3 ingredients. 1,000 possibilities.

I learned this one from a guy cooking lunch for the crew at a remote job site out in Utah. Some people call it dump cake. Around a fire it goes by campfire cobbler. Whatever you call it, it’s pie filling, a box of cake mix and a can of lemon-lime soda. That’s the whole list.

I’ve made it in a Dutch oven over campfire coals and in a pot on a propane burner in the middle of nowhere. It works every time. This round I did it in the oven to feed about 16 guys: one pan of blueberry with lemon cake mix, one pan of apple with vanilla cake mix and cinnamon. Neither pan lasted long.

The soda does all the work. It soaks into the dry cake mix and steams it into a soft, spongy topping right on top of the fruit. No batter, no mixer, and one dish to wash.

Pick Your Flavor

This is where it gets fun. Match a pie filling with a cake mix and see what happens.

• Blueberry + lemon cake mix. The lemon wakes up the berries. This is the one in the photos.
• Apple + French vanilla cake mix + cinnamon. Classic apple pie flavor. Dust the top with cinnamon before it goes in.
• Apple + coffee cake mix. My personal favorite. The mix costs a little more, but it’s worth it.
• Cherry + chocolate cake mix. Basically a Black Forest cake without the work.
• Peach + spice cake mix. Add a little cinnamon on top for a cozy fall version.
• Strawberry or peach + confetti cake mix. Sprinkles baked right in. Make it festive for birthdays or the kids.
• Cherry + yellow cake mix, or strawberry + lemon cake mix. Two more easy ones to try.

What “Done” Looks Like

You aren’t baking a fluffy birthday cake here, and you don’t want pudding either. The topping should be soft, moist and spongy, like a snack cake that soaked up some of the fruit juice. It holds together when you scoop it but stays damp and tender.

Check it this way: the top looks set and matte instead of shiny and wet, it springs back a little when you press it, and a toothpick in the cake layer comes out moist but without streaks of runny batter.

Tips for the Best Dump Cake

Don’t stir the fruit. Only wet the cake mix on top. Mixing the two together gives you a soggy mess instead of two layers.

Clumps are fine. Small dry spots will soak up steam from the fruit and soda as it bakes.

Keep it covered. Foil traps the steam, and the steam makes the topping soft. I usually leave it covered the whole time.

Hard to overdo. Extra time while it’s covered won’t hurt it. Just don’t leave it uncovered so long that the top dries out.

Use a sheet pan underneath. A 9×13 gets close to the rim once the fruit starts bubbling.

Got a Dutch oven? Use it at home too. It works the same in your oven as it does over the fire. Same steps, lid on instead of foil, 375°F.

Feeding a crowd? Make two 9x13s, or use a full-size steam pan with 4 to 5 cans of filling, 2 boxes of cake mix and 2 cans of soda.

Campfire Cobbler (Dutch Oven Method)

This is how I first learned it, and honestly it’s still my favorite way. It’s about as easy as camp cooking gets, and you’re only carrying a Dutch oven, a couple of cans, a box and a soda.

1. Spread the pie filling in the bottom of a Dutch oven.
2. Sprinkle the cake mix over the top, pour in the soda and gently stir just the top layer until most of it is wet. Leave the fruit alone underneath.
3. Put the lid on and nestle the pot into a bed of hot coals beside the fire, not in the flames.
4. Set a few hot coals on top of the lid so it heats from above too.
5. Let it go for about an hour, then peek. The topping should look set and spongy, with fruit bubbling up around the edges.

How to Serve It

Warm, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. That’s the classic. A drizzle of cold heavy cream over the top is just as good.

Poor Man’s Cobbler (Easy 3-Ingredient Dump Cake)

Pie filling, a box of cake mix and a can of 7-Up. Soft, spongy cake over bubbling fruit, no mixer needed. Make it blueberry lemon, apple cinnamon or any combo you like.

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Servings: 12 servings

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 2 cans fruit pie filling 21 oz each, blueberry or apple
• 1 box cake mix 13 to 15 oz, lemon for blueberry or French vanilla for apple
• 9-12 oz lemon-lime soda like 7-Up or Sprite (3/4 to 1 can)
• ground cinnamon for dusting the apple version
• vanilla ice cream or heavy cream for serving

Method

 

1. Heat the oven to 375°F and grease a 9×13 baking dish.
2. Spread the pie filling evenly across the bottom of the dish.
3. Sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over the fruit. Don’t stir it in.
4. Pour the soda slowly over the cake mix. Gently stir just the top layer until most of the mix is wet, without digging into the fruit. Small clumps are fine. For the apple version, dust the top with cinnamon.
5. Cover tightly with foil and bake 40 minutes. If the topping still looks like batter, cover again and bake another 15 to 20 minutes.
6. Once the cake is mostly set (it’ll look damp and extra soft), either keep it covered until done for the softest top, or uncover it for the last 20 to 25 minutes for a little golden color.
7. Let it rest 10 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or a drizzle of heavy cream.

Notes

Campfire version: Use a Dutch oven. Nestle it into hot coals beside the fire (not in the flames), set a few coals on the lid and bake about an hour.

Dutch oven at home: A Dutch oven works in the home oven too. Same steps and temperature, with the lid on instead of foil.

Bigger batch: In a full-size steam pan, use 4 to 5 cans of filling, 2 boxes of cake mix and 2 cans of soda. Or make two 9x13s.

Set the dish on a sheet pan to catch any bubbling fruit.