Caramel Apple Cinnamon Dump Cake

 

     This easy but delicious cake from Food.com rounds out our Thanksgiving menu.  The caramel topping adds a layer of gooey sweetness to an otherwise run of the mill dump cake.  In my 12 inch dutch oven, the cake baked for 55 minutes with 12 coals in a ring around the bottom, 18 around the edge of the lid with 8 briquettes spaced evenly in the center.  I would recommend serving it in bowls with spoons as the caramel sauce is a bit messy.

Caramel Apple Cinnamon Dump Cake
2 21 oz cans apple pie filling
1 (1 lb) box yellow cake mix
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut into thin slices
2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 of 14 oz jar caramel ice cream topping

     Lightly oil or spray 12 inch dutch oven.
     In large bowl combine apple pie filling with cinnamon.
     Pour into prepared oven.
     Drizzle caramel topping in a checkerboard fashion over pie filling, first up and down, then side to side.
     Sprinkle dry cake mix evenly over caramel layer.
     Dot cake mix with slices of butter, ensuring that most areas are evenly covered.
     Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.
     Allow cake to sit for 20 minutes before serving.
     Serve with vanilla ice cream and top with more caramel if desired.

Layer pie filling, caramel sauce, cake mix then top with
slices of butter

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until brown and bubbly

Top with whipped cream or ice cream and the remaining
caramel sauce

Very Berry Blackberry Dump Cake

      It's that time of year again when we outdoorsy types start inventorying our camping equipment and googling new dutch oven dump cake recipes.  This Very Berry Blackberry Dump Cake uses fresh berries and a packet of jello to thicken the bottom layer.  The original recipe calls for 1-2 sticks of butter, it was scrumptious with one I can only imagine how rich and buttery it would taste with two.  In my 12 inch dutch oven, it baked for 35 minutes with 12 briquettes in a ring around the bottom and 24 spaced evenly on the lid.  When the blackberries are bubbling and the topping is cooked all the way through, it's ready.  If you're making this at your campsite you may want to line your oven with parchment to make your clean up easier.  Also, if you don't want to go to the trouble of melting the butter, pour the water on first then completely cover the top with thin slices of butter.  Top it with whipped cream or ice cream but be sure to try it, you'll be lapping the bowl to get every last drop of the sweet berry syrup.

Very Berry Blackberry Dump Cake
4 cups fresh blackberries
1 3 oz box raspberry OR blackberry jell-o
1/3 cup sugar
1 18 oz box yellow OR butter cake mix
1 cup water
1-2 sticks butter, melted
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

     Lightly oil or spray 12 inch dutch oven.
     Spread berries in prepared dutch oven.
     Mix jell-o and sugar together; sprinkle over berries.
     Sprinkle cake mix over jell-o and berries.
     If using nuts, add them now.
     Pour the melted butter over the cake mix.
     Slowly add the water.
     Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until golden and toothpick inserted into the cake portion comes out clean.
     Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Sprinkle berries with jell-o and sugar

Top with cake mix, melted butter and water

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes

The first dump cake of the season is always a treat

 

Chocolate Raspberry Cobbler

     The only flavor combination I like better than chocolate and raspberry is white chocolate and raspberry.  To round out our trilogy of ridiculously easy recipes, this Chocolate Raspberry Cobbler is not only scrumptious, you can just about make it with your eyes closed.  I did have to hunt around for raspberry pie filling so if you can't find it, try it with a can of cherry filling.  Just be sure that you completely cover the cookie mix with butter, you don't want any large patches of dry batter showing through.  In my 10 inch oven, it baked for 30 minutes with 18-20 briquettes on the lid and 10 in a ring around the bottom.  When you are bowled over by the scented steam of chocolate and raspberry, it's done.  To make this in your 12 inch oven just add a second can of pie filling and leave the rest.  Next time, I might try mixing in some fresh raspberries with the pie filling.   Crispy on the top, gooey on the inside and sweet enough to make your teeth hurt, topped with vanilla ice cream, this is easily one of my favorite dutch oven desserts.

Chocolate Raspberry Cobbler
1 21 oz can raspberry pie filling
1 1 lb 1.5 oz pouch Betty Crocker double chocolate chunk cookie mix
3/4 cup butter OR margarine, melted

     Lightly oil or spray 10 inch dutch oven, line with parchment paper if desired.
     Spread pie filling in bottom of dutch oven.
     Sprinkle cookie mix evenly over pie filling.
     Pour melted butter evenly over cookie mix.
     Spoon or spread melted butter over cookie mix just to cover the dry mix. 
     Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees or until topping is set.
     Cool for 10 minutes before serving.
     Store covered in refrigerator, if there's any left!

