Lemon Blueberry Dump Cake

I love Dump Cake. It's so easy and yummy! I also love blueberries. One of my favorite desserts from my childhood was lemon blueberry Bundt cake. It came in a mix, with a glaze and a little can of "real Maine blueberries!!" I asked for it almost every year for my birthday cake.

They don't make Bundt cake mixes anymore, and I haven't seen any mix combining lemon with blueberries. We went out blueberry picking this past weekend and I started to crave the flavor. I decided to make a dump cake.

I was concerned that the fresh blueberries wouldn't provide enough liquid, so I added a little by mixing the berries with lemon and sugar and letting it sit for a bit. This works to draw out the juices for other berries, so I was hoping it would do that here. I don't know if it did, but the cake worked so I don't really care. :)

The result was as good as I had hoped! We will definitely make it again. Enjoy!!

LEMON BLUEBERRY DUMP CAKE

4 cups fresh blueberries
2 T lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar

1 box lemon cake mix

1 stick butter

Toss the berries with the juice and sugar, and let it sit for about 15 minutes.

Place the berries in the bottom of a 13x9 inch pan. Dump the cake mix over the berries and spread evenly, but don't stir. Cut the butter into pats and spread evenly on the top, but don't stir.

Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes. it should be slightly brown on the top. You may need a few more minutes. It's normal for the berries to break through the top.

Notes:

You can use any size pan you like, but watch the time. I used a 12" round dutch oven and it took close to an hour.

You could substitute frozen berries or even canned.

Try different cake mix flavors if you don't want lemon.

Of course you can sub margarine for butter, but why would you want to?

A trick we learned in Girl Scouts is to omit the butter, and pour a 12-ounce can of lemon-lime soda over the top. it works the same and tastes great.

Blueberry Custard - Low Carb

I found the basis for this recipe online. I tweaked to make it low carb, along with a few other changes. It was delicious! The kids had no idea it was low carb. One even chastised me for "cheating". WIN!

BLUEBERRY CUSTARD

6 cups fresh or frozen blueberries, picked over and rinsed

Place berries evenly in a 9x13 pan.

• Custard:

Sweetener of choice, equal to 1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup almond flour
1/4 tsp. sea salt
5 eggs, beaten
1 cup sour cream
2 tsp. vanilla

mix together the dry ingredients. Add eggs and sour cream, beating until well blended. Pour over the blueberries (do not stir).

• Topping: 

Sweetener of choice, equal to 1 cup sugar
3/4 cup almond flour
2 Tbsp flax meal
2 Tbsp hemp hearts (use more almond meal if you don't have this)
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)

Combine dry ingredients. Cut in butter until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over the custard.

Bake at 350 for about 55 minutes, until lightly browned. Do not overbake!

Eat warm or chill. This would be great with some whipped cream or ice cream!

• Sweeteners: I like to mix different sweeteners when it calls for this much. I think it makes it taste better. For this, I used a combination of Splenda, erythritol, and stevia. It would be fine to use whatever you like. 

Dump Cake

You know what a "dump cake" is, right? You have just a few ingredients and you just DUMP them into a pan to bake. They are super easy at home, and very popular on Scout camp outs. We cook them in a Dutch oven, using coals for the heat (top and bottom). Yummy!

The standard Dump Cake uses canned fruit, a cake mix, and a stick of butter. Some recipes call for cutting the butter into pats or bits, some call for melting. Either way is fine. I go with pats because it's less work!

Flavor variations are endless - experiment to find your own favorite! I am posting some of ours below. You can use no-sugar-added fruit, gluten free cake mix, margarine (yuck. just saying), whatever your taste buds or health needs require. Even throw some fresh fruit into the mix. The key is you need the juice from the fruit, and some sort of liquid for the top.

In a recent training class, I learned a new trick. Instead of butter, use a can of carbonated beverage. Just pour over the top. It performs the same function as the butter, but is cheaper and easier to carry (no refrigeration needed). I do prefer the taste of butter, but on Scout trips we will be doing the soda from now on. Again, the flavor varieties are endless! We want to find a fruit to go with vanilla cake and root beer (think root beer floats!).

Each recipe is good for an 8-10 dutch oven or 9x13 pan, and makes 10-12 servings. Grease the pan!! Line it completely with foil for easier cleaning. Bake at 350 in the oven, or use coals at the campground. Instructions for charcoal cooking can be found HERE (< click).

Instructions for all recipes: "Dump" ingredients into pan, in this order: fruit, cake mix, butter or soda. Be sure each layer is spread out evenly, but do not stir. If using soda, stir it slightly into the cake mix to avoid dry spots, but be careful not to mix with the fruit. If using butter, place the bits evenly over the top. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes, until cake layer is done.

Enjoy!

Original Dump Cake

1 can cherry pie filling
1 can pineapple, any form, WITH juice
1 box vanilla cake mix
1 stick butter, cut into pats or bits
(OR one can soda)

Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake

2 cans cherry pie filling
1 box chocolate cake mix
1 stick butter, cut into pats or bits
(OR 1 can soda)

Cherry Cola Dump Cake

16 oz. maraschino cherries WITH juice (remove stems!)
1 chocolate cake mix
1 can cola (try cherry cola or cherry Dr. Pepper for more flavor!)

Peach Dump Cake

1 29-oz can peaches
1 box vanilla cake mix
1 stick butter, cut into pats or bits
(OR 1 can soda)

Lemon-Blueberry Dump Cake

2 cans blueberry pie filling
1 box lemon cake mix
1 stick butter, cut into pats or bits
(OR 1 can soda)

Apple Spice Dump Cake

2 cans apple pie filling
1 box spice cake mix
1 stick butter, cut into pats or bits
(OR 1 can soda)

Pineapple Compote

My friend Aphra and her husband, Peter, were the managers at a gorgeous retreat center a few years ago. I always loved Sunday breakfast because this delicious dish was always on the buffet. Finally I asked her for the recipe! The new managers don't make it, and Sunday mornings are simply not the same! This was another of her mother's recipes.

Pineapple Compote

1 - 15 oz can pineapple chunks in juice
* add 1 cup grated cheddar cheese (see note)

3/4 cup sugar
3 T flour
1/2 stick butter

10 Ritz crackers, crumbled

Mix everything but the crackers in a casserole dish. Sprinkle crumbs on top.

Bake at 350 for 37 minutes.

*note - pre-grated cheese will not melt properly. However, they used it at the center and I always loved the texture so I would use it again to get the same result. It's your call!