Dessert is an essential part of every hunting and fishing camp meal. If you are just camping, plan a simple and fast dessert. Campers sleep better with a full belly of a sweet treat.
Like all my recipe suggestions, please make this recipe your own. Call it what you want and have fun making it better.
You can add parchment paper, or aluminum foil, to the Dutch Oven for an easier cleanup. A Foil pan, setting on several pebbles, will allow heat to circulate in a Dutch Oven. The only thing that you want to avoid is over baking or burning the dessert. Check it often. Its hard to control the coals or temperature in a rustic setting.
Making these at home is even easier.
PEACH COBBLER
Use a box of Yellow or White Cake Mix. You will be adding a large can of sliced peaches, with the juice. You can mix the box mix per instructions but if you just blend the dry cake mix and fruit together, you will be surprised how well it comes out.
I have also used cherry or berry pie fillings. The cherries/berries require 2 small cans. I once used fresh picked elderberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries.
Grease the Dutch Oven or baking dish. Dump the dry cake mix and the filling together and stir. If you have some cinnamon or nutmeg, add some spice. A few pads of butter on top will brown it nicely.
APPLE SAUCE and GINGERBREAD
Mix a Gingerbread box cake mix per box instructions. Grease the bottom of a baking dish or Dutch Oven. Dump in a can of Apple Sauce. I have also used Apple Pie filling. With the sauce on the bottom, the cake rarely burns.
You serve this by cutting the baked gingerbread and topping it with the sauce. Extra cinnamon or brown sugar won’t hurt.
ANGELADE CAKE
This tasty cake is simple and easy as it gets. You only need 3 ingredients.
Angel Food Cake Mix
1 can of frozen Limeade
Whipped Cream Cheese
Whisk the cake mix into the melted Limeade. Place into a baking dish or Dutch Oven. Bake for around 50 minutes at 350 degrees. When done, drizzle or dollop the cream cheese on top as an icing. If you have a lemon or lime, you can add some fresh zest.
Hungry Campers need to Fat and Happy! I usually plan for these dessert treats to bake over the campfire, while everyone is relaxing after dinner. The BS and stories are filling the air and mixing with the wood smoke and smell of a baked dessert.
Keep the serving simple. Maybe Styrofoam cups and throwaway spoons. The cooking is done for the evening and the last thing the cook wants is more dishes to do. Preparing the desserts for baking ahead of time, then cleaning up means that only the Dutch Oven and a serving spoon will need to be washed. If you have a freezer, a scoop of ice cream on top of these desserts is killer. You could also add whipped cream just because.
There are other simple desserts that you can enjoy. Maybe a bread pudding or a Cranberry Crunch. A pineapple upside down cake is also fast and easy.
After serving these tasty desserts, the campers will scrape the Dutch Oven or baking pan clean! There are never any leftovers.
Montana Grant
