Blueberry Buckle Cake

     While blueberries are cheap and plentiful, run out and buy the ingredients you need to make this wonderful cake.  That being said, I am giving you the original recipe from Kraft but I substituted a plain white cake mix with a Duncan Hines Golden Butter mix I had in the pantry.  The big difference is that the Golden Butter mix is made with 7 tablespoons of softened butter in place of the usual vegetable oil.  Needless to say, the cake was very rich.  The cake baked for a total of 30 minutes with 12 briquettes in a ring around the bottom of the oven, 16 coals placed in a ring around the outside of the lid with 9 more placed in a second smaller ring around the center.  Take a peek halfway through cooking time to make sure the cake is not browning too quickly.  Light, crunchy and overflowing with berries, every bite will remind you of a warm, summer's day.
    
Blueberry Buckle Cake
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled butter, cut into small pieces
1 package (2 layer size) white cake mix plus ingredients needed from package to make cake
1 3.4 oz package vanilla flavor instant pudding
1 Tblsp lemon zest (optional)
4 cups fresh blueberries

     Lightly oil or spray 12 inch dutch oven; line with parchment paper.
     Combine first 3 ingredients in large bowl.
     Cut in butter with pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
     Prepare cake batter as directed on package.
     Add dry pudding mix and zest; beat 2 minutes.
     Fold in blueberries; pour into prepared dutch oven.
     Sprinkle with streusel mixture.
     Bake at 375 degrees for 35-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
     Cool for 30 minutes before removing from oven.

Sprinkle batter with streusel topping

Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes or until
tester comes out clean

Buttery, moist and best of all, made from a cake mix

Chocolate Cherry Bars

     Celebrate Valentine's Day with these incredibly easy and delicious Chocolate Cherry Bars from Pillsbury.  More like a cake, these light and airy bars are made with only 4 ingredients.  If you're camping and don't want to go to the trouble of making the icing from scratch use the canned variety, just wait until the cake has cooled before lifting from your oven and frosting.
     If you follow the original recipe, once your cake is done remove it from the coals.  When you make the frosting, boil it for exactly one minute, add the chocolate and when the chocolate has melted and the icing is smooth, immediately pour it over your warm cake. As the icing cools it will be more difficult to spread.
     In my 12 inch dutch oven, the cake baked for 35 minutes with 12 coals in a ring around the base of the oven and 28 spaced evenly on the lid.  Be sure to let the bars cool completely before cutting and sharing with your favorite Valentine.  Have a sweet Valentine's Day!

Chocolate Cherry Bars
Cake Bars
1 15.25 oz package Pillsbury Moist Supreme Devil's Food Cake Mix
1 21 oz can cherry pie filling
1 tsp almond OR vanilla extract
3 eggs, beaten
Frosting
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup milk
5 tblsp margarine OR butter
1 6 oz package semisweet chocolate chips

     Lightly oil or spray 12 inch dutch oven; line with parchment paper.
     In large bowl, combine all cake bar ingredients; stir until well blended.
     Pour into prepared dutch oven.
     Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until tester comes out clean.
     In small saucepan, combine sugar, milk and butter.
     Bring to a boil.
     Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly.
     Remove from heat; stir in chocolate chips until smooth.
     Immediately pour frosting over warm bars.
     Cool in dutch oven for 1 1/2 hours or until completely cool.
     Cut into bars.

Pour thick batter into prepared 12 inch dutch oven

Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees

Pour hot frosting over warm cake

Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars

Three Ingredient Pumpkin Cake

     When a friend told me about this cake I could hardly wait to try it in my dutch oven.  It's a perfect camping recipe, none of the ingredients require refrigeration and all you need is a bowl, a spoon and a can opener.  I found several variations of this dessert online, you can also make it with a spice or angel food cake mix and eliminate the spices.  You might prefer an apple cider glaze or dusting it with powdered sugar over the frosting, for convenience the canned icing cannot be beat.  In my 10 inch deep dutch oven the cake baked for 35 minutes with 10 coals in a ring around the base of the oven, 14 around the rim of the lid with 6 spaced evenly in the center.  For a cake that has absolutely no eggs, oil or butter in it, it is surprisingly good and probably a little healthier for you too.

