A SIMPLE DESSERT

Recently I was invited to a dinner party. There would be eight. I asked the hostess what I could bring. “Oh,” she said casually, “just bring a simple dessert.”

With the holiday season in high octane I decided my s-i-m-p-l-e indulgent contribution would be a CHERRY DUMP CAKE. What can be easier than dumping three to five ingredients in a 9×13” cake dish, baking it for 50-60 minutes and topping it with a slab of ice cream before serving. Apparently this recipe was in community and church cookbooks beginning in the 1960s. The official name came from a Duncan Hines recipe published in 1980 but I remember making this in the late Sixties, probably picked up from a dessert my Mom made for bridge club..

During this sugary and candy-coated season if you hit the holiday wall or want to detour from traditional seasonal treats, surprise your guests or family with a Dump Cake. Need to entertain kids or grandchildren? What sounds more fun than baking a Dump Cake. Or, during the cocktail hour at an adult party, put the non-cooking guests in charge. If they can dump, they can pull this dessert together, bake it during dinner and add a slab of ice cream before serving. Voilà. That is kinda joy-to-the-world merrymaking.

As I write this, another “modest” Dump of the white variety is forecast in the mountains on Christmas Eve. It’s been a beautiful fall season followed by some glorious snowfalls to kick off the skiing season. I’ll be spending the winter living in Bethesda and exploring/working in DC. My bags are packed, my condo emptied and ‘free of me’ for the next four months. There is nothing simple about doing that and every year I vow it’s my last! In the past ten years I’ve wintered in Paris, London, Maui, San Diego, Cambria and Las Vegas and loved each destination and experience. I am admittedly apprehensive about this year’s choice, a ‘we’ll see’ four months I’ll share with all of you.

CHERRY DUMP CAKE

With just 5 ingredients and 5 minutes of prep, dessert doesn’t get easier than this Cherry Dump Cake. Serve with some vanilla ice cream for a quick but crazy-delicious treat. Need variety? The Internet is overwhelmed with variations to the basic recipe. Fun Fact: Both Comstock (available in the South and East Coast) and Wilderness (available in the Midwest and Pacific Coast) pie-filling products are owned by Duncan Hines.

Serves 12

INGREDIENTS

2 cans cherry pie filling or any filling of your choice (21 ounces each)

1/3 cup maraschino cherry juice, the juice amount in a 6oz jar of cherries (optional)

1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract (optional)

1 box yellow cake mix (I used Duncan Hines but any yellow or white mix will work.)

3/4 to 1 cup butter, melted and cooled

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

1. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray.
2. Pour the cherry pie filling into the baking dish.

3. Add the maraschino cherry juice and vanilla or almond extract. Stir to combine and smooth out the filling into an even layer. DO NOT STIR THE INGREDIENTS AGAIN.

4. Sprinkle the cake mix evenly over the filling.
5. Pour the melted butter over the top. Try to saturate as much of the cake mix as possible. DO NOT STIR.
6. Bake for 50-60 minutes until golden brown on top and bubbly.
7. Let sit for 15 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

HAPPY, HEALTHY HOLIDAYS, DEAR READERS. STAY SAFE.