Small Batch Coffee Cakes, Small Batch Cornbread in 6" skillet

We're finding some good uses for the 6" diameter cast iron skillet.

The area of a 6" cast iron skillet is just about half of an 8" X 8" pan, so you can halve recipes intended for the 8X8 and get good results for just 2 people. I halved this coffee cake recipe:

• 3/4 c plus 2 Tbsp flour
• 1/2 c sugar (I use less, maybe about 1/3 c)
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4-1/2 tsp cinnamon (I added to the published recipe)
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 egg (or 1 Tbsp yogurt)
• 1/4 c plus 2 Tbsp milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Topping:

• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Combine dry ingredients. Cut in butter with a pastry blender. Add liquid ingredients, blend until just mixed. Top with cinnamon and brown sugar (you could measure these, or just sprinkle some on to your taste, which is what I do). Bake at 375 for 20-25 min- this one took 30 min. The thing about halving recipes into smaller pans is that you think the bake time will be reduced, and often it really isn't much, if at all.

When our kids were growing up, everyone loved the Betty Crocker recipe using Bisquick for a quick breakfast coffee cake. I decided to try a half-batch in our small (6" diameter) cast iron skillet. I did not halve the egg, but rather threw in a spoonful of plain Greek yogurt. If you don't have any Bisquick on hand, here is a recipe to make your own.

• 1 c Bisquick
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/3 c milk
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1/2 egg, or about 1 Tbsp of yogurt

Streusel

• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp butter

Preheat oven to 375. Mix batter, pour in greased pan. Mix streusel, sprinkle on top. Bake 20-25 min or so until lightly browned and a tester comes out clean- it was 25 min for me.

For a small batch of cornbread, halve the recipe on the corn meal package. As above, rather than halving an egg I put in about a Tbsp of yogurt. I've also made it with the full egg, and it turned out fine, but fluffier. I baked it about 18-20 min or so.

For a 6" savory dutch baby, see here.