Eat it: Make Apple Skillet Cake from the Pillsbury Bake-Off collection

Eat it

The Pillsbury Bake-Off has been around since 1949. Because the winning recipes are timelessly popular, Pillsbury has released a compilation of its earlier contest recipes in an authentic reproduction of the 1959 book. Pillsbury’s Best 1000 Recipes: Best of the Bake-Off Collection (Wiley, $29.95) brings family-friendly food to your table for every kind of meal and celebration. This recipe, a winner among junior competitors, is perfect for fall; you can sub cranberries for raisins, if you like.

Apple Skillet Cake

Serves 8-10

3 tablespoons butter

1 1/3 cups firmly packed brown sugar, divided

3 medium apples, pared and cut into thin slices

2/3 cup raisins

1  1/3 cups sifted all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup shortening

2 egg yolks, unbeaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

2/3 cup milk

2 egg whites

Whipped cream, for serving

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. On the stove, melt butter in a heavy, 10-inch skillet.

2. Remove from heat and add 2/3 cup brown sugar.

3. Arrange apple slices in the skillet. Sprinkle raisins on top.

4. In a mixing bowl, sift flour with baking powder and salt. Set aside.

5. In another bowl, combine sugar and remaining brown sugar with shortening, beating with electric mixer to cream well.

6. Add egg yolks and vanilla and beat well. Add milk, alternately with dry ingredients, to the sugar-egg mixture, beating after each addition.

7. In a third bowl, beat egg whites until stiff. Fold into the batter. Pour the batter into the skillet over the apples and raisins.

8. Bake skillet for 35- 45 minutes. Remove from oven and turn over immediately onto serving plate. Serve with whipped cream.

— June Naylor

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