I'm sorry that your apple pancake got burnt; I also prefer to cook things that allow us to be creative; baking doesn't leave much room for that. But I think that in your preparation, more than the number of ingredients to the eye, the heat of the stove and the pan bottom thickness could be the problem. I have several pans, and when I make Spanish Tortilla in some goes better than others, and it is due to the thickness of the pan bottom and how it transmits the heat. I wish you better luck next time.