A Word About Dump Cakes!

I know in today's health crazy, anti-processed food world, dump cakes are probably akin to eating cheetos and Dr. Pepper for breakfast. Still, they have all the components that make them perfect for little ones just learning their way around a kitchen.

For one thing, all you have to do is DUMP! Dump fruit, dump cake mix, dump melted butter! Okay, okay, there's slightly more to it than that (you want to make sure to pour evenly and spread in a nice layer in your pan, for example), but they're super quick and simple.

The other thing is, it's really hard to mess them up. You layer your ingredients, put it in the oven at 375, and watch for your crust to get a nice golden brown. 

And as if the first two reasons weren't good enough, I have another: you don't need a recipe to have endless possibilities. Seriously, you need fruit (canned, usually pie filling, but not exclusively) and a cake mix, topped with melted butter and voila! You can also add things like nuts, chocolate chips, syrups and dessert toppings (I did an apple dump cake with apple pie filling, yellow cake mix, and half a jar of caramel topping and boy, was it good! Sweet, yes, but I had guests and there was none leftover).

When your little one finished this simple mixture and sees how well it turns out . . . 

You get a very sweet satisfaction knowing they're growing to love the kitchen!