Dutch Oven Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Canned pineapple, brown sugar, and a lid full of coals. One pot, no mixer, no fridge.
- calories
- 390
- weight
- 5 oz
- cal / oz
- 78
- protein
- 5 g
- serves
- 8
- prep
- 15 min
- cook
- 35 min
- total time
- 50 min
- water
- 120 ml cold
- 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
- Canoe / raft
- Vegetarian
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Actual cooking
Ingredients
| Canned pineapple rings | one 20 oz can | drain it, keep 2 tbsp of the juice |
|---|---|---|
| Butter | 5 tbsp | stays fine unrefrigerated for a few days |
| Light brown sugar | 1/3 cup | for the bottom of the pot |
| All-purpose flour | 3/4 cup | |
| Granulated sugar | 1/3 cup | |
| Powdered whole egg | 2 tbsp | equals one egg |
| Powdered whole milk | 2 tbsp | |
| Baking powder | 1 tsp | |
| Salt | 1/2 tsp | |
| Ground cardamom and cinnamon | 1/4 tsp each | |
| Vanilla extract | 1/2 tsp | |
| Dark rum | 1 tbsp | optional, or use the reserved pineapple juice |
Method
- Build a fire and let it burn down to coals. You want steady embers, not flame.
- Melt 3 tbsp of the butter in a 10 inch dutch oven set on a few coals. Scatter the brown sugar over it and let it bubble for a minute, then pull the pot off the heat.
- Lay the drained pineapple rings flat in the sugar, one layer, edges touching.
- In a bag or bowl, stir 120 ml of cold water into the powdered milk and powdered egg until no lumps are left. Add the vanilla and the rum.
- Work the remaining 2 tbsp of butter into the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices until it looks like coarse sand. Pour in the wet mix and stir just until it comes together. Do not beat it.
- Spoon the batter over the pineapple and spread it to the edges. It will be a thin layer.
- Lid on. Set the pot on 7 coals underneath and put 14 on the lid. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, turning the pot and the lid a quarter turn every ten minutes so nothing scorches.
- Check with a twig or knife in the center. When it comes out clean, take the pot off the coals and rest it five minutes, then run a knife around the edge and flip it onto a plate or the lid.
The original is a home oven cake with heavy cream caramel and fresh dairy in the batter. Neither survives a weekend in a bin, so the cream sauce is gone and the milk and egg are powdered. What is left still works because the brown sugar and butter under the fruit make their own caramel as the pot heats. That layer is the whole point of an upside down cake, and it does not need a recipe of its own.
Coal placement matters more than timing. Most heat goes on the lid so the top sets before the sugar below burns, and turning the pot evens out the hot spots every fire has. The batter is deliberately thin over the fruit. A thick one steams instead of baking and comes out gummy in the middle.
Packing
Combine flour, sugar, egg powder, milk powder, baking powder, salt, and spices in one zip bag at home. Butter in a screw-top tub, vanilla and rum in small bottles, can in the food bin.
Variations
- Skip the flip and serve it straight from the pot with a spoon. Nobody has ever complained.
- Dried cherries pressed into the sugar layer stand in for the maraschinos.
- No coals? A propane stove on the lowest flame with a heat diffuser works, but the top will stay pale.
https://www.lodgecastiron.com/blogs/recipe/mini-pineapple-upside-down-cakes-0