Three Ingredient Pumpkin Cake
1 15.25 oz package yellow cake mix
1 15 oz can pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice OR cinnamon
1 can prepared cream cheese frosting

     Lightly oil or spray 10 inch dutch oven, line with parchment paper.
     In large bowl, combine canned pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice and cake mix, batter will be thick.
     Spread batter evenly in prepared oven.
     Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until tester comes out clean.
     Cool completely before removing from oven, frost with canned icing.

Spread thick batter in parchment lined 10 inch dutch oven

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes

Allow to cool before removing from oven and frosting
with cream cheese icing

Pretty darned good for a cake mix and a can of pumpkin

Raspberry Bubble Bake

     If any of you wonderful people out there in dutch oven cooking land are still following my blog, I apologize for not keeping up with your nice comments and for generally falling behind on posting any new recipes.  Thank you for your patience and I hope you have been enjoying cooking in your black pots while mine have been collecting dust.  Life has been a good kind of busy lately but now that the weather has cooled off I am really feeling the urge to fire up the coals and try some new recipes.
     This Raspberry Bubble Bake from the Rhodes site is just about as easy as it gets.  A great recipe for the beginning dutch oven cook, the hardest part is waiting for the dough to rise.  When you add the pie filling, it may look a lot but after the dough rises, the rolls will poke through.  In my 12 inch dutch oven, they baked for 30 minutes with 12 coals in a ring around the base of the oven, 18 placed around the outside of the lid with 6 briquettes spaced evenly in the center.  If you don't feel like going to the trouble of making the icing, sprinkle the rolls liberally with powdered sugar. Substitute with your favorite pie filling, as a dessert or coffee cake, these ooey, gooey, rolls are totally delicious.

Raspberry Bubble Bake
12 frozen Rhodes White Dinner Rolls
2 21 oz cans raspberry pie filling, or your favorite flavor
2 Tblsp butter
2 Tblsp milk
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar

     Lightly oil or spray 12 inch dutch oven, line with parchment paper if desired.
     Place twelve frozen rolls in prepared oven and allow them to thaw until softened.
     Once softened, using kitchen shears or a sharp knife, cut each roll in half and then cut each half into three pieces.
     Spread two cans of your favorite pie filling evenly over the pieces of dough.
     Cover and allow dough to rise until doubled in size and the dough starts peeking through the filling.
     Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bread has turned golden brown and holds its shape when lightly touched.
     For icing: heat butter and milk until butter is melted. 
     Gradually add powdered sugar until the icing's consistency is thick but pourable. 
     Drizzle glaze over rolls, serve while still warm.

Allow frozen rolls to thaw until softened

Cut each roll in half then each half into thirds

Spoon pie filling over rolls, cover and allow to rise
until doubled in size

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes

Drizzle icing over hot rolls

So sweet, gooey and good

Caramelized Pear Cake

     When I saw this recipe for Caramelized Pear Cake from a 2000 edition of Bon Appetit, I rushed right out to get what I needed to make it in my dutch oven.  I would definitely categorize this cake as cook-off worthy, it's not only visually impressive but the aroma of ginger and cinnamon makes you positively heady. 
     First I mixed the batter, lit my coals, then quickly peeled and arranged the pears for the topping.  You may want to slice and place them with more precision than I did, especially if you're trying to impress the judges.  The cake baked in my 10 inch oven with 10 briquettes in a ring around the bottom, 16 in a ring around the edge of the lid with 6 spaced evenly in the center.  After 20 minutes I removed 2 of the center coals and in exactly 40 minutes my tester came out clean and the cake was done. 
     Once you have your ingredients organized, it's really not that difficult to make and infinitely better than a packaged mix.  One of the absolute best recipes I've made so far in my dutch oven, the cake is so moist and with a hint of ginger, cinnamon and orange, topped with sweetened fresh pears, it's a definite blue ribbon winner.

