Mariscal Mountain Muffin Cake

by Louis F. Aulbach

About four days into an expedition trip through the Great Unknown of the Rio Grande, a fresh-baked dessert after dinner is a welcome treat. All of your fresh foods have probably been consumed by this time, so this non-refrigerated menu item can be prepared at any point in your journey.

All you need is a 10-inch dutch oven and the following simple ingredients:

2 packages of your favorite Martha White Muffin Mix
2/3 cup of powdered milk
1 Tbl vegetable oil
1 cup fresh, clean water

Combine the mix, oil and powdered milk in a bowl.  Add the water.  Stir until the mix is completely moist, but do not over-mix. Pour the batter into a greased 10 inch dutch oven.

Bake at 375F for 15-20 minutes, checking periodically to see if it is done (a knife comes out cleanly). You can set your Dutch oven to 375F by placing 8 charcoal briquettes below your oven and 14 briquettes on top.

You can top with a can of cake icing, if you happen to bring one along.  Or, even better,  offer hungry paddlers a little container of fruit - like Mandarin orange slices in syrup - to pour over their slice. 

Makes enough for about 8 servings, if that is how big you cut the slices.

Firing up the charcoal	Setting Dutch oven to 375	Finished product	Muffins in Mariscal Canyon!

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