As the season shifts and mornings feel slower, recipes that move from stovetop to oven naturally find their way back into the kitchen. This apple pancake is one of those dishes. It cooks gently, fills the space with the familiar aroma of apples and cinnamon, and finishes baking just in time to gather everyone around the table.
Apples are sliced thick and cooked first in butter with sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice until golden. A brief simmer with maple syrup coats the fruit before a light batter is poured over and baked until puffed and set. Everything happens in a single skillet, from the first melt of butter to the moment it comes out of the oven.
As the pancake bakes, it rises and sets in the same pan where the apples were cooked. Once out of the oven, it rests briefly before being inverted so the apples sit on top.
Served warm and cut into wedges, this apple pancake is finished simply with maple syrup at the table. It’s the kind of dish that fits naturally into the season, unhurried, comforting, and best enjoyed while it’s still warm from the oven.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 Granny Smith or Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, and sliced ½ inch thick
- 3 tablespoons sugar, divided
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup, plus warmed syrup for serving
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 4 large eggs, separated
- 1 cup milk
Instructions
- COOK THE APPLES
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Melt the butter in a DaTerra Cucina 11-inch nonstick skillet. Add the apples, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, the cinnamon, and the lemon juice. Cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until the apples are golden, about 6 minutes.
- Add the ¼ cup maple syrup and simmer over low heat until thickened, about 1 minute. Spread the apples in an even layer and remove the pan from the heat.
- MAKE THE BATTER
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a measuring cup, whisk the egg yolks with the milk and the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Whisk the liquid into the dry ingredients.
- With a handheld electric mixer, beat the egg whites at medium speed until firm peaks form, about 2 minutes. Fold the whites into the batter.
- BAKE
- Scrape the batter over the apples and spread it evenly to the edge of the pan.
- Bake in the upper third of the oven for about 20 minutes, until golden, puffed, and set. Let cool for 5 minutes.
- Invert onto a serving plate, replacing any apples that stuck to the pan. Cut into wedges and serve right away with warmed maple syrup.
Served warm and sliced into wedges, this apple pancake is meant to be enjoyed straight from the oven, finished simply with maple syrup at the table. It’s a dish that fits naturally into the season, when baking feels comforting and time slows just enough to enjoy a warm skillet breakfast.
Simple, unfussy, and made in one pan, this apple pancake is the kind of recipe that feels right to return to, especially on cooler days when staying in the kitchen a little longer is part of the pleasure.
More from our kitchen:
Blueberry Oven Pancake for Mother's Day
Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
Dutch Apple Pancake
