I admit it.

I don’t really love to bake.  I know, I know.  That isn’t what I’m supposed to say.  What home blogger doesn’t bake?!?!  But it’s the honest truth and I would have a hard time believing that I’m the ONLY one out there who cringes when asked to fix a dessert!

And somehow, I miraculously ended up with a daughter who LOVES to bake!  So when May’s edition of Payton’s Pastries rolls around, you’ll get to enjoy her beautiful AND tasty creation here on the blog.

In the meantime….here’s what happened.

Awhile back, I was asked to bring two desserts to a family dinner.  The day before.  Panic ensued, so it’s probably a good thing I found out only the day before so I didn’t have time to worry too much about it!  I’ve never considered myself good at baking but since I didn’t have much of a choice (other than heading to the grocery store for a store-bought dessert…which isn’t always a bad thing either…), I decided to get busy and figure it out.

A google search landed me with a lot of choices for a dump cake.

No problem.  I have a Master’s degree in Education.  Surely I could dump a few ingredients in a pan with some measure of success!  I made a peach dump cake and a blueberry dump cake, carefully following the instructions.  Being the teacher that I am, I checked several different sites, all of which gave the same instructions, so I felt it must be fool proof.

Magic.  Not only did my two dump cakes taste good, but they actually looked decent as well and I wasn’t embarrassed to take them to the family dinner. 

I got to thinking, later, that the peaches and blueberries would be tasty together.  So I gave it a try the other day and YUM!!!  It’s a great mix of the sweet and tart and looks pretty too!

I also love fruit recipes for the spring and summer.  They just feel a little lighter and in season, versus a really rich, heavy dessert.

Best part, it took me all of four minutes to assemble and pop into the oven!  It’s a fail-proof, win-win situation for this busy wife, mom, and teacher!

Here’s how I did it:

Peachy Blueberry Dump Cake

What you need:

• 9×13 baking dish
• Two cans of peaches
• One bag of frozen blueberries
• ½ Cup of sugar
• One box of yellow cake mix
• One stick of butter

1. 1. Pre-heat oven to 350.
   2. Dump one can of peaches into your baking dish. Drain the second can and add.
   3. Dump one bag of frozen blueberries on top of the peaches.
   4. Dump ½ cup of sugar evenly over the top of the blueberries
   5. Dump one box of yellow cake mix evenly over the top of the fruit mixture.
   6. Slice butter into thin slices and distribute evenly over the top of the cake mix
   7. Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes.
   8. Serve with vanilla ice cream and ENJOY!

Sugar Free or Gluten Free Peachy Blueberry Dump Cake

• 9×13 baking dish
• Two cans of no sugar added or Lite peaches
• One bag of frozen blueberries
• ½ cup of artificial sweetener (Truvia is an option I prefer)
• One box of sugar free or gluten free yellow cake mix
• One stick of a healthy butter substitute of choice

There you have it!  So often, holidays (such as  Mother’s Day) can feel like some extra work for the people who are being celebrated!  If you’re looking to cut down on your time in the kitchen this spring, I hope this helps!  It’s making me think that for the next family dinner, I’ll sign up for the dessert instead of shying away from it!  You really and truly cannot mess this one up!

Our family enjoyed it, had lots leftover for some midnight snacks, and who’s to say it couldn’t be a good breakfast the next day too?  After all…it has fruit!

With all that time and effort you save by making a simple dessert…what will you do?  It’s some poolside relaxation for me!

For some more spring dessert ideas, check out what these blogger friends are sharing also:

These Yummy Treats from Down Shiloh Road

This amazing Strawberry Shortcake from The Tattered Pew

These amazing Iced Coffee Popsicles from She Gave It a Go

There you have it!  Happy Baking!

Blessings,

Robyn