Recipe: Baker’s Backcountry Cake

Recipe from the National Outdoor Leadership School

Baker's Backcountry Cake

Cake Ingredients: 
• 2 c. sugar
• ½ c. cocoa powder
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 c. flour
• ¼ c. cocoa mix
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. baking powder (optional)
• ½ c. chocolate chips
• ¾ c. water
• 1 c. softened butter
• 2 eggs (1 T dry + 3 T water/egg)

Chocolate Frosting Ingredients
(for those with a sweet tooth add frosting!): 
• ½ c. cocoa mix
• ½ c. sugar
• 4 tbs. butter
• 2 tbs. water
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Mix all of the dry ingredients together (sugar, cocoa, flour, cocoa mix, salt, baking powder, chocolate chips), preferably before heading into the backcountry. Add the butter, eggs, and water together. Slowly add in the dry mix to the wet ingredients. Once all of the ingredients are mixed, add the vanilla. Lightly flour your pan, and then place the mixed contents into your fry-bake (fry pan with a lid). (Be sure not to oil the pan. This seems to glue the mix to the bottom of the pan)

Start up your whisperlite stove and get it warmed up. Then turn it off and slowly turn the top of the fuel bottle until you hear the pressure release from the bottle. Then reattach it fully and turn the whisperlite stove back on without pumping the fuel bottle. Turn the stove on the lowest setting, create the "tower of power", and place a cake hat around your fry-bake & lid. If you don't have a cake hat, a twiggy fire (which is a fire on top of the lid with small twigs) could work as a nice alternative in order to bake the top of the cake thoroughly. Then bake your cake for approximately 15 or until the contents of the cake no longer jiggle and leave a fork fairly clean. Check often. 

If you only have one cooking stove, then wait until the cake is made before cooking the frosting, otherwise have this going simultaneously. It will only take 5-10 minutes to make, so plan that with timing the cake. Mix all of the ingredients for the frosting together, except for the vanilla. Place on low heat, stirring regularly. Cook for 5-10 minutes until small bubbles appear. Then add in vanilla and cook for another couple of minutes. Once the frosting is cooked, pour it over the top of the cake, and smooth out with a spatula or spoon so that it evenly covers the cake.

https://www.nols.edu/en/about/

Kathy Romses, 2017

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One Response to Recipe: Baker’s Backcountry Cake

  1. Roland Stefani says:

    What is the difference between cocoa mix and cocoa powder? Both are in the recipe?

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