Chocolate upside down cake

I’ve been holding back, but now that it’s four days into February I figure it’s time to start talking chocolate.

Okay, you won’t score any presentation points for this cake. But what it lacks in showiness, it makes up in easy prep time—and most important gooey, chocolatey flavor.

I have a hand-written version of this recipe from my mother, even though I don’t ever recall her making it. I wish I did—this would have been my birthday cake request, hands down!

The recipe involves only a few extra steps then when you’re making a regular boxed cake mix. Before you pour the batter into the pan you melt butter with water and add in a little brown sugar. This goes into the bottom of a greased baking pan along with nuts, coconut, chocolate chips and mini-marshmallows. Okay, this cake won’t score any health points either, which is one reason I don’t make it very often.

After the butter the mixins’ are on the bottom of the baking dish, now it’s time to add the chocolate cake batter. That’s it. Well, almost, there’s still a little trick or two after you’ve baked it.

The first time I made this cake I really wasn’t expecting much—I mean it was way too easy and had “dump” in the title. But the cake has quickly become a favorite of my crew. Are you ready for the next reason it’s called “dump”? Once you’ve let the cake cool for 10-20 minutes you put a serving platter on top and then flip the entire cake over so that the chocolate chips, butter, coconut combination becomes a crust on top of the cake. Yeah, you’re mouth is watering now, huh?

Recipe

Prep time: 15 minutes + baking time

Servings: 12+

Ingredients

1 ¼ cup water

¼ cup butter or margarine

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup coconut

2 cups chocolate chips

1 cup nuts (pecan or walnut)

2 cups mini-marshmallows

1 box chocolate cake mix

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
• Grease a 9×13” baking pan.
• Prepare the chocolate cake batter according to the package directions.
• In a small saucepan, heat together the water and butter until the butter has completely melted. Remove the pan from the heat.
• Add the brown sugar into the butter mixture.
• Pour the sugar butter mixture into the baking pan.
• Sprinkle the remaining ingredients (except the cake batter) onto the bottom of the baking pan.
• Now pour the cake batter over the sprinkled ingredients.
• Bake the cake for 55 to 60 minutes.
• Allow the cake to cool for at least 10 minutes, but not more then 30.
• Place a serving dish or cookie pan over the top of the baking pan. Carefully flip the entire cake over.
• Remove the baking pan. Serve warm, cold or at room temperature.
• *Note that the marshmallows melt into the cake.