Grandma Bastows Skillet Cake Recipes

GRANDMA BASTOW'S LEMON VELVET CAKE

Steps:

• 1. In mixing bowl, sift the cake mix and instant pudding together, then add the eggs, oil, water, and lemon extract and beat with electric mixer for 5 minutes. Pour into greased and floured 13x9 baking dish and bake @ 350 degrees for 30 - 40 minutes. When cake is done, reomove from oven and place on a cooling rack for 5 minutes. Using a fork, poke holes in the top while the cake is still warm. These holes will allow the icing to flow through the cake infusing it with all the delicious lemon flavor in the icing, so poke plenty of holes !
• 2. While the cake is baking, mix your icing because you will pour the icing over the top of the cake while it is still warm. First, put the powdered sugar into a small mixing bowl. You need to remove the zest from the outside of the lemon with a zesting tool (a small grater will work if you don't have the zesting tool) and add it to the powdered sugar. Cut the lemon in half and add all the juice from the lemon (being careful to remove all the seeds) to the sugar as well. Add the melted butter and water, then mix with a wire whisk until blended well. This mixture will be very runny. When cake has cooled for five minutes, and holes have been poked into top of cake, slowly pour the icing mixture over the top of the cake and allow it to seep down into the cake, being careful not to allow the icing to run over the sides of the cake. You want to keep the icing on the top of the cake so all the flavor doesn't run to the sides. If you are a true lemon flavor lover, you can double the icing recipe and it doubles the lemon flavor of this cake. I have tried it and WOW does it ever pack a punch of lemon flavor!! Yummy

GRANDMA'S SKILLET PINEAPPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Melt 1 stick butter in the bottom of a cast iron skillet over medium heat, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter. Add pineapple slices on top of sugar in 1 decorative layer with a cherry in the middle of each pineapple ring. Set aside.
• Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.
• Cream sugar and butter together in a bowl. Add eggs and mix. Add flour mixture and milk in an alternating fashion. Add vanilla extract and mix well. Pour mixture evenly over pineapples in the skillet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cake is golden brown, about 40 minutes.
• Let cake cool in the skillet for 10 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate. Serve warm.

GRANDMA BASTOW'S SKILLET CAKE

Steps:

• 1. To make the cake, pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.
• 2. Put butter and chocolate baking squares in a 9" WELL SEASONED cast iron skillet.
• 3. Place skillet in oven and allow butter and chocolate to melt.
• 4. Remove skillet from oven.
• 5. Stir butter and chocolate together. Set aside to cool (about 20 minutes).
• 6. When pan has cooled, add two unbeaten eggs to chocolate/butter mixture and stir slightly with a wire whisk.
• 7. In separate bowl, sift together flour, sugar, and baking soda.
• 8. Alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the chocolate mixture in the skillet stirring with wire whisk until thoroughly blended.
• 9. Then add the vanilla.
• 10. Place skillet in the oven and cook for 35 minutes.
• 11. Remove skillet from oven and place on cooling rack for 10 minutes.
• 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.
• 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.
• 14. Invert the cake onto a serving platter and let cake cool before adding frosting (about an hour).
• 15. To make the frosting, cream one-third of the powdered sugar with the butter with electric mixer.
• 16. Blend in vanilla and almond extract.
• 17. Add 2 tablespoons of the cream and blend well.
• 18. Add the remaining sugar to the mixture.
• 19. Gradually add more cream.
• 20. Continue mixing until the frosting has the desired spreading consistency.
• 21. Spread on cooled cake.
• 22. Shave some chocolate almond bark or chocolate candy bar onto the top of the frosting for a beautiful finish to this cake.