DeVito - Cast iron skillet dump cakes: 75 sweet & scrumptious easy-to-make recipes

Welcome to the wonderful world of cast iron skillet dump cakesdelicious desserts that are so easy to put together, youll wonder why you ever bothered to take the time to make a fussy layer cake from scratch. Here, all you need to do is dump a cake mix and a handful of ingredients into a bowl, give them a stir, then pour the batter into a 12- or 12-inch cast iron skillet for baking. Some forty minutes later, a big, delicious cake comes out of the oven ready to go. No layers, no frosting, and nothing more to add other than maybe a scoop of ice cream or a dab of whipped cream. I make these simple cakes all the timewhenever I want a quick snack, something for the kids after school, a last-minute dessert, or even something to serve at a dinner party or bring with me when Im a guest.

Although savory dump recipes have been around for several years now, dump cakes are a recent phenomenon. Who knew that elevating a box cake mix into a fabulous cake could be so easy?

The mix allows you to skip the time-consuming task of measuring out the flour and leavening agents. But thats just the beginning. What you add beyond the eggs, oil, and water (or their substitutions) can be as creative as you like. My goal was to keep the concept of the dump cake as simple as possible while elevating its flavor and character with a few delicious additions.

But what really makes these dump cakes unique is the large 12- or 12-inch cast iron skillet thats used as the baking vessel of choice. There are so many reasons for a cook to love a cast iron skillet, and for this collection of recipes I was reminded of the most elemental: versatility and ease. The simple skillet takes you from preparation to baking to presentationall with delicious results. And a lot less cleanup! The virtues of this culinary tool are well known in savory cooking, but few realize how ideal the skillet can be for baking cakes. Most of these recipes start out by melting a few tablespoons of butter in the skillet to create a lovely, light-brown crust when the finished cake is flipped out of the pan. Sometimes fruit or chocolate or coconut is added to the butter for a more exotic topping.

This book is divided into six cake flavors based on the basic cake mixes used in each categoryvanilla, chocolate, carrot, spice, lemon, and strawberry. And now the fun begins. Imagine what a few pieces of Andes Thin Mints can do to transform a simple chocolate cake mix batter! What about cocoa powder and Rich Chocolate Ovaltine, or peanut butter chips and peanut butter? To a basic lemon cake mix batter, perhaps add a swirl of cherry jam? Or a bit of light brown sugar and coconut flakes for a yummy topping? I let my imagination take these cakes to the next level with flavor pairings that really work. My hope is that youll try many of these cakes, then create dump cakes of your own.

In the following sections, Ill give you more ideas for stocking your pantry, so youll be ready to make these dump cakes whenever the urge hits you. Honestly, many of the ingredients you can add to your cakes are those youll want to snack on anywayunsweetened applesauce, unsweetened coconut flakes, nuts, fruits, berries, and even mini marshmallows and candies. Then Ill give you a few simple instructions so that you can keep your skillet in top shape. Turn the page, and lets get started!

The premise of this cookbook is to show you how to make delicious cakes as simply as possible. Before I discovered the beauty of creating dump cakes in my cast iron skillet, making any cakefrom scratch, or even from a box mixinvolved multiple pots, pans, and cooking instruments. There were the mixing bowl(s), the measuring spoons and cups, the whisks or beaters, the cake pans and their preparation (so the batter didnt stick)and this was just for the cake itself, never mind the frosting. It wasnt difficult, per se, but it was time-consuming at all stages, including cleanup. Of course, the results were delicious and impressivetheres no doubt about thatbut I always had to think twice before taking on a cake because it was a project.

But what if you could reap the reward of a truly yummy cake without so many pots and pans to clean up, without so many measurements of this and that, and without needing to make sure the baking dish was prepared just so? It is possible, thanks to a few simple tweaks.

First, you have to make your peace with using cake mix from a box. I know, I know.... Its junk, right? Not real food. A glance at the ingredients panel isnt exactly reassuring either, but consider this: Youre not eating box-mix dump cakes all day, every day; youre adding real ingredients like eggs, butter, and other goodies; and youre preparing something tasty and largely homemade with better quality ingredients than youd get from a pre-packaged, grocery store cake.

Box mixes come in many different flavors, with more and more being introducedchocolate, vanilla, white, spice, lemon, fudge, carrot, strawberry, and devils food, to name a few. Basically, each mix contains the flour, sugar, leavening, and flavor ingredients that you otherwise would have to carefully measure out (and clean up after). And each mix requires that you add water, oil, and eggs for moisture and substance. So, essentially, box mixes are nothing more than a basea base to which you can add almost anything. However, all cake mixes are not created equal, even though all are supposed to yield a moist, flavorful cake. Some need three eggs, some just two. Some call for one-third cup of oil, some for half a cup. Some cake mixes even come with add-in flavor packets.