Years ago I read an article about baking mini cakes in orange peels using a campfire. This past weekend at scout camp with my kid, I finally got to do it. The results were wonderful!
The picnic table made a perfect kitchen and it was fun cooking out of doors. I used a one-layer cake mix to make eight cakes, but a regular cake mix, muffin mix, or scratch cake recipe will also work. (If you can find a mix that requires only water added, that's easiest for camping!) I used a vanilla mix to give the flavor of the orange peel a chance to really shine, but chocolate or spice cake would be good too.
Wash and dry 6 large or 8 medium-large oranges. Cut a horizontal slice/cap near the top of each. With a spoon, gently hollow out each orange, preserving the cup-like peel. (Large clementines or mandarins are easy to work with.)
Fill each peel 2/3 full of batter, replace the top/cap, then wrap snugly in aluminum foil. (Wrapping in regular foil and then adding a second wrapping in heavy duty foil is ideal. If the foil has gaps, the cakes will have a smoky flavor.) Use long tongs to place cakes on the coals of the campfire or on a barbecue grill.
Nestle the foil-wrapped cakes not in the flames but atop the coals. Turn or move the cakes every five minutes. After 20 minutes, remove orange cakes one at a time, checking them to be sure cake is baked at the top. Undercooked cakes can be rewrapped and put back on the coals. Allow cakes to cool until touchable and then serve warm. The cake can be eaten out with a spoon or the peel can be removed for a ball of cake. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar on top, if desired. The cakes have a nice orange flavor and are very moist due to the steam effect.
Enjoy!
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