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Sometimes I love spending hours in the kitchen making complex, multistep recipes. Once finished, I am often convinced that I am ready to try out for Master Chef.
Other times, like this week, I screw up something as simple as a boxed cake mix. I guess my Master Chef dreams will have to wait.
A family friend recently asked me to feature more dump cakes and other quick and easy desserts. I obliged because I had a hectic week and was looking forward to taking a few shortcuts.
The “easy” recipes ended up not being so easy, as they resulted in additional trips to the grocery store and more time spent in the kitchen.
Over the past week, I made two dump cakes, dump bars, and a no-bake ice cream cake. One of the dump cakes and the dump bars were inedible disasters and had to be dumped right in the trash, giving a new meaning to the term “dump cake.”
It was completely my fault, as I changed up too many elements from the recipes I used as inspiration. I have become so accustomed to changing up recipes that I rarely make anything as written.
With cooking contests, the general rule of thumb is that at least three elements need to be unique in order for a recipe to be submitted to a competition. This can include a change in cooking method, a swapping of spices, or an addition of ingredients. I also like to change things up because I don’t want to share a recipe that everyone already has.
Usually my recipes turn out reasonably well but sometimes, like this week, things go horribly wrong. The ice cream cake and one of dump cakes were edible, but not good enough to justify the cost I spent to make them. Feeling defeated, I decided I needed to reevaluate what the term “easy” meant.
Years ago, I developed a recipe for an easy dessert contest. My no-bake pie didn’t even make the finals, but it had a hot fudge topping that I’ve been thinking about ever since. I used that fudge in my failed ice cream cake and had a little leftover, so I decided to keep things easy and just share that.
Sure, it is a little more difficult than just opening a jar of store bought hot fudge, but I think it is worth the effort. I have tried it with other candy bars like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Milky Way, Snickers Almond, and Pearson’s Maple Nut Goodie, but I think regular Snickers work the best for that classic ice cream shop hot fudge flavor.
If you have a good dump cake or easy dessert recipe to share, please send me an email at [email protected].
Easy Hot Fudge Ingredients:
4 regular sized Snickers candy bars (1.86 ounces each), chopped 1/4 cup heavy cream
Instructions:
Place the chopped candy bars and cream in a microwave- safe bowl. Heat on high for 30 seconds, then stir. Repeat 3-4 more times or until the nougat and caramel have completely dissolved. Spoon over ice cream and garnish with sprinkles, whipped cream, and cherries, if desired. Yield: 8 servings.
