Delicious! How to Make a Campfire Cake from an Orange
Preparing the Orange
The first step is to take a good sized orange or small grapefruit and cut a hole around the top. Think of how you make a cut for a pumpkin around Halloween as an example. Set aside and take a spoon to dig out the fruit inside. Make sure that you get as much of it as possible. Eat the fruit and rinse the inside of the shell that you’ve just created before patting dry with a paper towel. It’s okay to have some of the rind remain, and the smell will actually enhance the flavor of your finished product later.
Make the Batter
The next step is to mix your batter according to your recipe of choice. It’s a good idea to choose a light batter, such as white or yellow cake as opposed to dark and dense desserts. They will be easier to cook and don’t require a lot of preparation.
You should also choose recipes that don’t involve a lot of ingredients that come from the refrigerator. The best ones are ready-mix products that you can find at the store. These usually require some water, maybe an egg or some oil. Chances are that you will have these things on hand while out in the field anyway, so it won’t be difficult to whip up the recipe if you are away from home or a kitchen.
Fill the Shell
The next step is to fill the shell about ½ way up with the batter. This should provide enough space for the batter to rise without overflowing as it cooks. However, this will vary from recipe to recipe, so try and judge how much something rises in the oven and then fill the orange or grapefruit shell accordingly. You don’t need to worry about applying non-stick spray or a coating of oil to the inside of the orange since you will be eating directly out of the shell before discarding afterward.
Cooking the Batter
This is the trickiest part of the recipe, and it may involve a little bit of trial and error. The first step is to place the top of the fruit back on the shell and wrap everything in two layers of aluminum foil. The next step is to place the ball on the appropriate part of the fire. You want the heat to be low enough to penetrate through everything and cook the center of the batter. Try placing it on some coal-ash or next to some embers that are starting to die off. Again, this may take some trial and error, and the cook time as well as level of heat will depend on the size of your fruit as well as the batter you are using. Test the cake by sticking a toothpick or small twig inside and pull it out. It will be done when the stick doesn’t contain any batter.
The nice thing about using the fruit is that the moisture will help to prevent the outer edge of the cake from drying out as the inside cooks through. It will also give you a nice, disposable way of cooking along with a container for eating. Simply discard the peel when finished.
This simple trick may be less than perfect, but it will allow you to make some nice desserts even if you don’t have a kitchen. Try this out for yourself and improvise as necessary in order to make it work best for your needs.
