Dutch Oven Coke Cake
Cherry pie filling, chocolate cake mix, and a can of Coke. No mixing bowl, no eggs, no stirring.
- calories
- 420
- weight
- 7 oz
- cal / oz
- 60
- protein
- 3 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
- Grill grate
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Vegetarian
- Nut free
- One pot
- Grab and go
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Chocolate cake mix | 1 box | the cheap kind works; ignore the box directions |
|---|---|---|
| Cherry pie filling | 2 cans (21 oz each) | |
| Coca-Cola | 1 can (12 oz) | regular, not diet |
| Heavy-duty foil | 1 sheet | optional liner, saves scrubbing |
Method
- Build a fire and let it burn down to coals, or set a charcoal chimney going. You want embers, not flames.
- Line a 12-inch Dutch oven with foil if you want an easy cleanup.
- Empty both cans of pie filling into the bottom and level it out.
- Shake the dry cake mix over the fruit in an even layer. Leave it dry and do not stir.
- Pour the Coke slowly over the whole surface until the powder is wet. Still no stirring.
- Lid on. Set the oven on a few coals and pile the rest on the lid, roughly two-thirds up top.
- Check at 30 minutes. It is done when the top is dark, set, and no longer powdery, usually 35 to 45 minutes.
- Pull the coals off, wait five minutes, and spoon it out. The fruit underneath is molten.
This is a dump cake, and the no-stir rule is the whole method. The dry mix has to sit as a lid over the fruit so the bottom steams while the top bakes into a crust. Stir it and you get one uniform pan of wet batter that never sets.
The Coke does two things at once. It wets the mix enough to bake, and its acid plus the sugar gives you browning without eggs or oil, which is what makes this work with no cooler. Heat placement matters more than time: most of the coals go on the lid, because heat from below only scorches the fruit. Car camping only. Two cans of pie filling is over three pounds of water weight, and nobody carries that.
Packing
Box, two cans, and one soda ride in the food bin. Bring a can opener unless the pie filling has a pull tab. Foil liner in the same bin so you do not forget it.
Variations
- Apple pie filling with a yellow cake mix, and root beer or ginger ale in place of the Coke.
- No soda on hand: a stick of butter sliced thin over the dry mix does the same job with more fat and more browning.
- Cook it in a foil pan on a grill grate with the lid down if you have no Dutch oven.
https://southcarolinaparks.com/camping-and-lodging/camping/campground-cooking/camping-recipes