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Desserts

Dutch Oven Peach Dump Cake

Dessertseasyserves 8-10 servings· Prep 5 min· Cook 35-45 min
Dutch Oven Peach Dump Cake

The easiest camp dessert there is, and the one that makes you look like a hero: canned peaches, a box of cake mix, and a stick of butter, baked in the Dutch oven until it's bubbling and golden. There's exactly one rule — don't stir it.

Ingredients

  • 2 cans sliced peaches, in syrup (don't drain them)
  • 1 box yellow cake mix (dry, straight from the box)
  • 1 stick butter, sliced into pats
  • Cinnamon, to taste

Steps

  1. Line the bottom of the Dutch oven with foil — a sling with some overhang up the sides. This is the secret: the dessert lifts right out and the oven barely needs washing.
  2. Dump in both cans of peaches, syrup and all, and spread them flat.
  3. Sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over the top — and do NOT stir it. The dry mix on top is what turns into the crust; stir it and you get a gummy mess.
  4. Lay the butter pats across the top so they'll melt down into the mix, and dust with cinnamon.
  5. Lid on, bake with coals top and bottom — top-heavy for baking (see the Dutch oven heat guide for counts). About 35-45 minutes, until the top is golden and the edges are bubbling.
  6. Lift it out by the foil sling. And listen — if the bottom isn't a little crispy and caramelized, you did something wrong. That's the best part.

Tips & variations

The foil sling and the crispy bottom

Two things make this foolproof. First, line the oven with a foil sling so the whole cake lifts out clean — sugary desserts weld themselves to cast iron otherwise. Second, embrace the crispy, caramelized bottom; that's the best bite, not a mistake. For even baking, put more coals on the lid than under the oven — the Dutch oven heat guide has the counts.

Make it yours

Peaches are the classic, but any canned fruit works — the other famous version is a can of cherry pie filling plus a can of crushed pineapple. Yellow or white cake mix, your call. A handful of pecans on top is never wrong. You'll need a Dutch oven for this one.

Common questions

Why can't I stir the cake mix in?
Because the dry mix sitting on top of the fruit is what bakes into the crust. Stir it and you get a dense, gummy pudding instead of a cake. Dump, don't mix.
Peaches or cherry?
Peaches in syrup are the classic and the easiest. The other famous version is cherry pie filling plus a can of crushed pineapple. Any canned fruit you like will work.

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