This strawberry nectarine skillet cake—sweet, spiced fruit blanketed by
a layer of warm, buttery cake—is the best of summer fruits and warm
fall flavors!
inspiration
Is there anything prettier than the fruit section of a grocery store in the summer? I’m obsessed with the juicy, mottled peaches, heaps of ripe strawberries, and grapes like jewels in plastic containers. Every time, something comes over me: it’s like I black out and ten minutes later I’m in the bread aisle with a cart full of fruit that wasn’t on my list.
Then I take it home and . . . I don’t like it.
The thing about raw fruit is that it can be sweet and delicious, but it can also be watery or tart or sour, and there’s really no way to tell which way it’s going to go. And when it goes badly, the disappointment is real. But sweet, spiced fruit blanketed by a layer of warm, buttery cake? Now we’re talking.
why i love this recipe
To make strawberry nectarine skillet cake, I chose two of my favorite summer fruits. Using two fruits adds a little extra variety: the strawberries are sweet and the nectarines just a touch tart. Warm flavors like maple and cinnamon add an autumnal touch that makes this cake the best of both summer and fall. Baking the cake in a skillet makes the edges chewy, almost crispy, and deliciously caramelized. A scoop of vanilla ice cream takes it totally over the top.
Full disclosure: I ate this for dinner and it was perfectly sweet without being sickly. 10/10 would recommend.
details
One of the reasons I love this cake is because it’s so straightforward to make. All you need for the batter is a mixing bowl and a rubber spatula (or wooden spoon). The batter will be mostly smooth, of medium thickness, and a tan color. Some people like to mix their wet and dry ingredients in separate bowls, but that’s not necessary here. Just mix half the flour along with the baking soda and salt on top of the wet ingredients in the bowl. No need to wash more dishes!
Once that’s done, you’ll pour the batter into the (greased) skillet, toss the fruit with cinnamon, sugar, salt, and corn starch, and scatter the fruit on top of the batter. It might look a little homely, but don’t worry—it’ll have a major glow-up in the oven.
When you pull it out of the oven, you may think you’ve failed. After all, this cake doesn’t rise much—just enough to envelope the fruit. But the cake will be soft in the middle, chewy around the edges, and the fruit will be sweet and delicious. You can slice the cake into pretty little wedges if you want to, but I didn’t want to wait that long—I just scooped it onto a plate, added some French vanilla ice cream, and went for it.
notes
strawberries: While the fresh, perfect ones are gorgeous, I like baking with strawberries that are right on the edge—they tend to be a little sweeter. And once they’re all chopped up and baked, they’ll look the same anyway! Substitute with another berry, like raspberries or blackberries.
nectarines: choose a nectarine that is fragrant and gives just slightly when (gently!) squeezed. You can peel them if you like—here’s a good article—but the skin is so thin I don’t usually bother. Substitute with another stone fruit, like peaches or plums.
maple extract: adds beautiful warmth and a little something special. I don’t recommend skipping it, but if you do, add ½ tsp extra vanilla.
notes, continued
salt: some people don’t use salt in desserts but I think that’s a mistake. Just a little doesn’t make the fruit taste salty, just more like itself. This recipe is written for kosher salt, so reduce it by 1/3 if you use table salt.
ice cream: any vanilla will do, but I prefer French vanilla or vanilla bean. It’s just a little more interesting.
leftovers: Keeps in the fridge, tightly covered, for 4 days.
I hope you love this strawberry nectarine skillet cake! If you’re looking for more sweet treats, try caramel apple milkshakes, butterscotch white chocolate macademia cookies, or the best chewy, fudgy brownies.
strawberry nectarine skillet cake
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted + more for greasing
- 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp white sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp maple extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp + 1 pinch kosher salt
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1 cup strawberries, halved* about 12-15
- 1 cup nectarines, pitted and sliced* 1 large
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- vanilla ice cream for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and grease a 12-inch cast iron skillet with butter. In a medium mixing bowl, combine melted butter, 1/3 cup each of brown and white sugar, and extracts. On top of this mixture, add half of the flour, all the baking powder, and ½ tsp salt. Mix thoroughly, then add the rest of the flour and mix until combined. Next, add the milk ¼ cup at a time, combining thoroughly before adding more. Whisk until mostly smooth. Pour into the skillet.
- Combine strawberries and nectarines in a small mixing bowl. Sprinkle with 1 pinch salt, 1 tbsp white sugar, 1 tbsp corn starch, and 1 tsp cinnamon. Toss until the fruit is evenly coated. Scatter the fruit over the batter.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until top is browned and the fruit is bubbling. Serve warm, with ice cream.