The cast-iron Petromax Ring Cake Pan is the latest addition to my campfire kitchen. It’s a multi-functional pan that can do several jobs incredibly well. If you’ve read any of my other Petromax reviews you will know that their products are always really well made and of a quality that is in a league of their own.
Like their other Dutch Ovens the Petromax Ring Cake Pan is made from cast iron. This incredibly strong material will ensure that your pan lives a long life as well as having lots of other qualities which make it great for cooking with.
This Dutch oven is notably and obviously quite different in form to a standard Dutch Oven – being in the ring shape. Like all ring pans, the hole in the centre of the pan also helps deep cakes to bake faster and more evenly than standard round cake tins of the same size.
A huge advantage of this Dutch Oven is its lid which is shaped as a tart case. This not only allows you to cook some amazing and delicious tarts and quiches if you use it upturned but also many other jobs. You can use it to serve up anything you’ve cooked inside the pan and my personal favourite – as a skillet over charcoal or your cooking area.
Peach and Honey Dutch Oven Campfire Cake Recipe
I thought I’d share a simple but scrumptious recipe which works a treat in this Petromax Dutch Oven Ring Pan. My Peach and Honey Campfire Cake recipe:
- 200g unsalted butter
- 200g caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 medium eggs
- 200g self-raising flour
- 250g peaches
- Huge spoonfuls of honey
This recipe also works really well with a shop bought Victoria sponge mix and a can of peaches.
1. You start by chopping all the butter up into pieces and putting it in the bottom of the pan. Grab a little bit extra and grease the pan. An oil spray is also a great way of greasing a pan like this which has a design on the sides.
2. Mix up your batter so that it is nice and smooth. Add honey to taste. Personally I put loads in as I really like honey. When it’s ready pour the batter into the bottom of the ring pan, there is no need to mix in the butter just pour it on top. This will create a nice caramelised top to the cake.
3. Now just drop your peach slices into the batter. Try and distribute them evenly. Again – DO NOT STIR. The peaches will gradually sink down into the cake batter.
4. Now to cook. I already had a fire burning so I decided to hang my Dutch Oven Ring Pan over it using a tripod and chain. You can however place charcoal briquettes underneath and in some ways this will give you a much more measurable heat. Some of my photos look quite dramatic flame wise, but I actually like to cook over the embers of the fire to give a much more even and manageable heat. You want two thirds of the heat to be coming from the top so raise it quite far off the fire. I place four of Petromax’s Cabix Plus Briquettes on top. Leave for 20 minutes.
4. For a more even bake you want to rotate the charcoal on the top of the Dutch oven as well as spinning it over the fire. This will prevent any area baking quicker than the rest and giving you an unevenly cooked cake. After the 20 minutes have passed, carefully lift the lid, check on the cake and slide a knife inside to see how well it is doing. Use the old granny’s tip of a clean knife showing you that the cake is done!
5. In my experience, it will need about another 15 minutes, but obviously cooking on a fire isn’t an exact science (that’s what makes it so exciting and fun!) Once your knife comes out clean and the cake is golden brown – you’re done.
6. It’s now time to remove the cake from the pan. The peaches, butter and honey tend to caramelise on the bottom of the pan which doesn’t really help with removing it in one piece but does really add to the flavour! My tip for removing would be to run something around the edges of the pan and then, holding a plate to the pan, flip it over.
This cake is superb and delicious served straight out of the pan, warm and with ice cream or thick cream! The ring shape of the dutch oven allows the cake to bake super evenly and creates a really light and fluffy sponge. Honestly, if you were served this cake in a cafe – you’d be chuffed! I’ve been amazed at what can be achieved with this pan on a campfire or with charcoal.
The Dutch Oven Ring Pan has some amazing design touches like a stainless steal handle which is notched for very stable hanging. On top of the pan a deep rim allows you to place charcoals on top without fear of them slipping off! There are also three little notches on the lid which are there so you can stack Dutch ovens up on each other.
The cast iron has outstanding cooking qualities. They efficiently store the heat and transfer it evenly to your food. It’s pre-seasoned too so, if like me you’re impatient, you don’t have to wait around. I absolutely love the Petromax Ring Cake Pan. I’m really looking forward to cooking many more cakes, bread, casseroles and other dinners with this pan.
