[geargrrl]

I do this annual Dutch Oven cookoff. I have yet to win, but I took second a couple of times.

I tested a Chocolate Cherry Cream Cheese cake last night. The basic recipe is box chocolate cake mix, canned cherry pie filling, and a cream cheese filling (cream cheese, sugar and eggs).

We all agreed it was "good" but now "wow", and not a prizewinner.. I'm not much normally for mix type recipes, but obviously if you were doing a campout the scales weigh towards convienience. The cream cheese filling could have been sweeter, less cherry stuff.

What I am looking for is ideas on how to make it a little more: decadent, fudgy, how I might substitute raspberry for cherries ( fresh?) etc.

here's the original recipe
http://papadutch.home.comcast.net/~papadutch/dutch-oven-recipe-cherrychoccake.htm


Served warm right out of the DO of course,

 

[SkaredShtles]

Too difficult.

Peach cobbler in the dutch oven FTW!

 

[geargrrl]

I'll check the fruit stand for fresh peaches.
So DO raspberry-chocolate decadence is out of the question?

 

[SkaredShtles]

You can try... but peach cobbler is easy AND it'll win the contest for you.

 

[geargrrl]

You'd be surprised, the competition is pretty stiff. I've come in second the last few years.

What I think I will try, is do to a raspberry filling with the cream cheesy part, and swirl it. The cherries are too blobby. Then, for the fudgy component I may just drizzle hot fudge sauce over it before serving, and serve with whipped cream. Naturally I have to test it out at home first.

I've never done scratch cakes (not many cakes at all) so trying to discern which box mix might give the most fudgy results is a crap shoot.

 

[Serial Midget]

Aunt Bea would NEVER enter a baking contest with a boxed cake. However, I happen to know that Ghirardelli Triple Chocolate Brownie mix from Costco will assist you in your evil plot.

 

[geargrrl]

Oh my. I just happen to need to make a costco run.

I suppose DO purists would do **everything** from scratch, but the whole creaming butter/sugar/eggs by hand, plus whipping eggs whites... a little labor intensive. There will be electricity at the cook out, but never on the Middle Fork.

I'll have to see if that mix has the option for "cakey".

 

[SkaredShtles]

Oh my. I just happen to need to make a costco run.

I suppose DO purists would do **everything** from scratch

Hell no... I use cheap boxed yellow cake for my cobbler "topping" with LOTS of butter...

 

[geargrrl]

share?
maybe if I make two desserts I could double my chances?

Oh wait, I only have one DO.

 

[SkaredShtles]

<snip>
Oh wait, I only have one DO.

Amateur.

 

[geargrrl]

Variation #1 is on the coals:
1 T more sugar in the cream cheese
No cherries, going for a raspberry swirl instead
Using a triple chocolate fudge cake mix and a sprinkle of chocolate chips...

 

[pnj]

from scratch or nothing. Would you buy pre-pleated fabric? I dunno, maybe but never pre-made cakes!

 

[geargrrl]

from scratch or nothing. Would you buy pre-pleated fabric? I dunno, maybe but never pre-made cakes!

not the same. Picture this, you are 120 miles from the nearest road, hauling everything in your kitchen packed into a dry box. I suppose the ultimate purist would pack a sifter, cream their butter and sugar by hand... but that's not me.

 

[Serial Midget]

not the same. Picture this, you are 120 miles from the nearest road, hauling everything in your kitchen packed into a dry box. I suppose the ultimate purist would pack a sifter, cream their butter and sugar by hand... but that's not me.

Laura Ingals???

 

[pnj]

Pre mix the dry ingrediants and put them in a zip lock before you leave your house.....

 

[stinkyboy]

Are there points for presentation? I only ask because a disturbing looking dessert served on dirt might cost ya.

 

[TN]

^lol.


like i said....ADD BOOZE!

 

[Silver]

That reminds me, I need to go take a dump...

 

[TreeSaw]

D'oh! I just found this thread. How did it turn out?

Tweaking....let me think (this could be dangerous). I would think raspberry might add more of a Wow factor (cherry pie filling is blah and overdone IMHO).

For the fruit swirl, how about macerating some raspberries in framboise or chambord (also a nice addition to heighten the flavor of your fudge sauce) to bring out their sweetness and enhance their flavors. Lemon also pairs well, so perhaps a little in the back ground.

Homemade whipped cream & a fresh raspberry on top maybe dust with some good cocoa powder or dark chocolate shavings and you'd get my vote!

My husband is partial to chocolate cream cheese fillings too...seems like it could be too much chocolate here though.