Get the App

Recipes

Find a Recipe Blue Ribbon Recipes Pinch It!™ Feed Browse All Recipes

Editorial

Food Bites & Articles Videos What is a Blue Ribbon? Meet the Test Kitchen

Community

Member Recipes Groups Sweepstakes Contests Shopping

grandma bastow's skillet cake

(3 ratings)
whatyagotcookin avatar
Blue Ribbon Recipe by
Pat Spencer
@whatyagotcookin
Cushing, OK

This recipe came from my husband's grandmother in Kansas. He loved it enough to ask her for the recipe and he passed it on to me so I could make it for him too. This cake is very moist and the almond flavored icing tops it off perfectly.

Blue Ribbon Recipe

If you're looking for a homemade moist chocolate cake, Grandma Bastow's is it! It's a light chocolate cake that's extremely soft. You'd never guess it was made in a cast iron skillet. The creamy frosting adds a little touch of sophistication and an extra sweet touch to an already impressive cake. The skillet is so rustic and cute, you could skip flipping it out of the pan and serve it directly from the skillet. It would make a great conversation piece for guests.

— The Test Kitchen @kitchencrew
(3 ratings)
yield 8 -12
prep time 35 Min
cook time 45 Min
method Bake

Ingredients For grandma bastow's skillet cake

  • 1/2 c
    butter
  • 2 oz
    semi-sweet baking chocolate
  • 2
    eggs, unbeaten
  • 1 c
    all-purpose flour
  • 1 c
    sugar
  • 1 tsp
    baking soda
  • 1 c
    buttermilk
  • 1 tsp
    vanilla
  • INGREDIENTS FOR FROSTING
  • 4 c
    powdered sugar
  • 1 stick
    butter
  • 1/8 tsp
    salt
  • 1 tsp
    vanilla
  • 1/4 tsp
    almond extract
  • 5-6 Tbsp
    heavy whipping cream (or more if needed)

How To Make grandma bastow's skillet cake

Test Kitchen Tips
In the end, we used 9 Tbsp of cream to make a spreadable frosting.
  • 1
    To make the cake, pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.
  • Butter and baking chocolate in a cast iron skillet.
    2
    Put butter and chocolate baking squares in a 9" WELL SEASONED cast iron skillet.
  • Melting butter and chocolate in the oven.
    3
    Place skillet in oven and allow butter and chocolate to melt.
  • Skillet removed from the oven.
    4
    Remove skillet from oven.
  • Butter and chocolate stirred together.
    5
    Stir butter and chocolate together. Set aside to cool (about 20 minutes).
  • Adding eggs to the cooled butter and chocolate.
    6
    When pan has cooled, add two unbeaten eggs to chocolate/butter mixture and stir slightly with a wire whisk.
  • Flour, sugar, and baking soda sifted into a bowl.
    7
    In separate bowl, sift together flour, sugar, and baking soda.
  • Slowly adding flour mixture to the pan alternating with milk.
    8
    Alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the chocolate mixture in the skillet stirring with wire whisk until thoroughly blended.
  • Adding vanilla to the batter.
    9
    Then add the vanilla.
  • Place the cast iron pan into the oven.
    10
    Place skillet in the oven and cook for 35 minutes.
  • Cooling the cake.
    11
    Remove skillet from oven and place on cooling rack for 10 minutes.
  • Loosening the edges of the cake with a knife.
    12
    If your skillet has not been seasoned well, the cake may stick. If it feels like it has stuck to the skillet, loosen the cake from the edges with a knife.
  • Using a spatula to loosen the bottom of the cake.
    13
    Run a large spatula between the cake and the pan on the underneath side to loosen it before inverting it onto the serving platter.
  • Inverting the cake onto a plate.
    14
    Invert the cake onto a serving platter and let cake cool before adding frosting (about an hour).
  • Mixing powdered sugar and butter.
    15
    To make the frosting, cream one-third of the powdered sugar with the butter with electric mixer.
  • Adding vanilla extract to the frosting.
    16
    Blend in vanilla and almond extract.
  • Adding two tablespoons of cream to the frosting.
    17
    Add 2 tablespoons of the cream and blend well.
  • Adding remaining powdered sugar to the frosting.
    18
    Add the remaining sugar to the mixture.
  • Slowly adding additional cream.
    19
    Gradually add more cream.
  • Cream added until desired consistency.
    20
    Continue mixing until the frosting has the desired spreading consistency.
  • Frosting the cooled cake.
    21
    Spread on cooled cake.
  • Shaving chocolate over frosted cake.
    22
    Shave some chocolate almond bark or chocolate candy bar onto the top of the frosting for a beautiful finish to this cake.
  • Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
ADVERTISEMENT