I just read a thread on the cooking forum with a heading much like yours....see link below.

I might google a recipe for a dump dinner before buying a cookbook. Dump cakes are excellent.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cooking forum dump dinner thread

I disagree heartily--- I've had a "dump" cake and it was the worst thing I ever tasted. I still find it hard to believe anyone would think yellow cake mix, cherry pie filling from a can and melted butter would add up to anything but a mess!

I went to the linked discussion, and then clicked on the link for that lady advertising those quite astonishing 'dump cakes'. Is this for real? Or is it an Onion-esque satire?

I am seriously asking BTW!

Ann

Back in the seventies I used to make a chocolate funny cake~some people called it a dump cake since it could be made right in the cake pan. My kids loved it, and it was a standard for my oldest son's birthday every year.
Here's the recipe:
3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
6 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vinegar (white or apple cider)
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups warm water

I can't remember the recipe proportions for the frosting, but it was crisco, margarine, sugar, vanilla, and needed mixing(electric mixer!) for 5 minutes until the sugar was completely dissolved. It's similar to frosting on wedding cakes.

I'm a dump cake fan. Lots of different fruit possibilities. Easy and good for potlucks IMHO.

Patty-cakes: I still have that cake--but it is a clipping from McCalls Magazine's Christmas "best recipes" circa 1969 or 1970. Actually had some great recipes that I still use.

" Mrs. Bob Rogers'Scotch Cake: 2 c flour, 2 c sugar, 1 c. water, 1/2 t. salt 1/2 c. margarine, 1/2 c shortening, 1/4 cup cocoa, 2 eggs, 1/2 . buttermilk, 1 t. soda, 1 t. cinnamon, 1 t. vanilla. Icing: 1/2 c margarine, 1/3 c. cocoa, 6 T milk, 1 lb. confectioner's sugar, vanilla, 2 ..c coconut and 1 cup chopped pecans. Method: in a small saucepan, combine margarine, shortening, cocoa and water; bring to boiling. Pour over flour mixture. Add eggs, buttermilk, soda, cinnamon and vanilla and beat until smooth. Pour immediately into prepared pan. Bake 45 minutes.
375 in a greased 13" cake pan.

Icing: Combine margarine, cocoa and milk in a saucepan; bring just to boiling. Add sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth with spoon. Stir in coconut and nuts. Spread over hot cake as soon as it is removed from oven.

Very moist, very easy parve cake that I've made a million times when I need a big cake for something like a barbecue or a casual party.
Probably called a Scotch Cake because of the relatively cheap ingredients....

One of my family favs is called 10 in one--ten ingredients in one pot; turn it on and in 45 minutes you have dinner. It is sort of a stew. hamburger/hot dogs/cabbage/potatoes/green beans/onion/catchup/salt/pepper/sugar/water. You layer the meats/vegis then mix the rest and pour over. I tend to skip the sugar. Sounds like a dump dinner to me.

Vedazu,

How can the scotch cake be parve with buttermilk and milk?

"How can the scotch cake be parve with buttermilk and milk?"

It can't! It's definitely dairy. But it sounds very tasty and would be good with a non-meat meal.

"How can the scotch cake be parve with buttermilk and milk?"

It can't! It's definitely dairy. But it sounds very tasty and would be good with a non-meat meal.

Whoops! Sorry for the double post!

I make the dump cake KSWL mentioned and all I can say is we run out the same day. Now I have to make 2 of them when we have large gatherings. My favorite is Blueberry! Five Stars.

Wow kswl, if a dump cake is 'the worse thing you have ever tasted', you have been lucky in your food choices throughout you life.

The one that we enjoy has all the ingredients you mentioned plus crushed pineapple and chopped pecans. Served warm with a scoop of cream it makes a nice substitute for a crisp or cobbler.

ML

I get where KSWL is coming from (at least I think so). I'm not big on cake mixes either. A good made-from-scratch cake is hard to beat. But there are "dump cake" (I hate that name) type cakes that are not made from mixes. Kind of like an Apple Betty or a fruit crisp. I've made one that is quite good - no cake mix, you make the topping from scratch. Oats are a good addition - as are pecans (as someone mentioned above). Fresh fruit is also used - not canned pie filling. So much better and by using your own recipe instead of a cake mix and canned pie filling, you can control the fat and sugar content (at least somewhat).

tina

Oh, no!!!! of course it isn't parve! (in the recipe.) I always used Coffee Rich--forgot!!! Sorry! Works with the Coffee Rich just fine--put in a tsp of vinegar. The original poster mentioned the vinegar and my mind just went to that recipe! (Watching Law and Order re-runs as I was typing! ) Sorry!!!!!

For those of you who don't like a little canned help in the kitchen, ignore this. lol.

Recipe below in the link. I doubled the recipe, added even more brown sugar, corn syrup, and butter (!),

I used the Pillsbury THIN crust pizza dough, located in the section where those darn good Grand's Biscuits are. :)

As a side note, I've been making my own homemade sticky buns for years. Takes 4 hours. But these taste just as good if not better. I kid you not.

{{!gwi}}

Here is a link that might be useful: Sticky Buns

It's not all about taste. Some people have health problems to consider and some just like to eat healthier. As in fresh, less/no additives/preservatives. Less sugar, less salt, less (or better) fat, etc., etc., etc.

You've got it in one, Tina. Some of the recipes people are citing here are basically cakes from scratch, just made in one pan, and they sound delicious. That's very different from dumping cake mix and canned filling into a bowl. Maddie, I have been pretty lucky, I guess! My mother loved to bake, and still does although her old recipes have been trimmed of a lot of fat, sugar and salt for the way we eat now. Her coconut cake still has people lining up for their sliver of it at her parties :-)