Summer Baking with the Grandchildren

It is summer time and the kids are out of school - home school, public school, or Catholic school. There is more time to do fun activities with our children and grandchildren. I am going to offer two recipes a week to prepare and bake with your grandchildren. Some are very easy. You can even make them with a cooperative two year old. Others require the kids be a bit older. All can be used to honor and celebrate a summer saint of the Catholic Church year. The saints on the Church calendar for the week of July 4 - 10: St. Anthony Zaccaria, St. Elizabeth of Portugal, July 5, St. Maria Goretti, July 6, and St. Augustine Zhao Rong and Companions, July 9. 

Today we are going to prepare and bake an old favorite: The Dump Cake. I am sure many of you are familiar with it. Scroll through the photos to the recipe below. You can see how easy and tasty it is.

DUMP CAKE

Ingredients                                                                Equipment

2cups fresh peaches or blueberries                          9 x 13 1/2 inch rectangular baking dish

Can of cherry pie filling                                           Large spoon

Baking spray or butter                                             2 Pot Holder Mitts

1 package of yellow cake mix                                  Can opener if needed

1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)                                         Sharp knife

Pecans or Walnuts if you wish                                 Small microwave bowl

Directions: Heat oven to 350 Fahrenheit                Yield: 16 servings

1. Spray the bottom and sides of your baking dish with baking spray or grease it gently with butter. 

2. Cut up the fresh peaches into bite size pieces and sprinkle on the bottom of the baking dish. Be sure they are evenly spread throughout the bottom of the pan. Spread the blueberries in the same way if you use blueberries instead of peaches.

3. Open the cherry pie filling. Be careful of the sharp lid. Dump the pie filling on top of the fruit. Spread evenly.

4. Open the cake mix. Sprinkle it evenly over the cherry layer. Be sure the mix is spread evenly and all the cherries are covered.

5. Melt the butter in a microwaveable dish. Spoon the melted butter over the top of the cake mix being sure it is well-covered. There may be some small spots that are not covered with butter, but there should not be large areas without butter.

6. If you choose, you may chop 2/3 cup of pecans or walnuts and sprinkle them over the butter layer.

7. Place the baking dish in the over and bake for 40 - 45 minutes. Turn the pan around after 35 minutes. When the cherry pie filling is bubbling up through the cake and butter layer, and the top is lightly brown and crusty, the cake is done. Remove from the oven and let cool.

8. Enjoy the cake as it is or add a dollop of ice cream or whip cream.

Here is what the cake looks like when it comes out of the oven.

Here is our dump cake with a cup of tea. Doesn't it look pretty? You could have it with a cool summer drink or a glass a milk. Invite your friends over and celebrate one of the summer saints!