Apple Pecan Skillet Cake with Dulce de Leche Glaze
This may look like apple pie, but it resembles the flavor and texture of a pineapple upside down cake. A flaky piecrust topped with slices of brown sugar glazed apples layered with a moist pecan and Kahlúa flavored buttery cake and then topped with additional apple slices. Bake in a cast-iron skillet and drizzle with a rich dulce de leche apple glaze.
Peel apples, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick wedges. Toss with 2 tablespoons flour and 1/2 cup brown sugar in a large bowl.
Melt 1/4 cup butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add apple mixture, and sauté 15 minutes or until apples are tender and liquid is thickened. Remove from heat; cool completely (about 30 minutes).
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°. Melt remaining 3/4 cup butter. Stir together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add eggs, Kahlúa, melted butter, and remaining 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, stirring until blended. Stir in pecans.
Fit pie crust into a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, gently pressing piecrust all the way up the sides of skillet. Spoon two-thirds of apple mixture over bottom of pie crust, spreading and gently pressing apple slices into an even layer using the back of a spoon. Spoon batter over apple mixture; top with remaining apple mixture.
Place pie on lower oven rack, and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes to 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Remove from oven; cool pie completely on a wire rack.
Make Glaze:
Place the dulce de leche and apple juice in a saucepan and heat over a low flame, stirring constantly, until hot. Remove from heat. Drizzle 1/3 cup warm glaze over the cake. Serve with remaining sauce.