Caramelized Pear Cake
Topping
6 Tblsp unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
4 Bosc pears, peeled, cored and sliced
Cake batter
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
3 Tblsp minced crystallized ginger
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp grated orange peel
1 cup grated peeled Bosc pears (about 2 medium)

     Lightly oil or spray 10 inch dutch oven; line with parchment paper.
     Pour melted butter into prepared dutch oven.
     Sprinkle evenly with brown sugar.
     Arrange sliced pears in flower design atop sugar, cutting some pieces to fit center if necessary.
     Whisk flour, 2/3 cup sugar, crystallized ginger, cinnamon, ground ginger, baking soda and salt in medium bowl until well combined.
     Whisk eggs, oil, vanilla and orange peel in large bowl to blend.
     Mix in grated pears.
     Mix dry ingredients into egg mixture.
     Carefully pour batter over pears in dutch oven.
     Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until cake tester inserted into center comes out clean.
     Cool cake in dutch oven for 30 minutes.
     Carefully lift cake out of oven using parchment paper and invert onto plate.
     Serve warm.

Arrange pear slices over melted butter and brown sugar

Carefully pour batter over topping

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until tester comes out clean

Parchment is a must for removing the cake

Bound to impress the judges or anyone else who tries a slice

Gooey S'mores Bars

     If you have a hankering for the taste of a warm, gooey s'more but are unable to sit around a crackling campfire, this easy bar recipe from Betty Crocker will satisfy your sweet tooth and remind you of the great outdoors.  The recipe recommends wetting the back of a spoon before spreading the layer of marshmallow creme but I found cooking spray to work much better.  In my 12 inch dutch oven, the bars baked for 22 minutes with 12 coals in a ring around the base of the oven, 16 placed around the outside of the lid with 6 briquettes spaced evenly in the center.  Keep an eye on them as the marshmallows can brown quickly.  Allow them sit for 30 minutes before slicing, it goes without saying, gobble them up while they're still warm for that real campfire treat flavor.  

Gooey S'mores Bars
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
2 1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt
1 11.5 oz bag milk chocolate chips (2 cups)
1 7 oz jar marshmallow creme
1 cup miniature marshmallows

     Lightly oil or spray 12 inch dutch oven; line with parchment paper if desired.
     In large bowl, beat sugar, butter, vanilla and egg with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon, until light and fluffy.
     Stir in graham cracker crumbs, flour and salt.
     Reserve 2 cups graham cracker crumb mixture.
     Press remaining mixture in pan for crust.
     Sprinkle chocolate chips over crust; press slightly into crust.
     Drop marshmallow creme by tablespoonfuls over chocolate chips.
     Wet back of large spoon or spray lightly with cooking spray and use to lightly spread marshmallow creme over chips.
     Sprinkle with marshmallows.
     Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture; press lightly.
     Bake for 20-25 minutes or until marshmallows are puffed and light golden brown.
     Cool at least 30 minutes before cutting into bars.

Press crumb mixture into parchment lined oven

Lightly press chocolate chips into crumb layer

Spread marshmallow cream with wet or oiled spoon

Sprinkle with marshmallows then top with remaining
crumb mixture

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes

Decadently delicious warm or at room temperature

Classic Strawberry Shortcakes

     Since I've had such good luck baking scones and biscuits in my dutch oven I thought I'd give this classic shortcake recipe from the back of the Bisquick box a try.  In my 10 inch dutch oven, they baked for 15 minutes with 10 coals in a ring around the bottom and 22 briquettes on the lid, basically when you can smell them baking they're probably done.  Adding seedless raspberry preserves makes the strawberries glisten and thickens the juices.  Double the recipe and bake them in your 12 inch oven if you're feeding a crowd.  An All-American classic and a recipe I grew up with, for an airy center and a perfectly crispy crust, try baking these shortcakes outside in your camp oven.

Classic Strawberry Shortcakes
1 quart (4 cups) strawberries, sliced
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tblsp seedless raspberry preserves (optional)
2 1/3 cups Original Bisquick mix
1/2 cup milk
3 Tblsp sugar
3 Tblsp butter, melted
Whipped cream or frozen whipped topping

     In large bowl, mix strawberries, 1/4 cup sugar and raspberry preserves; set aside.
     Lightly oil or spray dutch oven.
     In medium bowl, stir Bisquick mix, milk, 3 tablespoons sugar and butter until soft dough forms.
     Drop dough by 6 spoonfuls into prepared oven.
     Bake at 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
     Allow to cool in dutch oven for 10 minutes.
     Split warm shortcakes; fill and top with strawberries and whipped cream.

