Ingredients
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Orange1 each
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Chocolate Cake Mix
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Plus any other ingredients needed for your cake mix
Directions
Who doesn’t love a Chocolate Orange Cake? This is a really simple backwoods cooking meal which is a lot of fun. The Scouts have the opportunity to get their hands a little bit messy but at the end, they should have a delicious chocolate cake to eat! You can make a cake mix up on your own, but I usually use a shop bought cake mix as it’s just as good for this.
This Campfire Chocolate Orange Cake is a campfire dessert I made recently for a Scout Foundation NI training video. The final video will be used as a training resource for new Scouters. I was so excited to be included in the process! I cooked a variety of basic Backwoods cooking meals that most Scouts will make at some stage in their childhoods – cake in orange was one, the others were bread twists and an egg-in-an-onion. I’m blaming being filmed for my lack of photographs!
Cooking a chocolate cake in an orange is an age old favourite that I first made in Cubs. It’s so easy and tasty that it’s a must if you’re preparing a dessert for a Scout Patrol, a project for a Cub Pack or even if you are just looking to keep the Scouts busy for a bit on your next camp.
The Campfire Chocolate Orange Cakes use instant cake mix. These come in all sorts of flavours so pick which one looks best to you. If you’re doing a load of them at a camp or Scout meeting, why not try buying a variety of different flavours and seeing which tastes nicer. Or even better yet, let the Scouts choose their own mix. They do usually require an extra ingredient or two so make sure you read the packet or box. This might be eggs, butter or oil, etc.
Have some fun, keeping warm around the campfire with these tasty treats. Use big oranges and remove as much of the orange flesh as you can without piercing the skin – any orange left inside will add juice to the cake mix which does add flavour but may stop it from setting when cooking. I tend to eat the Chocolate Orange Cake with a spoon, scooping out of the orange. Although I have seen people peel the skin off, revealing the Death Star-shaped ball of cake underneath. The cake needs to be fully firm (read: overcooked) for that to work!
These Chocolate Orange Cakes are a great campfire dessert, but another absolute must for Scouts are these Chocolate and Marshmallow Stuffed Bananas!
Steps
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1
Done
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As normal, you need to have your campfire ready to cook on. In this recipe that means burning it down to embers. Maybe consider a "key hole" fire; it might be safest, especially if you're working with younger children. You will need a bowl, a whisk or fork, tin foil, sharp knife, spoon and tongs or fire glove. |
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2
Done
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Mix up the cake batter in the bowl, following the packets instructions. You then need to cut the tops of the oranges, keeping the lids, These will be the casings for the cakes, protecting them from the harsh campfire heat. Scoop out the orangey insides and put it in a cup or bowl to eat later while your cake is cooking. |
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3
Done
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Spoon cake mixture into each orange to about 2/3 full and place the orange peel lid back on top. Depending on the size of your orange and the type of cake mixture you went for, you will probably have enough for 6-8 oranges. |
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4
Done
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Your Campfire Chocolate Orange Cakes are ready now for the fire. Wrap them in foil and place on the embers (remember to count how many go in). |
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5
Done
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These will take around 20 minutes of cooking but, with the nature of campfire cooking, I'd start checking after around 10 minutes. The orange peel might start to look charred but don't trust it, it's the cake mix you need to be cooked. You'll know it's done when you poke a sharp knife in and it comes out clean. |
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6
Done
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It will be very hot so allow to cool for around 10 minutes before eating (if you can). |
