Easy Dutch Oven Cobbler
This fun 4-ingredient summer fruit cobbler baked in a cast iron dutch oven is a retro shortcut recipe that’s perfect for camping, potlucks and cookoffs.
This dutch oven fruit cobbler is one of the easiest desserts you will ever throw together! It’s going to sound a bit odd, but here me out.
Basically, you dump fruit, a quick batter made from cake mix and lemon-lime soda, and butter into a camp dutch oven and let it bake over coals till the fruit is bubbly and the topping is golden brown.
It sounds a little crazy, but it works! It’s a fun recipe for summer that’s a little bit different, a little bit old-school, and completely delicious. This cobbler has been one of my go-to desserts while we’re camping, though feel free to make it anytime! You can’t beat an easy summer dessert like this, especially when it doesn’t require turning on the oven.
Table of Contents
- Ingredients you'll need
- Equipment you'll need
- What is a camp dutch oven?
- How to make dutch oven cobber
- Recipe tips & variations
- More camp recipes
- Get this recipe
Ingredients you’ll need
- Fresh, frozen or even canned fruit, your choice! I think peach pie filling was the original fruit of choice for this recipe, but I have always used fresh fruit. Blueberries, strawberries and peaches are my favorite.
- Yellow cake mix
- Butter
- Lemon-lime soda, such as Sprite or 7-Up
- Whipped cream for serving (optional). You can always make your own sweetened whipped cream, but if I’m camping I always bring a can of Reddi Wip or other canned whipped topping.
Equipment you’ll need
- Cast iron dutch oven
- A lid lifter to help lift the heavy lid and move the pot while it’s hot
- A campfire or charcoal briquettes
- Tongs to work with the briquettes or coals
- Dutch oven liners for easy cleanup, if you want
What is a camp dutch oven?
A camp dutch oven is designed to go directly over a campfire or be used with charcoal briquettes. Unlike enameled home dutch ovens (such as ones made by Le Creuset and Staub), it’s made completely of cast iron, has support legs on the bottom, and a rimmed lid.
So how does it work? Heat from the coals underneath and on top turns the pot into a makeshift oven you can use while camping or cooking outside. If you don’t have a camp dutch oven or aren’t very familiar with them, I encourage you to look into getting one. They’re a lot of fun and you can cook just about anything with it.
How to make dutch oven cobber
- Prep your dutch oven and cooking space. Both a campfire and charcoal briquettes require some prep before using. You’ll need 45 briquettes for this recipe. Prep the dutch oven by greasing it with nonstick spray or butter (or use a dutch oven liner for easier cleanup).
- Mix cobbler topping. Combine the cake mix and lemon-lime soda in a bowl to make a quick cobbler batter.
- Layer everything in the dutch oven. Add the fruit to the bottom of the pot, spoon the batter over the fruit, and then place butter slices on top of the cake mix.
- Bake. Arrange 15 charcoal briquettes together in your cooking space. Place the lid on the dutch oven and set the pot over the briquettes then set 30 more on top of the lid. Using this specific amount of charcoal produces enough heat to make the inside of the pot about 350°F (cool, huh?!)
- Rotate the pot and lid. I generally rotate 1-2 times to ensure it bakes evenly. Use a lid lifter to rotate pot about 180° halfway around clockwise. Then, lift and rotate the lid 180° around counterclockwise.
- Check to see if it’s done. When you can start smelling the fragrance of baked fruit, you know you’re about there. After 20 minutes of baking time, take a peek and see how it’s doing. When the fruit is bubbling throughout and the topping is lightly golden brown, it’s done!
- Serve and enjoy! Scoop the cobbler out into bowl and top servings with whipped cream or ice cream.
Recipe tips & variations
- I believe the original method for making this cobbler was to simply top the fruit with the powdered cake mix, pour the soda over the top, and then add the butter. However, when I made it this way there were always unappetizing pockets of dry cake mix here and there throughout the cobbler. Combing the cake mix and soda before adding it to the cobbler solves this problem with minimal extra effort.
- This cobbler recipe will of course work just fine in any standard baking dish in your oven, but this recipe was created specifically in the great outdoors! If you want a traditional oven-baked cobbler, try this one.
- I have never used a substitute for the lemon-lime soda, even though it is a little odd. It’s part of the fun! But I assume plain water or even milk will also work fine.
