Apple-Bacon Cast Iron Skillet Pancake With Buckwheat Flour

This cast-iron skillet pancake has nutty buckwheat flour, sweet apple slices, crispy bacon, warm cinnamon, and raisins.

It is beautifully baked in the oven until deliciously brown, sweetened just right, and the perfect way to start your day.

It's also the ultimate weekend or holiday breakfast or brunch to share with family and friends, and it's one of our favorites.

This baked pancake takes me back to the lovely Sunday mornings of my childhood years.

Like my Oat Flour Pancakes or Plantain Pancakes, this giant buckwheat pancake (reminiscent of "Boekweit Koek") is also a sweet pancake but filled with warm, sweet apples and crispy bacon and all made in one large skillet. 

Enjoy as-is or with a drizzle of pure maple syrup. I often love to pair it with homemade Rhubarb Compote, Cranberry Sauce, or Instant Pot Apple Butter—so good.

Why You'll Love This Giant Pancake Recipe

• Easy recipe: It's all cooked in an oven-safe skillet and comes together quickly.
• Delicious breakfast or brunch: This big pancake looks beautifully rustic, with the warm smell of caramelized apples, and will instantly make your lazy weekend morning cozy.
• Naturally sweet and hearty: You can enjoy this as-is since raisins, dates, and apples make this dish slightly sweet. In contrast, the bacon adds a lovely savory flavor to the buckwheat's tender texture.

Ingredients

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Here's what should be on your grocery list to make this cast iron skillet pancake:

• Apple: Choose a sweet apple, like Golden Delicious, Jonagold, or Honeycrisp. With fall around the corner, you will have plenty of choices. I love Golden Delicious because it has almost a buttery honey taste that works well in this recipe.
• Molasses: Use organic Unsulfured Blackstrap Molasses as a sweetener. 
• Dates: Adds natural sweetness and pairs well with bacon flavors.
• Plant milk: If you want to keep it dairy-free. I often make this pancake with cashew or almond milk, which is creamy and a good source of protein. But you can use any milk of your choice. Avoid flavored ones or anything with added sugars.
• Flour: Gluten-free buckwheat flour makes this oven-baked pancake look so beautifully rustic. Cinnamon and dates balance any bitter flavors of buckwheat and allow for the more nutty undertones to come through.
• Olive oil or butter: You can use either one. But I find something about apples and extra virgin olive oil irresistible; it keeps this pancake recipe dairy-free.
• Raisins: They're optional, but I highly recommend them. They complement the apples and add a natural sweetness to the buckwheat flour.
• Bacon: It adds a wonderful sweet and savory component.
• Salt, cinnamon powder: Enhances the flavors of buckwheat flour and bacon.
• Baking powder: Used as a leavening agent.

How To Make It

See the full recipe with measurements in the recipe card.

Step One (Picture 1 above) - Blend milk and dates in a high-speed blender until smooth—set aside.

Step Two (Picture 2 above) - Place all dry ingredients in a large bowl, including the raisins.

Step Three (Picture 3 above) - Combine until everything is well incorporated.

Step Four (Picture 4 above) - Add the reserved milk mixture and beaten egg (wet ingredients) to the flour mixture. Stir to combine.

Step Five (Picture 5 above) - Heat olive oil in a large hot skillet. Divide the bacon across the bottom of the skillet. Arrange the apple slices on top and drizzle molasses evenly over them.

Step Six (Picture 6 above) - Cook everything for a minute over medium heat on the stovetop. Turn over the apple slices using a fork (not the bacon).

Step Seven (Picture 7 above) - Pour the pancake batter evenly over the apples and bacon. Use a rubber spatula, if needed, to divide it evenly across the pan. Cook for a few minutes on the stove until the edges of the batter have set.

Step Eight (Picture 8 above) - Carefully transfer the skillet from the stovetop to the hot oven. Bake until the pancake is brownish and golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Once out of the oven, let it cool slightly.

Cut into large pie pieces and turn them around when serving.

Once cooled, you can also use a large spatula to turn around the whole pancake, revealing the apples and bacon, and cut out the desired amount of pie slices. 

The Apple Bacon cast iron skillet pancake is filling, healthy, and delicious on its own. It's also a perfect and easy breakfast for sharing! 

Note: This is not your puffy pancake or anything similar to a German pancake. This oven-baked pancake is much sturdier but has amazing sweet and savory flavors and incredible texture.

Substitutions & Variations

• Molasses: You can also use maple syrup. But molasses will add that sweet and savory smokiness. Besides, it has a long shelf life and can be used in many other recipes like my Instant Pot Beef Stew, Instant Pot Apple Butter, or my Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.
• Buckwheat flour: You can replace one-fourth of the buckwheat flour with sweet Teff flour, which is also gluten-free and adds a wonderful nutty component. 
• If gluten is not a concern, and you don't like buckwheat, I suggest Spelt flour like in my Quick Spelt Cake—a non-wheat, whole grain flour with a higher amount of proteins. It has a much better flavor than regular all-purpose flour.
• Olive oil: You can replace it with butter.
• Make it vegetarian-friendly: If you have vegetarian guests, leave out the bacon, which will still taste incredibly delicious.

