I’ve been wanting to make a variation of cranberry pie for a billion years (I’m totally exaggerating obviously) ever since I laid eyes on it and realized that this pie was actually not pie but more like cake! It’s basically fruit and nuts covered in sugar (yes please) and topped with a buttery (yes please again) batter. Anything that’s actually cake in disguise and has fruit covered in sugar is my kind of dessert. Not to mention I wanted a good excuse to use my skillet for other things besides cooking vegetables because who wants to cook vegetables in a skillet when you bake a buttery sugary cake like dessert?!
For my cake called pie, I decided to use apples and cranberry because I have a zillion apples in my kitchen (for baking…did you really think I’d eat them plain?) Chop up an apple into small pieces and measure out 1/2 cup. Chop up some cranberries and measure out 1 1/2 cups and measure out 1/2 cup chopped walnuts.
Combine them in a bowl and add in 2/3 cup sugar! Sugar is my life along with cakes in skillets.
Mix it up with a spoon!
Zest 1 orange and add 1 Tablespoon of orange zest into the fruit and nut mixture. Mix mix!
Please ignore my alien fingers while I’m mixing.
And because I’m cinnamon obsessed and it’s looks like I have a cinnamon spice container castle in my kitchen, add in 3/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon and mix again.
Spread the fruit and nut mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 9 inch skillet. I’m using a Le Creuset skillet but you can use whatever kind of skillet floats your boat.
Now onto the topping! My favorite part because it has lots of butter and sugar. (that’s the theme here – fat and sugar highs) In a large bowl, lightly beat 2 large eggs and then add in 3/4 cup of (cooled) melted unsalted butter. Don’t add in hot butter unless you’re into scrambled egg cakes called pies.
Add in 1 cup of all purpose flour and 1 cup of sugar.
Mix it up to combine but don’t beat the batter to death.
Add in 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract
and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract and mix it up!
Mmmm buttery tasty batter.
Plop (yes I love that word) the batter on top of the fruit nut mixture.
Spread it out.
Mix together 1 Tablespoon of turbinado sugar and 1/8 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Sprinkle it over the batter. I have to admit I accidentally just wrote turdinado sugar. What a way to kill you appetite don’t you think?
Bake the pie/cake hybrid for 40 minutes at 350 degrees F.
Scoop it out and enjoy!
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh cranberries
1/2 cup chopped apple
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (unsalted)
2/3 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon orange zest
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large eggs, lightly beaten (at room temperature)
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon turbinado sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Combine the chopped cranberries, chopped apple and chopped walnuts in a bowl. Add in the sugar and mix to combine. Add in the orange zest and mix. Add in the cinnamon and mix.
Spread the fruit nut mixture into a lightly greased 9 inch skillet. I use a Le Creuset skillet. Be sure to use an oven safe skillet.
Lightly beat 2 eggs. Add in the cooled melted butter and mix to combine.
Add in the flour and sugar. Mix to combine until the batter is smooth but be careful not to over mix it.
Add in the vanilla extract and almond and mix.
Spread the batter over the fruit nut mixture. Set aside.
Combine the cinnamon and turbinado sugar in a small bowl. Sprinkle it over the batter.
Bake the pie at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes.
Scoop out and enjoy!
Note: Make sure you grease the pan well. I’ve found that even though my cast iron skillet is seasoned, it stills needs to be greased. Because of the sugars in the cake, the edges may stick a bit to the pan. To loosen the edges, I run a knife along the side of the pan once the cake is done baking. (Yes I know I just put a knife to my pan…I don’t mind)
You can also use a nonstick oven safe skillet if you like.
