And the winner is………….Alex Neiwirth, with his fancy delicious Dutch Oven Pineapple Upside Down Cake!

While the Dutch Oven Potluck was a great success, and a good time was had by all who attended, attendance was a little lower than we’d hoped!  What’s wrong, people?  Is Celebration Park too far away?  You missed out, but we might try it again sometime.

Anyway, the Pineapple Upside Down Cake was amazing!  Because the Dutch Oven has a little bit of a tendency to burn things such as cakes on the bottom, this idea works really well, because the wet delicious fruit, rather than the easy-to-burn cake, is what sits against the bottom of the pan.

Here’s how Alex did it:

Ingredients:

• One yellow cake mix (Normally I don’t allow cake mix, but can make exceptions for camping and for Ghiardelli brownie mix. You could substitute any yellow cake recipe. For camping, you can pre-mix the dry ingredients at home, and add the liquid at the campsite, just like cake mix.)
• One can pineapple rings
• 10 Maraschino cherries
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 1 cup brown sugar

Heat Charcoal and let it burn down to hot coals for using. Meanwhile you can prepare the cake mix.  Follow the directions which will likely include eggs, oil, and water, but replace a cup of the water with the juice from the pineapple can.

Alex used a ring of just a few charcoal briquettes to start off.  Set the Dutch Oven on the ring of charcoal and slowly melt the butter.  Then add the sugar, like this:

When that is all melted together, arrange the pineapple rings and Maraschino cherries.   Pour the prepared cake batter over the top of it.  In true outdoorsman style, Alex used a Nalgene bottle.

Put the lid on, put coals on top, and bake.  I’d say Alex baked it for around an hour.

Take the top off, carefully remove from Dutch Oven, and voila! You can test to see if the cake is done by sticking you pocket knife in the center. When it comes out clean it’s done. Alex say’s its best not to open the oven while cooking, don’t play with it.

If you’re not cooking over coals, you can just put it in the Dutch Oven and cook it inside your oven at home, following the directions for the cake mix.

Thanks for the treat, Alex!  Marty says you cheated, by being a son of the talented Randy.

–Katie