Food & Cooking Recipes Breakfast & Brunch Recipes Pancake Recipes Dutch Baby Pancake With Apples 5.0 (1) Caramelized apples and a simple batter make for one stellar brunch dish. Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 25 mins Total Time: 35 mins Servings: 4 Jump to recipe Our golden and puffed Dutch baby apple pancake is a splendid dish for fall. It starts with a tart Granny Smith apple, which is lightly caramelized in a mixture of butter, honey, and cardamom, then combined with a simple batter. From there, it’s a 20-minute stint in the oven before the tender, just-sweet-enough pancake is ready to serve. It makes a wonderful addition to an autumn brunch but could also be served for dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Delicious, impressive, and so unbelievably delicious, it's a must-make recipe. 10 Popular Types of Apples—and Which Ones Are Best for Baking and Snacking Credit: Brie Goldman What Is a Dutch Baby Pancake? A Dutch baby pancake is a puffy, oven-baked pancake that falls somewhere between a popover and a crepe. It's baked in a hot skillet, which causes the edges to become airy and golden while the center remains tender and almost custardy. Despite its name, the Dutch baby pancake originated at a Seattle diner in the early 20th century. Inspired by the German pancake pfannkuchen, it is said to have been mispronounced as "Dutch" rather than Deutsch, meaning German, and the name stuck. Ingredients for Dutch Baby Pancake With Apples You'll only need a handful of basic fridge and pantry ingredients for this recipe: Apple: We like the contrast of a tart Granny Smith apple against the sweet honey in this recipe, but you can use another crisp apple variety like McIntosh, Honeycrisp, or Braeburn. Flour: All-purpose flour makes for a light and tender pancake. When measuring it out, spoon the flour into your measuring cup rather than scoop the cup into the flour container. You'll be more likely to get an accurate measurement that way. Eggs: This recipe relies on eggs for leavening, rather than baking powder or baking soda. Milk: You won't need any heavy cream or buttermilk for this recipe, just three-quarters of a cup of regular milk. Whole milk will give you the best flavor and texture, so reach for it if you can. Honey: Instead of sugar, we look to honey for sweetness here. It adds delicious flavor and combines beautifully with the melted butter and apples in the first step. Cardamom: A touch of cardamom adds a warm, aromatic boost to the apples. If you don't have it on hand, swap in an equal amount of cinnamon or leave it out altogether. Tip Be sure to preheat your oven before cooking the apples—it's key for the Dutch baby's puffed look and airy feel. Directions Credit: Brie Goldman Preheat oven; heat pan, add butter, and soften apples: Heat oven to 400°F. Heat a well-seasoned 10-inch cast-iron skillet over high heat and add butter. When melted, add apple wedges. Cook until softened and lightly golden, about 2 minutes. Stir in honey and cardamom, and remove skillet from heat. Credit: Brie Goldman Combine remaining ingredients expect confectioners sugar: In a bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients, except confectioners' sugar, until smooth. Take care to not over-mix the batter. A few lumps are okay and will work themselves out as the pancake cooks. Credit: Brie Goldman Pour batter over apples and bake: Pour over apples. Bake until puffed and brown, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately, cut into wedges, with confectioners' sugar sifted over the top. Credit: Brie Goldman Credit: Brie Goldman How to Serve a Dutch Baby Pancake This dish is best served straight from the oven—right in the skillet—while the pancake is still hot and puffed. (Like a soufflé, it will deflate as it sits.) A dusting of confectioners' sugar is all that's needed to finish it off, though you could certainly serve it with a bit of maple syrup or honey if desired. Variation: Dairy-Free Dutch Baby If you're avoiding dairy, you can make this recipe with a plant-based butter alternative and swap in an equal amount of almond milk for the cow's milk. 5 More Brunch-Ready Apple Recipes Apple-Caramel French Toast Apple Pancakes Beet, Cheddar, and Apple Tarts Apple-Walnut Bundt Cake Sautéed Maple Syrup Apples Updated by Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds is an experienced recipe developer, recipe tester, food editor, and writer with over a decade of experience in the food and media industries.