Pour melted butter over dry cookie mix and raspberry pie filling

Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees

You'd better go to confession after eating this sinfully rich dessert

Peach Orange Dump Cobbler

     Imagine earning college credits for taking a dutch oven cooking class, does it get any better than that?  At Idaho State University's Outdoor Activity Center you can take courses in all kinds of outdoor activities and one of them is dutch oven cooking.  The university compiles an annual cookbook containing all the best recipes from the class and posts it on their website as a PDF File.  This Peach Orange Dump Cobbler was originally posted on Byron's Dutch Oven Recipe site but is included in the ISU cookbook.  I thought the combination of peaches, mandarin oranges, cinnamon and brown sugar sounded like a winner and like any dutch oven dump cake, couldn't be easier to assemble.  I made it in my 12 inch dutch oven, you can line your oven with foil or parchment paper if you wish, it baked for 50 minutes with 12 coals in a ring around the bottom and 28 briquettes on the lid.  After 15 minutes I moved some of the coals from the center of the lid to the outside.  Dump cakes need to cook long enough for the cake topping to be cooked all the way through.  You may want to serve this one with a slotted spoon as the fruit is a bit on the soupy side.  This is an amazingly good dessert that everyone is sure to love and don't forget to download the ISU cookbook, it's loaded with great recipes.

Peach Orange Dump Cobbler
2 29 oz. cans sliced peaches, drained
2 11 oz. cans mandarin oranges, drained
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 10.25 oz. box yellow cake mix
1 12 oz. can orange soda
4 Tblsp butter cut into pieces

     Lightly oil or spray 12 inch dutch oven.
     Add peaches, mandarin oranges and cinnamon; mix gently until combined.
     Sprinkle fruit evenly with brown sugar.
     Dump cake mix in a large pile in center of fruit.
     Make a well in center of cake mix.
     Pour orange soda into the well then lightly stir cake mix in to moisten.
     Spread mixture evenly over fruit.
     Dot with butter.
     Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes.
     Makes 8-10 servings.

Pile cake mix over fruit, make a well in the center and pour in soda

Mix soda and cake mix then dot with butter

Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes or until brown on top and cooked through

A winning combination of flavors

Cherry Cobbler For Two

     I really love cooking in my 8 inch dutch oven, not only is it lighter to carry, uses fewer coals and is easier to clean but I am always amazed by how efficiently it bakes for it's smaller size.  To honor the Father of our Country's birthday I decided to bake a scaled back version of a cherry cobbler/dump cake.  Oil your oven well, dump in the pie filling, sprinkle with the cake mix, pour over the soda, pat with butter and bake.  I placed 8 coals in a ring around the base of the oven, 10 coals around the rim of the lid and two in the center.  In about 40 minutes the cherries were bubbling away and the cake was puffy and golden.  Celebrate George Washington's big day with this sweet and classic dutch oven dessert.

Cherry Cobbler for Two
1 21 oz. can cherry pie filling
1 9 oz. package yellow cake mix (I used Jiffy brand)
3/4 cup raspberry ginger ale
3-4 Tblsp butter, cut into 7 or 8 slices

     Lightly oil or spray 8 inch dutch oven.
     Spread pie filling in prepared oven.
     Sprinkle cake mix evenly over pie filling.
     Pour ginger ale over cake mix, covering completely.
     Dot with butter.
     Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until top is lightly browned and pie filling is bubbling.
     Makes 2 to 4 servings.

Layer pie filling, cake mix, raspberry ginger ale and butter in dutch oven

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until brown and bubbling

I cannot tell a lie, this is really good

Strawberry Rhubarb Dump Cake

Harvesting rhubarb

       Dump cakes are the hallmark of dutch oven cooking.  They are idiot proof, perfect for camping and can easily feed a crowd.  Opening a can of fruit then sprinkling it with cake mix is about as basic as it gets.  Forty five minutes later this improbable combination works it's magic and transforms into a cobbler-like sweet concoction with a crispy topping and syrupy base. This was my first attempt at making one.  Rhubarb is in season and since I love strawberry rhubarb pie, this recipe caught my eye.  Dump cakes are easy to assemble but you do have to bake them long enough to make sure they are cooked all the way through.  I baked this in my 12 inch regular oven at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes with 12 coals in a ring around the bottom and 16 on top.  From About.com.

Strawberry Rhubarb Dump Cake
4 to 5 cups of cubed rhubarb (raw)
1 cup sugar
1 (3 oz) package of strawberry Jello - may be sugar free
1 white or yellow cake mix (2-layer size, about 18 ounces)
1 1/4 cup water
1/2 cup melted margarine or butter

     Spray or lightly oil a 12 inch dutch oven.
     Place ingredients in even layers in the order that they are given.  Do not stir.
     Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until cake is cooked completely in the middle.

Sprinkle in layers, no stirring

Bubbling around a crisp crust

Now I know why these are so popular