13 Easy Cast Iron Skillet Dessert Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What can you bake in a cast iron skillet? ›

Your cast iron cookware is perfect for homemade cornbread and biscuits, sourdough bread, pies, and cakes.

Before you bake, make sure to coat your cast iron with nonstick spray. Use a pastry brush to get the oil into the corners or sidewalls of your pan. We recommend using silicone brushes when you're spreading oil on hot, preheated cookware.

This chocolate cake topped with milk chocolate frosting couldn't be easier—it's made, and baked, right in a cast iron skillet. Stella Parks is a CIA-trained baking nerd and pastry wizard, dubbed one of America's Best New Pastry Chefs by Food & Wine. She was the pastry editor at Serious Eats from 2016 to 2019.

But despite some popular cooking myths, cast iron does not heat evenly—or quickly. That's why preheating is such an important (and often overlooked) step.

Eggs fall into the category of sticky foods that are not ideal for cast iron skillets that haven't built up their seasoning yet. While cast iron can become non-stick with sufficient use over time, a newer skillet will almost certainly cause your eggs to stick to its porous surface.

What oils can I use to season cast iron? All cooking oils and fats can be used for seasoning cast iron, but based on availability, affordability, effectiveness, and having a high smoke point, Lodge recommends vegetable oil, melted shortening, or canola oil, like our Seasoning Spray.

When using carbon-steel and cast-iron pans, some people like to heat the dry pan first, then add the oil. This is because high heat causes the oil to oxidize and polymerize, allowing it to bond to the metal, filling in any small pits and divots—a process that seasons the pan, essentially giving it a nonstick surface.

Butter is excellent for cooking, adding to gravies, and even frying if you control the heat to medium-low. But it is not a good choice for seasoning cast iron cookware first time. Butter has a high smoke point. If you season the cast iron pots with butter, they will burn out too soon.

The first is that since oil is used to season the cast iron skillet and create a nonstick surface, soap would effectively wash away the cure that you worked so hard to build. The second reason that this myth persists is that soap isn't the most efficient cleaner of cast iron.

Do you clean cast iron after every use? ›

Clean your cast-iron skillet each time you use it. Doing so prevents stuck-on food from staying on the skillet between uses. If the skillet is only slightly dirty, a quick wipe after cooking in it will work. If dirtier, or food is stuck, then scrubbing it is best.

This black residue from your cast-iron pan doesn't look great, but it's just seasoning and it's not harmful. Keep cooking in that pan, washing and drying and oiling it meticulously, and you'll see the issue clear up quickly.

To begin seasoning your cast iron skillet, place a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil on the bottom of your oven, or a baking sheet covered in aluminum foil on the lowest rack. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Wash your skillet with soap and water, then dry it off completely with a soft cloth or paper towel.

The simple answer is yes! But to really do it right, we have some tips for keeping your cast iron in tip-top shape for the most decadent desserts and meatiest stews.