- Feel free to use any fresh, frozen or canned fruit or pie filling. This recipe is extremely adaptable! I typically only use fresh fruit because that’s what I prefer, but use what you have or like.
More camp recipes
Get this recipe
Easy Dutch Oven Cobbler
The easiest summer fruit cobbler baked in a traditional camp dutch oven over coals. A perfect dessert to enjoy while camping!
Ingredients
- 4 cups (600 grams) fruit such as berries , peaches, apples, etc.
- ½ (225 grams) box vanilla cake mix
- 1 cup (227 grams) lemon lime soda , such as Sprite or 7up
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter , cold and cut into bits
- 1 tablespoons granulated or coarse sugar , optional
- Whipped cream , for serving
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat 45 charcoal briquettes until white and glowing. Lightly grease the bottom of a cast iron camp dutch oven with cooking spray (see Notes).
- In a medium bowl combine the cake mix and lemon lime soda. You want a batter that is thick, but moist (it does not have to be precise, I’ve had varying consistencies from stiffer batters to thinner cake-like batters).
- Place fruit in the cast iron dutch oven and spoon batter over top. Top with bits of butter. Sprinkle with the sugar, if using. Cover the dutch oven with its lid.
- Place 15 hot charcoal briquettes together and set dutch oven over them. Using tongs, place the remaining 30 briquettes on the dutch oven lid. (This exact number and placement is required to achieve 350°F inside the dutch oven.)
- After about 10 minutes, rotate the dutch oven over the coals clockwise and the lid over the dutch oven counter clockwise to promote even cooking. Check after 20 minutes, cobbler is done with the topping is golden brown and the fruit juices are bubbling.
- Remove dutch oven from coals. Serve the cobbler with whipped cream or ice cream.
Notes
- Use any fresh, frozen or canned fruit you like. This recipe is very adaptable! If using strawberries or stone fruit such as peaches, slice into wedges or chunks.
- Follow the exact amount of charcoal briquettes listed in this recipe for best results. Using too many or too few will change the internal temperature, overall baking time, and could burn it quickly if you’re not careful. I have actually never tested this recipe with coals from a wood-burning campfire so I can’t give more specific instructions.
- You can also bake this cobbler in the oven. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a standard baking dish with cooking spray. Bake the cobbler until golden brown and the fruit is bubbly around the edges, 20-25 minutes.
Calories: 211kcal, Carbohydrates: 43g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 8mg, Sodium: 228mg, Potassium: 78mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 27g, Vitamin A: 127IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 77mg, Iron: 1mg
Have you tried this recipe?I’d love to hear about it! Leave a rating and review below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram @completelydelicious with #completelydelicious.
This recipe was first published July 2011. Photos have been updated.
I’ve made this a few times before. It’s sounds crazy but the soda and cake mix make a very good topping. I usually add a bit of sugar and maybe cinnamon to the fruit.
This seems to use a lot more briquettes than I expected. While the ratio is similar (1x on bottom, 3x on top) For a 12″ (size does matter) it is recommended to use 25 total briquettes, 7 bottom, 18 on top for 350°f.
45 briquettes suggested here would heat a 16″ Dutch Oven to 425°.
What size of dutch oven is used for this recipe?
This looks great! What size dutch oven did you use? If I were to double the recipe, would it still fit in my 14 inch diameter dutch oven?
Try heating the butter an the fruit before you put the cake mix on top an cook for 40 minutes.
Can I use fresh rhubarb? How much?
Thank you!
Sure! You can use 4 cups of any fruit, including fresh rhubarb.
I was wondering what size Dutch oven, how many servings, and what size cake box are you mentioning.
We made this recipe the other night and loved it! We’re wondering if we can use this same recipe only use boysenberries instead?
Worked great at our Cub Scout camping trip! I’ve also heard this called a “dump cake” recipe.
These cookies are SO DELICIOUS. I love this recipe! It’s my twice time making them and I swear they get better each time!
this is the first time I known it. It look so delicious. I want to make it. But I don’t have oven. Maybe I will buy a oven.
I have a Dutch oven desert u might try …. Same concept just take pineapple roo put in bottom of D/O then put rings on top of it then take apricot halves put them in the Rings then take maraschino cherries and said inside the apricots you mix your batter took consistency to wear your your fruit starts to float your peaches in your cherries will start to float until you hit him with the batter and then they stop right there in the cake and then you bake it in the Dutch oven and it’s a screaming pineapple upside down cake thank you.