Reviewed by annieb123 on
Dump Cake Magic is a collection of one-pan dessert recipes by Anne Schaeffer. Released 8th Oct 2018 by Fox Chapel, it's 128 pages and available in paperback format.
I grew up in the southeastern part of the USA, where every church function and family reunion is guaranteed to have at least one 'dump' cake. In my experience, dump cake was the cherry pie filling + yellow cake mix topped with sliced butter and chopped pecans version. It's simple and delicious and guaranteed to be a no-leftovers favorite.
This collection takes that time-saving idea one step further with a wide variety of tempting desserts. There are (by my count) 60 recipes for variations on the no-bowl one-pan dessert method. Each of the recipes is photographed finished, and a number of the recipes also include process photos. Many of the recipes include serving or preparation tips.
I moved from the USA to Europe years ago, and shocking as it seems, it's very difficult to source 'ready made' boxed cake mixes here. The included recipe for DIY cake mix was literally worth the price of the book for me! What a life saver!
The three trial-review recipes we tested out were all really delicious as they were and needed no tweaking. We fully intend to try out all of the included recipes. In the meantime, my family can fully vouch for: Key Lime Cake (p. 18), Very Berry Cheesecake Squares (p. 68), and German Chocolate Cake (p. 108 (note: this one does require an actual boxed German chocolate cake mix)).
The recipes are simple and delicious and made with easily sourced ingredients, appealingly kid/family friendly. There's also a handy index at the back of the book.
Five stars. Well done!
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- Finished reading
- 9 December, 2018: Reviewed