I’m fascinated with the Dutch oven, and am trying to practice to get better at it. After demonstration and discussion on Dutch oven cooking during my Baloo training, I was inspired to continue the practicing. The Dutch oven is also a great tool for cooking in a back yard, and I hope to make it a compliment to more of our barbecues now that the weather is getting warmer and we spend more time outside. Plus, my Thanksgiving cornbread turned out well, so it was time to build from there. This past weekend, my boys and I made a pineapple upside down cake in our backyard.
While not a huge fan of pineapple upside down cake, I thought that it would add some extra fun for the boys. We lined the Dutch oven with aluminum foil and the boys laid down the pineapple rings and filled each ring with a maraschino cherry.
Next, we mixed some melted butter and brown sugar and used this paste to fill in the gaps between the fruit. This is one area where I could have done better, although I’ll discuss what I learned at the end.
We also mixed the batter. For the cake we simply used prepackaged yellow cake mix. We prepared it using the soda method as opposed to the directions on the box (egg, oil, water) In the soda method the cake mix is mixed with 6oz (half of a can) of carbonated soda. I used plain seltzer because I figured that the cake mix and fruit already supplied sufficient sweetness.
Then we poured the batter over the top of the fruit and our cake was ready to be cooked in the backyard.
I’ve been using charcoal briquettes while practicing with the Dutch oven so that I can get more even heating and consistent lighting. Over time I’ll be able to better to move to natural coals. This time, I also used a free app, Easy Dutch Oven Calculator. To hit the target 375 degrees from the cake mix box, the app calculates to use 17 briquettes on the top and 5 briquettes on the bottom. This is what I used.
I tried to check on the baking progress by turning the lid a quarter turn every 15 minutes and let it bake for 45 minutes before taking the coals off and collecting my upside down cake.
It turned out a little flat and I definitely could have used a second box of cake mix. But it looked and tasted alright.
So what did I learn?
Especially when the oven is on the dirt, as opposed to some other hard surface the coals on the bottom have difficulty getting enough air. Once the Dutch oven is in position, then check to make sure that there is ventilation access to the coals below.
Moisture is often a problem for me when using the Dutch oven. Perhaps having the bottom coals hotter will help to evaporate some of the liquid that otherwise collects. However, when adding moist toppings such as pineapple, cherries, or pie filling, then perhaps some of the liquid for the cake should be reduced.
Recipe:
Line a 10″ Dutch oven with foil.
Arrange pineapple rings in bottom of Dutch oven. Place marichino cherries into each onion ring.
Melt 1/4c butter and mix with 2/3c brown sugar to form a paste. Fill in gaps so that entire bottom of Dutch oven is covered by either fruit or brown sugar.
Mix one regular ( oz) box yellow cake mix with 6 oz seltzer water.Stir and spread evenly within Dutch oven.
Cook for 40 minutes @375 degrees Easy Dutch Oven Calculator app recommends 5 coals on the bottom and 17 coals on the top, rotating the cover every 15 minutes.