Apple Cinnamon Cake in the Dutch Oven

 

I've been testing out Gluten, dairy and nut free Dutch oven recipes for my local Girl Scout Day Camp. One of the most popular recipes is Dump cake, which consists of canned pie filling and boxed cake mix. In recreating this recipe, I stuck with the pie filling, finding ones that are gluten free, but nixed the boxed cake mix in favor of one I created myself. The result was good enough to serve tonight at a dinner party! Even though, it's a recipe easy enough to make at camp, it's tasty enough to serve to company. Give it a try on your next camping trip...or at your next dinner party.

 



 

Apple Cinnamon Cake in the Dutch oven
2 Can apple pie filling or 2 C stewed apples
¾ C Coconut Flour
¾ C Tapioca Flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbs. cinnamon
½ tsp. salt
6 eggs
1 Can coconut milk
1 Tbs. vanilla

In a Dutch oven or a deep pie dish dump one can of pie filling or 1/2 of fruit. In a separate bowl, mix all other ingredients until well blended. Pour batter over fruit then pour second can of pie filling or second half of fruit over top of the batter. (Cover Dutch oven if using.) Bake in a 350F oven (or use 6 briquettes below and 18 briquettes on lid of Dutch oven) for 45 – 55 minutes or until knife comes out clean from center of cake.

Blueberry Sponge Cake -

I'm volunteering at my local Girl Scout camp this summer and asked a few questions about the food they'll be serving at camp. Since I'll be there all day, I wanted to make sure that the food offered would be something I could eat, but I also wanted to find out how campers with allergies or food sensitivities were handled. As part of the camper experience each camper gets to learn a cooking method based on age. The youngest ones make fruit salad and other no-cook recipes, second graders get to do propane stove cooking. Third graders do aluminum foil cooking and stick cooking; fourth graders learn to cook with a box oven; fifth graders cook with a dutch oven and sixth graders get to pick their favorite method.

The dish the group cooks is decided by the girls themselves based on their method. I asked what happened to girl with allergies if her group chose to cook something she couldn't eat. In the past, the girl had to help to make the dish she couldn't eat, then had to come back to the kitchen to get an alternative meal. That just didn't seem right to me. So I asked a few more questions and found that the camp leaders were more than happy to have gluten, dairy and nut free dishes as options, but just didn't have the recipes or time to research them. This is where I come in to the picture! I've got a ton of appropriate recipes to offer and the background to know how to recreate others that more closely match traditional Girl Scout dishes. So, I embarked on my mission!

I already had a paleo brownie recipe (I'll post that one soon!), but recreating traditional Girl Scout Dump cake was a bit harder. This dish usually uses a can of pie filling (apple, cherry, peach), a boxed cake mix and a stick of butter. Since a lot of those items wouldn't work for a camper who can't eat gluten or dairy, I set to making my own version. I researched pie filling and found that the Wilderness and Comstock brands are both gluten free. They use a small amount of corn starch as a thickener and use sugar or cane juice to sweeten, but they were about as good as a can of pie filling could get in this situation. I think if I was making it for my own family I'd choose fresh fruit or a can of fruit in fruit juice as an alternative to the pie filling. On top of the fruit, I created a sponge cake that used coconut and tapioca flour as a base. I didn't include any sweetener in the cake as the pie filling was sweet enough for the whole cake. I was also trying to make this one nut free in case other campers had nut allergies.

This recipe will be cooked in either a Dutch oven or a box oven at camp, so when I did my test run I cooked it in a Dutch oven. The result was very tasty! I took the cake to a get together today and everyone thought it was good. One 10 year old came back for seconds! So if you are looking for more recipes to make in your Dutch oven while camping or at home, this one might be one to try.

Blueberry Sponge Cake (Dutch oven, box oven or home oven)
1 Can pie filling or canned fruit in juice - we used blueberry pie filling
¾ C Coconut Flour
¾ C Tapioca Flour
2 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
6 eggs
1 Can coconut milk
1 Tbs vanilla

In a Dutch oven or a deep pie dish dump the can of pie filling or fruit. in a separate bowl, mix all other ingredients until well blended. Pour batter over fruit. Cover Dutch oven if using. Bake in a 350F oven (or use 6 briquettes below and 18 briquettes on lid of Dutch oven) for 45 - 55 minutes or until knife comes out clean from center of cake.

