Dutch Oven Dump Cobbler
Pie filling, dry cake mix, margarine, and a can of soda. No stirring, no measuring.
- calories
- 480
- weight
- 9 oz
- cal / oz
- 53
- protein
- 3 g
- serves
- 8, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 40 min
- total time
- 50 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
- Nut free
- Foil packet
- Grab and go
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Canned pie filling | 2 cans, 15 oz each | peach, apple, cherry, whatever is on sale |
|---|---|---|
| Boxed cake mix | 1 box | used dry, straight from the box |
| Margarine | 1 stick | holds up out of a cooler better than butter |
| Lemon-lime soda | 1 can, 12 oz |
Method
- Line the Dutch oven with heavy duty foil, pushing it into the corners. Grease the foil with about a quarter of the margarine stick.
- Dump both cans of pie filling in and spread it flat.
- Pour the dry cake mix over the fruit in an even layer. Do not mix it in.
- Cut the rest of the margarine into thin coins and scatter them across the dry mix.
- Pour the can of soda slowly over the whole surface. Still do not stir.
- Lid on. Twelve coals underneath, twelve on the lid. Bake 30 to 45 minutes.
- It is done when the top is browned and no dry powder is left. Let it sit five minutes before serving.
The no-stir rule is the recipe. Left alone, the dry mix sits on top and drinks the soda from above and the fruit juice from below, so it bakes into a crust rather than dissolving into batter. Stir it and you get one gluey layer that never sets.
The soda is carbonation and sugar doing the job of eggs and milk, which is why this works with no cooler. Margarine over butter for the same reason. The foil liner means the cleanup is pulling out a sheet and burning it down, not scrubbing caramelized fruit off cast iron in the dark.
Packing
Cake mix, cans, and margarine travel in the food bin. Cut a sheet of heavy duty foil to fit your oven at home so you are not fighting a roll at camp. Bring 24 briquettes per cobbler.
Variations
- Yellow cake with peach filling is the standard. Cinnamon swirl cake with apple is better.
- Ginger ale or root beer instead of the lemon-lime changes the whole thing.
- Cold-stored ice cream on top if you brought a cooler with any life left in it.
https://camprecipes.com/classic-recipes/dutch-oven-cobbler-2