How to Make a Campfire Birthday Cake

You can cook practically anything over a campfire if you use the right equipment. A Dutch oven gives you the capability to make cake and other baked goods on top of an open fire. Surprise your fellow campers by making a campfire birthday cake during your camping trip.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

24 charcoal briquettes 1 box cake mix 12-inch round cast iron Dutch oven Long metal tongs 2 tbsp. butter Welders gloves Frosting
24 charcoal briquettes
1 box cake mix
12-inch round cast iron Dutch oven
Long metal tongs
2 tbsp. butter
Welders gloves
Frosting

Step 1

Place 24 charcoal briquettes in a pile at the center of your campfire grill and light them.

Step 2

Prepare one box of baking mix according to the package directions, while you wait for the charcoal briquettes to get hot.

Step 3

Arrange eight of the hot briquettes on the campfire pit in the shape of the bottom of your 12-inch round cast iron Dutch oven, using long metal tongs. Space the briquettes evenly apart so that they evenly heat the oven. Push the remaining 16 briquettes to the side of the campfire pit - they will be used later.

Step 4

Set your 12-inch Dutch oven on top of eight evenly spaced charcoal briquettes.

Step 5

Drop 2 tbsp. of butter into the Dutch oven and wait for the butter to melt.

Step 6

Pour the prepared cake mix into the Dutch oven and place the lid on top of the oven.

Step 7

Put 16 hot charcoal briquettes on top of the oven lid using long metal tongs. Space the briquettes so that they evenly heat the oven.

Step 8

Allow the cake to cook for 3/4 of the recommended cooking time. Put on a pair of welders gloves and move the oven off the eight briquettes. Leave the 16 briquettes on top of the lid while the cake cooks for the remainder of the recommended cooking time.

Step 9

Remove the lid from the Dutch oven once the recommended cooking time has past, using a pair of long metal tongs. Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes.

Step 10

Put on the welders gloves again and turn the Dutch oven upside down over a clean surface. Shake the oven a little bit if needed to free the cake from the pan.

Step 11

Allow the cake to cool and spread frosting over it.

Tips & Warnings

Each Dutch oven cooks slightly differently so practice making a cake in the oven before it is birthday time. Through trial and error, you will learn the optimum number of briquettes to use with your Dutch oven to cook the perfect cake.

Dutch ovens get very hot and can cause third degree burns. Only allow adults to handle the oven and always use welders gloves and metal tongs to avoid burning yourself.

Resources

Outdoor Cooking Gear

Article Written By Rose Kivi

Rose Kivi has been a writer for more than 10 years. She has a background in the nursing field, wildlife rehabilitation and habitat conservation. Kivi has authored educational textbooks, patient health care pamphlets, animal husbandry guides, outdoor survival manuals and was a contributing writer for two books in the Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader Series.

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