Rosemary Lemon Carrots

On those nights when I'm super busy and haven't had a chance to take a walk in the garden to "shop" for veggies, I'll sometimes break into the baby carrots that are usually in my fridge. I've discovered I really like my carrots with some lemon on them and an herb or 2. Baby carrots are also great to bring along camping for snacking or for a side dish to go with that fish you caught or sausage you just cooked over the fire. I've included cooking methods for microwave, oven, grill and campfire coals. Enjoy those carrots! 

 

2 C baby carrots or chopped regular carrots

1/3 C lemon juice or 1/2 lemon

2 tsp dried or 1 Tbs. fresh rosemary

Salt and pepper to taste

Microwave method:  Place baby carrots in a microwave-safe bowl. Pour lemon juice over carrots then sprinkle with rosemary, salt and pepper. Cover lightly and microwave on high for 2 minutes. Pierce carrots with a knife or fork to test for tenderness. Continue microwaving in 30 second increments until carrots reach desired tenderness.

 

 

Foil cooking method: Take a large piece of aluminum foil and fold up on all sides a bit forming a bowl. Place baby carrots and ½ of lemon in the foil. Sprinkle with rosemary, salt and pepper. Fold foil around contents sealing into a pouch. Place pouch on a cookie sheet and bake in a 350°F oven for about 30 minutes or until tender. You can also throw the foil on the grill or in hot coals if you are camping.

Paleo Camping Menu

Through Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts my family has really gotten into camping this past year. We love being outside without all of the distractions of electronic devices and to-do lists that always seem to take precedence when we're at home. We're also aspiring survivalists and are always looking into how to do things in a more primitive way without all of the "right" equipment. Camping fulfills all of those criteria, and it's just plain fun.

One of the minor obstacles I've run into while planning a camping trip is coming up with a paleo and kid-friendly menu that can be prepared over a campfire, camp stove or charcoal. The last camping trip we went on with some other Girl Scout families really allowed me to hone the Paleo camping menu with the help of some other gluten-free parents. I believe the menu we settled on is a very do-able, kid-friendly, allergy friendly Paleo menu that we'll probably use again when the need arises.

We arrived at the campsite on Friday evening and stayed through Sunday mid morning. So, we needed 2 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 1 dinner and 1 evening snack (for Friday night campfire). This is what we ate on our trip.

Friday evening
Banana Boats - Banana filled with dairy free chocolate chips, wrapped in foil and warmed in the coals of the campfire

Saturday
Breakfast
Omelets in a bag - Fill zip lock bag with eggs, veggies, meats, cheese, then seal and drop into boiling water to cook. When egg pulls away from bag, it's cooked.
Sausage cooked over a camp stove
Fruit salad
Coffee cake cooked in the Dutch oven with charcoal briquettes

Lunch
Make your own sandwich or salad - variety of meat, cheese, veggies
Left over fruit salad

Dinner
Sausage or hot dogs cooked on sticks over the fire - wrapped in romaine leaves instead of a bun
Trout caught that day - wrapped in foil with some salt, pepper and olive oil then cooked in the coals
Sweet Potatoes - wrapped in foil and cooked in coals - served with cinnamon
Pumpkin Cupcakes and chocolate chip cupcakes cooked in box ovens

Sunday
Breakfast
Applesauce Almond Pancakes cooked over a camp stove
sausage cooked over camp stove
left over fruit salad

Pumpkin Cupcakes Made in the Box Oven

This past weekend my family went camping with a few other families, several of which also ate Paleo or similar. On this trip we cooked our food in a variety of ways. We baked coffee cake in the Dutch oven,  made pancakes over a camp stove, made omelets in zip lock bags in boiling water, roasted sweet potatoes and more in the campfire coals and baked chocolate chip muffins and pumpkin muffins in box ovens. Box ovens may be my favorite camp cooking method just because it seem amazing to me that you can make an oven that will reach baking temperature using only a cardboard box and aluminum foil. That's kind of crazy, really.

 

The pumpkin muffins were a big hit with the adults while the chocolate chip were the kids' favorite. I'm really psyched to try out more flavors in the box oven. Have any requests?

