How To Bake Cake On A Campfire: Perfect Beginner’s Guide

What to do when you crave cake but you are out on a camping trip? Just bake your cake using the campfire or the stove in your RV/trailer.

Baking can be therapeutic and doing so with a view can be a lifetime experience.

Wouldn’t it be great if you celebrate your birthday or a birthday in general while camping? Bringing a ready-made cake can be a great inconvenience and it’s no fun!

Yes, of course, you can bake a cake while camping, it is not difficult at all. Imagine sitting around the campfire and eating hand-made cake with friends or family. A cake would not taste bad even with strangers!

The question here is how? We have the answers to how to bake a cake on a campfire, What are the dos and don’ts while baking on a campfire?

A little cake wouldn’t hurt anyone.

Let’s get started, shall we?

5 Simple Ways To Bake A Cake On A Campfire

Baking? On a campfire? Sounds a bit like a hassle right? But it is worth the hassle. You will know what is all hype is about, once you try it.

The tricks we are going to tell you are not only used for cakes but also a wide range of desserts.

You just require the right ingredients and the right recipe and equipment to bake. Speaking of ingredients, wondering how to store the ingredients the right way? Check out the article on how to pack milk for camping.

1. Try Out Orange Cakes

As pleasing as it sounds, the looks and taste of it also don’t fail to please us. Plus it is super easy and quick to make. It looks exactly like it sounds, it is a fusion of orange and cake. The recipe is as follows:

• Cut the orange from the top leaving 1-2 inches from the bottom.
• Empty the pulp of the orange or eat it, leave only the skin of the orange.
• Prepare any box cake mixture or packet brownie mixture according to the instruction.
• Fill the orange with the batter about an inch below the top. This gap will important to let the cake rise.
• Put on the lid and wrap it in heavy-duty foil.
• Roll these oranges into the campfire coal and rotate now and then for around 30-50 minutes until the batter cooks completely.

You have your orange cake ready! You will smell and taste a very strong orange in the cake. You can experiment with many different flavors of cake. You and your friends/family can have their separate orange cakes to enjoy.

2. Dutch Ovens

A dutch oven is the most used baking equipment and it gives the right amount of heat and oven-like surrounding to bake a cake. You can bake a variety of baking stuff other than cake in a dutch oven.
How to use it properly:

• Preheat the dutch oven a little bit before prepping it for the cake.
• Once it has done, grease it with oil/butter. And sprinkle dry cake batter or refined flour on the sides and batter of the oven.
• Put the cake batter, box cake is preferred because making cake batter from scratch will take up a lot of your time.
• Cover the dutch oven with the lid. And put the dutch oven over hot coals.
• Put some of the coal on the lid of the oven as well.
• Do not keep it on fire as it will burn the cake from the bottom and leave it uncooked from the middle.

REMEMBER: Spread coals from your fire into an even layer. They should feel very hot, but not so hot that you are unable to hold your hand six inches away for several seconds. Place the pan on the coals and shovel more coals on top (those on top should be hotter than on the bottom).

• Keep rotating the oven from time to time to ensure even baking.
• Keep checking the batter because we cannot keep a record of temperature and regulate it.
• Once the cake is half done, remove the oven from the coals but keep the coal on the top.
• Check the cake with a toothpick to see if the batter is still wet.
• The cake should be ready in 50-60 minutes.
• This will give you a moist and spongy cake.

3. Double Cast Iron Skillet

The method to bake a cake with this equipment is the same as using a dutch oven.

This equipment as a two in one utensil as it can be used as 2 different cast irons skillet or popped up to be used in an oven.
One cast-iron fits on the other and helps in keeping the heat inside like oven.

Investing in good heavy-duty cast iron will help you in the long run. The cast iron adds extra flavor to whatever it cooks.

4. Makeshift Oven

This method comes in handy when you do not want to carry extra utensils to bake a cake. This oven can be made with just a pan and a smaller cake pan/aluminum tin, and a grid to keep the smaller pan away from the bigger pans bottom, otherwise, the cake will be burn.

This is how you bake a cake in a makeshift oven:

• Grease the smaller pan with oil/butter and sprinkle dry cake mix powder or refined flour. Butter paper or parchment paper will also work.
• Put the bigger pan on the hot coal keep the grid on the base of the pan.
• Lay sand in the bottom of the bigger pan. This will ensure even heating around and prevent it from direct heat.
• Keep the small pan with the cake mix on the grid, and cover it with a lid.
• Keep some coal over it too.
• This cake would be ready in 45-50 minutes, check for your convenience.

This makeshift oven can be used on a stove as well, and therefore it can be used at home as well. Here is an recipe of campfire chocolate and banana cake on a make-shift oven.

5. Mug Cakes Works

Mug cakes are one of the most convenient and easy cakes to bake while camping. It only involves 2-3 steps and it’s ready. This will also help you to serve small portions of cake and don’t have to worry about storing them afterward.

Steps to follow:

• Keep the cake mix or pack mix in the cup with given instructions on the pack.
• Do not fill more than half of the cup. Wrap the whole cup in foil.
• Keep it near very hot coal and make sure it is not getting more heat from one side o the cup.
• Check if it is cooked after 50-60 minutes.

You cannot use any kind of mugs for this. A Ceramic or enamel mug is preferred. If you plan to use a tin mug then don’t forget to grease it properly.

Tips To Remember While Baking On A Campsite.

Handling coal and fire can be risky sometimes. There is an important list of dos and don’ts to follow while baking on a campfire.

• Prepare the right kind of fire, baking would require hot charcoals and not the flames.
• Keep checking your cake, if it is cooked or not as we do not have temperature control.
• Use the right gears to handle the utensils and placing them. Don’t touch the charcoal if you do not have a pair of tongs or tweezers.
• Be careful if it is windy on the campsite. Coals turn into flames if blown air on them. Winds can also increase the flame or change the direction of the flames very quickly.
• Do not stand too close to the campfire.
• Do not leave a campfire unattended. Maintain fire safety first. Avoid starting a fire until you are sure to cook or sit around.
• Carry a first aid box with all the supplies that are required while cases of burns.

FAQs

Conclusion

I hope these ways give you enough courage to bake and enjoy your favorite cakes while your camping. Most of them are very easy to execute and you will surely get a pretty spongy and moist cake as a result, if you follow all the steps properly. Also, keep in mind the dos and don’ts for baking on a campfire to stay safe and ensure well-baked cakes.

If you have any other ways to bake your cake while camping let us know in the comments section and also share your favorite cake flavor.

Check out more useful guides on the website for enhancing your camping experience and ensuring safe camping.

Until then happy camping!