Dutch Oven Soda Cobbler
Pie filling, dry cake mix, and a can of soda. No mixing bowl, no measuring, no eggs.
- calories
- 390
- weight
- 7 oz
- cal / oz
- 56
- protein
- 3 g
- serves
- 8, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 40 min
- total time
- 45 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
- One pot
- Grab and go
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Canned fruit pie filling | 1 can | apple, cherry, or blueberry |
|---|---|---|
| Boxed cake mix | 1 box | yellow, white, or chocolate |
| Soda | 1 can | lemon-lime, cola, or grape; match it to the cake |
| Topping | 1 tbsp | cinnamon, powdered sugar, or sprinkles |
| Butter | 2 tbsp | optional, for the pot |
Method
- Build a bed of coals. You want roughly 350 degrees in a 12-inch dutch oven: eight coals under, sixteen on the lid.
- If the pot is not well seasoned, melt the butter in it first and swirl it up the sides.
- Spread the pie filling over the bottom in an even layer.
- Dump the dry cake mix over the filling. Do not stir the two together.
- Pour a little over half the can of soda across the mix, holding the can low so it does not splash.
- Work the soda into the cake mix with a fork. Stay in the top layer. Some bleed into the fruit is fine.
- Scatter the topping over the surface.
- Lid on, coals on. Bake 40 minutes. Refresh the coals halfway if they are going grey.
- Check the middle with a knife. If it comes out wet, give it ten more minutes.
The soda does two jobs at once. Its carbonation lifts the batter the way eggs would, and its liquid is the only water the cake mix needs. That removes eggs, milk, oil, and a mixing bowl from the list, which is most of what makes baking at a campsite annoying.
Keep the layers separate. The cake mix has to sit on the fruit, not in it, or the top never sets and you end up with hot fruit soup. Half a can of soda is enough to wet the mix through; the rest is insurance if a dry pocket shows up while you fork it.
Packing
Cans and the box ride as-is. Pull the mix out of the box into a zip bag if space matters, but keep the box flap with the directions.
Variations
- Cherry filling, chocolate cake, cola, powdered sugar.
- Blueberry filling, white cake, grape soda, sprinkles.
- A 10-inch oven takes about two-thirds of everything. Same heat, same time.
https://www.boyscouttrail.com/content/recipe/fizzy_fruit_cobbler-1229.asp