Box Oven Pumpkin Cupcakes

1 ½  C almond flour
1 small can pumpkin
1 ½  tsp. baking soda
¾  C honey
1 tsp. cloves
2 Tbs. cinnamon
2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. salt
6 eggs

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Spoon batter into a lined muffin tin.

If making in a regular oven, Preheat oven to 350F. Bake muffins for about 30 minutes or until they are firm on the top when you press on them.

If making in a box oven, light 9 charcoal briquettes. Using the instructions here, place the muffin tin in the box oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until muffins are firm on top when you press on them. Keep in mind when using a box oven that every time you lift the box up, you will lose 25 degrees F from the oven and will need to add an additional 15 minutes to the cooking time. That's why the nifty window is so nice!

Cinnamon Coffee Cake in the Dutch Oven

The Girl's Scout troop went camping this past weekend. Their awesome leader wanted to give the girls exposure to multiple camping cooking techniques. Throughout the weekend they learned baking in a Dutch oven, baking in a box oven, roasting in foil over the fire, cooking omelets in zip lock bags in boiling water and cooking pancakes over a camp stove. I was in charge of the morning coffee cake cooked in a Dutch Oven and wanted to make it a tasty Paleo treat. I couldn't seem to find many Paleo camp cooking recipes using a Dutch oven, so I found a few conventional coffee cake recipes and adapted them to Paleo ingredients and the Dutch oven.

Although we made this cake using charcoal briquettes and campfire coals, you could use the same recipe in your oven at home. I didn't get too many good pictures of the results, but everyone seemed to love it and several came back for seconds.

Dutch Oven Paleo Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Cake
1 can of coconut milk
4 eggs
1/2 cup honey
2 tsp. vanilla
4 C almond meal or flour
1 C tapioca flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

Cinnamon Ribbon

4 Tbs. Cinnamon
1/2 C melted coconut oil
1/4 C Honey
 

 

If making in a Camp setting: Spray Dutch oven with coconut oil spray or grease the pan with coconut oil. Mix all cake ingredients together in a large bowl then pour into the Dutch Oven and set aside. Mix all cinnamon ribbon ingredients together in a small bowl then drizzle over cake batter in Dutch oven. Light 6 charcoal briquettes and set Dutch oven on top of charcoal. Light 18 more briquettes and place on top of Dutch oven. Bake for about 30-40 minutes. Test for doneness with knife in center of cake. 

If making in a home oven: Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Mix cake ingredients, and pour into a deep pan or 2 round cake pans.  Mix cinnamon ribbon ingredients in a small bowl  then drizzle over cake batter in pan.  Bake 28-30 minutes. Test for doneness with knife in center of cake.

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

This weekend the Girl and I went on a Girl Scout camping trip on the beautiful Hood Canal. For one of the meals, the girls cooked it from start to finish in their cook shelter. The Girl volunteered to help with dessert which would be chocolate chip cupcakes. Since one of the girls in the troop also eats gluten and dairy free, I went to work making a paleo recipe that the girls could take to camp and easily make in a box oven. I mixed all dry ingredients into a Ziploc bag at home, then the girls added the eggs, honey and applesauce at camp. Simple!

 

They first needed to make the box oven (instructions here), then mix up the cupcake batter and cook it at their campsite. The results were better than I expected, really. Once we got the placement of the cupcake pan right (don't sit the pan directly on the coals!), then the cupcakes cooked up like they would have in a regular oven. The window on the top, that The Girl insisted on including,  made checking on the cupcakes much easier! I highly recommend a window in your box oven. And I highly recommend giving box oven cooking a try, just for the novelty of the whole thing if for nothing else. :)

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
1 C Almond Flour
2 Tbs. Coconut flour
3 Tbs. Cocoa Powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
4 eggs
1/2 C applesauce (one of those 4 oz cups of applesauce works great for traveling)
1/2 C honey
1 C chocolate chips (we used dairy free chips)

Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl, then add all wet ingredients to dry and stir in the chips. Scoop batter into lined muffin cups. Bake at 350F for about 30 minutes in a regular oven. For box oven, use 9 briquettes and cook for about 30 minutes. Cupcakes will have gooey melted chips inside when warm.

Paleo Camping and How to make and use a Box Oven

I spent this past weekend at Girl Scout Encampment with The Girl and her Girl Scout troop. I loved the idea of spending the time with my daughter outside on the beautiful Hood Canal, but I was initially reluctant to go for a variety of reasons 1. I'm always cold. 2. I like flush toilets and 3. how can I eat Paleo while camping and having many of my meals prepared for me by someone else?

