You might not immediately think of chocolate cake when it comes time to do some campfire cooking. Don't miss out - a campfire Dutch oven can help you easily make meals and desserts that will delight your fellow campers, like this German chocolate upside-down cake. 

It's a load of fun to sit around a crackling campfire with friends and family, relaxing and enjoying a beautiful summer's evening. 

We often cook pretty simple foods over the campfire, and a cake doesn't exactly spring to mind as a campfire classic. But wow, did we ever love eating this delicious yet unusual option. 

Everyone will be in complete shock when you pull out a recipe for a rich, gooey, upside-down cake baked in a Dutch oven over the hot coals of a campfire. 

This recipe is quite simple to follow, making it an effortless option to try at your next campout.

Chocolate Upside Down Cake: A Dutch Oven Recipe

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Servings

8

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

55 minutes

Ingredients

Cake Batter

• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter or oil

• 1 c. all-purpose flour

• 3/4 c. white sugar

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt

• 5 tsp cocoa powder

• 1/2 c. 2% milk

• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

• 1 c. pecans or walnuts, chopped

Chocolate Sauce

• 1 c. water

• 1/2 c. white sugar

• 1/2 c. brown sugar

• 1/4 c. cocoa powder

Directions

1. Build a fire and let it heat and burn until hot coals form at the base.

2. Place your campfire Dutch oven in the hot coals with the lid on, and fully pre-heat.

3. Remove the Dutch oven lid. Melt the unsalted butter in the Dutch oven. Swirl the melted butter around to coat the oven's entire base and sides.

4. Place all-purpose flour, 3/4c. White sugar, baking powder, salt, and 5 tsp cocoa in a sealed Ziploc bag, and shake until well combined.

5. Add the milk and vanilla into the Ziploc bag. Using fire-safe mitts, carefully pour in melted butter from the Dutch oven. Leave the butter coated on the oven, and just add whatever excess pours off into the bag. Shake the bag to combine.

6. Add in the chopped walnuts or pecans, and knead the bag well to make your German chocolate cake batter.

7. Pour the chocolate batter into the butter-coated Dutch oven, squeezing it all out of the Ziploc.

8. Now, you'll make the chocolate sauce: mix remaining white sugar, brown sugar, cocoa, and water in the Ziploc bag.

9. Once well combined, pour over the batter in the Dutch oven.

10. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 mins. For a 12-inch Dutch oven, place 17 coals on the cooker's lid and 8 underneath.

11. When the Dutch oven cake is ready, remove the Dutch oven from the heat. Remove the lid for about 5-10 mins to cool.

12. Carefully cut and serve your German chocolate upside-down cake and serve immediately! Flip each slice upside down as you serve, so the chocolate sauce is on top.

Chocolate Upside Down Cake Recipe - FAQ

Nut Allergies and Fruity Add-Ins

We created our recipe with nuts because we love the tasty combination of chocolate, pecans, and walnuts. 

If you are making this cake to accommodate a nut allergy, omit the nuts, or replace them with another fun ingredient. 

Cherries are a common addition to classic German chocolate cake, and they'd be delicious in this recipe. After coating the oven with melted butter, line the Dutch oven's bottom with pitted frozen or fresh cherries. When you flip each slice upside down to serve, the cherries will look beautiful lining the top of the cake. 

You could also try to make a warm chocolate pineapple upside-down cake using sliced pineapple rings in the same manner. 

I don't have a 12-inch campfire Dutch oven. Can I use a different size?

The 12-inch Dutch oven will give you the best results for this cake, but you can adjust the recipe to fit if you have a smaller oven. 

For a 10-inch campfire Dutch oven, use ⅔ to ¾ of the ingredients listed, and keep the cooking temperature and time the same. Keep in mind that you'll need fewer coals on a smaller oven to reach the same temperature—Aim for 350°F, which is 14 coals on the lid, and 7 underneath. 

For an 8-inch Dutch oven, use ½ of the ingredient portions listed above. Place 11 coals on the lid and 6 underneath the base.

Why didn't my cake rise properly?

If your cake didn't rise, you might be storing your baking powder improperly. It's crucial to keep your baking powder stored in a sealed container, only opened to measure out what you need, then shut again.

When baking powder is around too much humidity, it can activate with the air and have no activation powers left in it by the time it gets added to your cake. 

Can I make this cake gluten-free?

You can quickly adapt this cake to be gluten-free by swapping out all-purpose flour for a gluten-free variety. We like the all-purpose blends you can purchase at most grocery stores, as it's your best bet that won't potentially change the texture of your cake. 

Final Notes: Upside Down German Chocolate Cake Recipes

We hope you love making this German cake at your next campfire. It's a great way to make the fun of camping and spending time with your family a little extra special. Dutch oven is completely versatile - you can also make such desserts as dutch oven cinnamon rolls or dutch oven peach cobbler.

There are plenty of other dutch oven camping recipes to try, from bread and baked goods to casseroles, mac and cheese, and one-pot meals.

Enjoy your ooey, gooey, and chocolatey upside-down cake!