Recipe FAQs

Other Delicious Pancakes Or Breakfasts To Try

Don't forget to subscribe to my Monthly Newsletter!

Your shares and ratings are valuable to me and so much appreciated. They'll help me create more content you and others can enjoy!

This cast-iron skillet pancake is one of our favorite breakfast recipes and a nice way to switch it up from serving traditional pancakes.

It's also a great option for celebratory moments or Holiday brunch. 

📖 Recipe

Apple-Bacon Cast Iron Skillet Pancake With Buckwheat Flour

Mariska Ramondino

This amazing cast-iron skillet pancake is an ideal weekend treat when hosting family or guests. It boasts a delightful combination of golden apples, savory, crispy bacon, and plump raisins wrapped up in a nutty and slightly sweet buckwheat flour pancake batter.

5 from 3 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Course Breakfast and Brunch

Cuisine International

Equipment

• ▢
  1 Large cast-iron skillet
• ▢
  1 Blender

Servings 6 Servings

Ingredients

 

• ▢ 1 cup plant milk 237 ml
• ▢ 5 pitted dates
• ▢ 1 cup Buckwheat Flour 132 grams
• ▢ ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ 1 cup raisins 135 grams
• ▢ 1 large egg beaten
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil or coconut oil, divided
• ▢ 6 ounces bacon 170 grams, go for uncured and sugar-free bacon
• ▢ 1 large apple, sliced crosswise 250 grams
• ▢ 1 tablespoon molasses or maple syrup

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 375 °F/ 190 °C with rack in the upper third.
• Place the milk and the dates in a blender. Blend on high-speed setting until thoroughly blended, set aside.
  1 cup plant milk, 5 pitted dates
• In a bowl, add flour, salt, cinnamon powder, baking powder, and raisins. Combine the dry ingredients.
  1 cup Buckwheat Flour, ½ teaspoon sea salt, ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, 1 cup raisins
• Add the reserved milk mixture and the egg to the dry ingredients. Stir well until you have a beautiful dark batter; set aside.
  1 large egg
• In a 12-inch (cast-iron or oven-safe) skillet, warm 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat on the stove.
  2 tablespoons olive oil or coconut oil, divided
• Divide the bacon over the surface of the skillet, then immediately arrange the apple slices on top. Pour the molasses evenly over the apple slices and the remaining one tablespoon of olive oil.
  6 ounces bacon, 1 large apple, sliced crosswise, 1 tablespoon molasses
• Cook for one minute, then turn the apple slices (not the bacon) around using a fork. Immediately pour the buckwheat batter evenly over the apples and bacon.
• Cook until the edges of the batter have set a bit—for about 3 to 4 minutes. Not any longer, because it can cause the bacon to burn.
• Remove the pan carefully from the stove and place it directly in the oven.
• Bake the pancake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle, and any thicker parts of the pancake comes out clean.
• Remove carefully from the oven and let it slightly cool.
• Cut a pie piece, turn it around revealing the beautifully browned apples and bacon. Serve on individual plates.
• Or wait until the whole pancake is cooled. Then you can carefully turn the whole pancake around with a large spatula to reveal the browned apples.

Notes

Equipment: a 12-inch cast-iron skillet or other oven-proof pan.

Storage: Place any leftovers in an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to 5 days. Simply reheat in a low oven setting or on the stove.

Substitutions & Variations 

1. 1. Molasses: You can also use maple syrup. But molasses will add that sweet and savory smokiness. Besides, it has a long shelf life and can be used in many other recipes like my Instant Pot Beef Stew, Instant Pot Apple Butter, or my Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.
   2. Buckwheat flour: You can replace one-fourth of the buckwheat flour with sweet Teff flour is also gluten-free and adds a wonderful nutty component. 
   3. If gluten is not a concern, and you don't like buckwheat, then I suggest Spelt flour like in my Quick Spelt Cake—a non-wheat, whole grain flour with a higher amount of proteins. It has a much better flavor than regular all-purpose flour.
   4. Olive oil: You can replace it with butter.
   5. Make it vegetarian-friendly or meatless by omitting the bacon. Instead, arrange the apple slices directly in the oiled pan. Pour the molasses evenly over the apple slices and the remaining one tablespoon of olive oil. Let them cook for one minute. Turn them around and pour the batter over the apples. Follow the rest of the recipe as-is.

Add your own private notes

Click here to add your own private notes.

Whenever you come back to this recipe, you’ll be able to see your notes.

Nutrition (% Daily value)

Calories: 349kcal (17%)Carbohydrates: 43g (14%)Protein: 8g (16%)Fat: 18g (28%)Saturated Fat: 5g (31%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.04gCholesterol: 46mg (15%)Sodium: 557mg (24%)Potassium: 310mg (9%)Fiber: 4g (17%)Sugar: 24g (27%)Vitamin A: 67IU (1%)Vitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 137mg (14%)Iron: 2mg (11%)

Disclaimer: This nutritional data is calculated using third party tools and is only intended as a reference.

Tried this recipe? PIN it for laterMention @mychefsapron or tag #mychefsapron!