Black Forest Dump Cobbler
Cherry pie filling, chocolate cake mix, and a can of soda. No eggs, no oil, no measuring.
- calories
- 420
- weight
- 5.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 76
- protein
- 4 g
- serves
- 8, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 35 min
- total time
- 40 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dessert
- Dutch oven
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Vegetarian
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- Foil packet
- Grab and go
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Chocolate cake mix | 1 box | any brand, 15-16 oz |
|---|---|---|
| Cherry pie filling | 1 can (21 oz) | |
| Cherry or lemon-lime soda | 1 can (12 oz) | half the can goes in |
| Chocolate bar | 1 bar | broken up |
| Chopped walnuts | 1/4 cup | optional, drop them for nut-free |
| Aluminum pie tin | 1 | optional liner |
Method
- Get about 25 coals going. You want a 12-inch dutch oven at roughly 350F, which means 8 or 9 coals under and 16 or 17 on the lid.
- Dump the pie filling into the pie tin, or straight into the oven if you skip the tin. Spread it flat.
- Sprinkle about three quarters of the cake mix over the fruit in an even layer.
- Pour half the can of soda over the mix and stir just the powder. Leave the fruit layer alone underneath.
- Scatter the broken chocolate and the walnuts across the top.
- If you used a tin, set it on three or four small stones inside the oven so air moves under it. Lid on.
- Bake 30 to 40 minutes. It is done when a stick pushed into the cake layer comes out clean. Rotate the oven and the lid a quarter turn every ten minutes so it does not scorch on one side.
The soda is doing the job eggs and oil do at home. Carbonation lifts the batter and the sugar syrup gives it enough moisture to set, so a boxed mix becomes a cobbler topping with nothing that needs a cooler. That is the whole reason this recipe exists in camp form.
Heat placement matters more than time. Two thirds of the coals belong on the lid, because the top has to bake while the fruit below only needs to bubble. Bottom-heavy coals burn the filling to the cast iron before the cake sets. The pie tin on pebbles is insurance against the same problem, and it means the only thing to scrub afterward is a lid.
Packing
Box, can, soda, and chocolate all ride in the food bin as-is. Nothing needs repacking. Bring a church key if the pie filling can is not pull-tab.
Variations
- Yellow or white cake mix with the cherry filling drops the Black Forest angle and tastes more like plain cherry cobbler.
- Blueberry or peach filling works the same way. Match the soda to the fruit or use lemon-lime as a neutral.
- No dutch oven: build it in a doubled foil pan, cover tight with foil, and set it on a grill grate over low coals for about the same time.
https://www.boyscouttrail.com/content/recipe/black_forest_cobbler-198.asp