I'm happy to report that I have figured out the right sleeping gear for me in the wild that allows me to remain warm enough and I got used to the Biffy (Bathroom In the Forest For You). :) But #3 was a challenge. During an encampment, many of your meals are provided for you by the kitchen staff at the camp. My registration form had me marked as gluten-free, but there wasn't an option for paleo, grain free, refined sugar free, legume-free, etc. So I went into the weekend knowing I'd have to be flexible and use this as my 20% non-paleo ration. I also had a discussion the other day with a friend about how I feel like stressing out over things I can't control (like the food at camp) or worrying about bringing all of my own food is releasing enough stress hormones into my body to negate all of the good I'd do by having better food on hand. So I decided to chill-out and go with the flow for one weekend knowing I'd jump back into my routine on Monday. I did take a number of fresh fruit items, larabars and trail mix to supplement what I was able to find in camp, but found it hard to remember to put them in my day pack every morning (had to lock them up from critters every night). So the meals I ate in the lodge were ok, but were not paleo. They contained rice, corn, soy and refined sugar I'm sure, but they didn't contain wheat (I think), which is the biggie for me. So I'm ok with it.

The one shining point in the food department for the weekend was the meal cooked by the troop in our cook shelter. Since we could decided on all parts of the meal, the girls (one of which is also gluten and dairy free) planned a tasty meal that was very paleo friendly. Their menu consisted of Chicken Soup, Veggie tray, Fruit salad, Grilled Cheese sandwiches (I ate the deli ham that came with it),  and Chocolate Chip Cupcakes (New creation by me and The Girl. Stay tuned for the recipe!).

In order to cook these Chocolate Chip Cupcakes the girls had to make their own box oven. This contraption  consisted of a cardboard box, tin foil, heat proof aluminum tape (found it in the hardware store) and a turkey baking bag.

How to make your own Box Oven
1. You will need a box that is about 2-4 inches larger in both dimensions than whatever cookie or cake pan you plan to use for baking. We used a muffin pan that holds 12 muffins. A sturdy banana box from Costco or a larger Amazon box will work well.
2. Cover the inside of the box with tin foil. You can cover the outside as well if you want it to look pretty. BE SURE NO CARDBOARD IS UNCOVERED INSIDE THE BOX OR IT WILL CATCH FIRE.
3. Cut a hole in the bottom of your box for your "window" (this isn't necessary but is pretty cool)
4. Cover the hole with 1-2 layers of the turkey baking bag and secure with aluminum tape making sure there aren't any holes.

In addition to the box oven you will need 2-4 aluminum or tin cans, 1 disposable aluminum tray to hold charcoal briquettes, Charcoal Briquettes, 1 rock about 2 inches tall.

To use your box oven
1. Mix up the cake, muffins, cupcakes, etc. that you plan to bake. Really you can make anything in a box oven that you can make in a regular oven. I've seen people make pizza in it. So I don't know why you couldn't roast veggies or bake some fish you caught or even bake cookies.

2. In the aluminum tray place your charcoal briquettes in a single layer. Each briquette will give you 40 degrees F when baking. So if you are cooking at 360F you will need 9 briquettes.

3. light briquettes and wait until they have turned light grey in color. When they have reached that color, place your aluminum or tin cans either inside the aluminum tray beside the coals or outside the tray depending on the size of the charcoal tray and the baking pan. (See the diagram below for placement options.) Then place the filled baking pan on top of the cans above the charcoal tray. Coals should not be touching the baking pan.

4. Cover the whole thing with the box and prop up one corner of the box with a rock for air flow. If the box is tight to the ground the coals will not burn. Fire needs oxygen to burn.

5. It will take about 15 minutes for the box oven to come to temperature. Your cooking time will vary based on materials, temperature outside, briquettes, etc. But you can assume it will be similar to your regular oven. Every time you raise the box to test for doneness, you will lose 25 degrees and 15 minutes from your cooking time. So don't raise the box unless absolutely necessary. (this is why the window is so nice!)

(picture of the Chocolate chip cupcakes I made at home in preparation for the camping trip. The ones made at camp weren't this pretty, but they tasted great!)