's just for a weekend breakfast and want to prep the night before or for a larger crowd... you're covered.
- You can make the cinnamon apples the night before and store them in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. If it's just overnight, leave them in the skillet or transfer to baking dish and cover. When ready, preheat the oven to 400º and begin at step 3.
More Fall Breakfast Recipes
Baked Apple Cinnamon Pancake Skillet
Description
Ingredients
Apples
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 4 cups peeled and sliced apples, (about 3-4 large apples)
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pancake Batter
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- optional: 1 Tablespoon + ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
- Pre-Cook the Apples: Melt the butter in a large skillet– like this 12-inch cast iron skillet– over medium heat. Add the apple slices, brown sugar, lemon juice, flour, and spices. Cook, stirring, for 3-5 minutes, until the apples are coated and begin to soften.
- Make the Pancake Batter: Whisk the melted butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, and milk together in a medium bowl. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon, and whisk until combined until mostly smooth. Carefully pour and spread the batter over the apples. If using, sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly on top.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the pancake layer is slightly golden and the apple filling is bubbling around the edges. The pancake should spring back when pressed with your finger. Remove from the oven.
- Serve warm on its own, topped with powdered sugar or maple syrup. Leftovers stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: The apples can be made up to 2 days ahead of time, covered tightly and stored in the refrigerator. The day of, preheat the oven to 400ºF, spread the apples in an oven-safe skillet or baking dish, and begin at step 3.
- Freezing Instructions: The cooked cinnamon apples (without the pancake) and the entire pancake skillet can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. If pre-making the apples, begin at step 2 once thawed.
- Apples: Use your favorite apple variety. I usually use Gala, but Honeycrisp or Granny Smith work too. Sometimes I even do a combination as a way to use up apples at the end of the week.
Elaine says
I happen to have all the ingredients on hand so I made this for my kids for lunch today. It was really great. Next time I'm going to double it.