Spoon shortbread dough into well oiled oven

Bake at 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes

An All-American classic
 

Cranberry Orange Upside Down Cake

     What could taste more like Christmas than a cranberry-orange topped cake laced with cinnamon and ginger?  It may look complicated but if you make this cake from Midwestern Living magazine in steps it's very easy to assemble.  One little hint, you need to melt two different measurements of butter, one for the topping and one for the cake.  In my 10 inch dutch oven the cake baked for a total of 35 minutes with 10 coals placed around the bottom of the oven, 14 briquettes placed around the edge of the lid with 4 spaced evenly in the center.  Keep an eye on it, with all that butter, it will brown quickly.  The aroma wafting from your oven is worth the effort of making it alone.  Allow the cake to cool for a good 20-25 minutes before inverting onto a plate.  The tart but sweet topping melds perfectly with the buttery, spiced cake.  Leave a piece out for Santa and hide the rest for yourself, with a cup of tea, it's just what the doctor ordered after a long day of holiday activities. 

Cranberry Orange Upside Down Cake
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3 Tblsp butter, melted
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 11 oz can mandarin orange sections, drained
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
2 eggs
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt OR sour cream
3/4 cup granulated sugar
6 Tblsp butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla

     Lightly oil or spray 10 inch dutch oven; line with parchment paper.
     In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda and salt; set aside.
     Place 3 Tblsp melted butter in parchment lined dutch oven, swirl to completely cover bottom of oven.
     Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over melted butter.
     Arrange orange sections over brown sugar.
     Top evenly with cranberries.
     In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, yogurt, granulated sugar, the 6 Tblsp melted butter and the vanilla.
     Add flour mixture to egg mixture, one-third at a time, stirring just until combined after each addition.
     Spoon batter into dutch oven, spreading carefully to cover fruit.
     Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.
     Let cake cool for 20 minutes before lifting from oven and inverting onto plate.
     Serve warm or at room temperature.

Cover bottom of oven with 3 Tblsp melted butter, sprinkle
with brown sugar then top with oranges and cranberries

Carefully spread thick batter over fruit

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes

Allow to cool for 20 minutes before inverting onto plate

Tart, sweet, spicy and incredibly moist, a new holiday favorite

Peanut Butter Brownies

     Trader Joe's brings us an easy way to transform your favorite brownie recipe into something special.  Once your brownies have baked, keeping them on the coals, remove the lid of your dutch oven, add rows of miniature peanut butter cups, replace the lid and cook for a couple of minutes or until the peanut butter cups are soft enough to spread with a spatula.  Using a package of Trader Joe's Truffle Brownie Mix, the brownies baked in my 10 inch dutch oven for 20 minutes with 10 coals around the bottom, 15 placed around the outside of the lid and 6 spaced evenly in the center.  Fun and simple to bake, kids will love making these as much as eating them.

Peanut Butter Brownies
1 package brownie mix plus ingredients needed to make brownies
24 miniature peanut butter cups, unwrapped

     Lightly oil or spray dutch oven; line with parchment paper.
     Prepare brownies according to package directions.
     Pour into prepared oven.
     Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until brownies are done.
     Press peanut butter cups, bottoms down, into the warm brownies, making rows that cover the entire top.
     Place lid back on oven, continue to cook for one to two minutes or until peanut butter cups soften.
     Use a spatula or knife to spread softened peanut butter cups over brownies into a gooey frosting.
     After 15 minutes, lift brownies from oven using parchment paper, allow to cool.

Pour brownie batter into parchment lined oven

Bake at 350 degrees until done then lightly press peanut
butter cups into brownies

Replace lid and cook for 2 minutes until candy has softened

Spread softened peanut butter cups with knife or spatula

A peanut butter cup in every bite