Improvise for Cake! or Cornbread!
I have coveted the bakepacker oven since I saw it demonstrated a few years ago back at Scout Show. I think they made muffins in it, and I was fascinated that you could bake in a pot on top of a stove successfully. Not that anything browns, mind you, but it was definitely cooked. I have friends who love their bakepackers, but I am so cheap I haven’t managed to plop down the $17-$18 for one. So I heard a rumor of a homemade replacement and decided to try it out at home.
I am delighted to report that it works!
The original recommends using a 1 gallon (name-brand) bag. I used a turkey bag. Instead of the bakepacker grid on the bottom, I used a collapsable / collapsible steamer / colander that spends most of its time in the kitchen cabinet anyway. Put about one inch of water in the bottom of a pot, over a medium high burner. Prepare a cake or muffin mix and pour it into the plastic bag. Twist the top to keep it from spilling out, then put the bag on top of the steamer. Put the lid on the pot and set the timer for about 10% less time than the box or recipe calls for. Here’s a picture of most of the equipment (just need the plastic bag).
Hmm. Not bad. Beware of steam burns, however.
