Take Five Ingredients and Produce a Cake Everybody Loves.

This was so easy, and my granddaughter made it with flair.

Sometimes, you must admit that you either don’t like doing something or don’t care enough to spend much time on it.

Do I like cooking? Not particularly. Half the time, I would make something that sounded good and was not too complicated, and at the end, I would realize I had forgotten to use an ingredient.

So why do I blog about cooking? Bottom line … I like to eat and feed family and friends.

I now know that I have a very mild form of ADHD and that it has mainly been dealt with by finding easy ways to overcome issues.

When it comes to recipes, it always takes me longer than most to finish a recipe because I have learned to read and reread the recipe before starting. I also put all the ingredients I need onto a tray, so if I’m getting to the end of the recipe and it looks like I have too many ingredients left, I can fix it before it’s too late.

Easy and just a few Ingredients.

Since I don’t love cooking or baking, I find easy recipes with as few ingredients as possible.

This recipe is not only easy but delicious. How easy, you ask? Well, I had my five-year-old granddaughter, Abbey, make this cake. It is called a dump cake, and I have some thoughts about its origins.

It could have been developed during the Great Depression due to food shortages. It could also have been designed just after the Second World War when women worked outside their homes and had to get dinner on the table as fast as possible for their families.

Abbey was at our home for a sleepover. Since her older sister, Malia, had done other baking with grandma, Abbey wanted her turn. Once she was standing on a stool to reach the counter, we started.

Dump cake — 5 Ingredients (6 if you include the ice cream to put on the cake)

1. 21 oz can of cherry pie filling
2. 20 oz can of crushed pineapple — do not drain it.
3. 21.5 oz box of Classic Yellow cake mix
4. 2 sticks of unsalted butter — cut into 1-inch pieces.
5. 1 cup of walnut or pecan pieces.

Grease a 9×13 cake pan and preheat the oven to 325 F

Dump the cherry pie filling into the pan and spread evenly.

Dump the can of crushed pineapple (including the liquid) on top of the cherry pie filling and spread.

Dump the box of cake mix evenly over the cherry pie filling and the pineapple.

Put the butter pieces evenly over the cake mix.

Sprinkle the nut pieces over the butter.

Put into the oven and bake for 55–65 minutes until the cake is golden brown.

Rest for 10 minutes, and then serve with a scoop of ice cream.

Abbey made herself proud, and we all declared the cake excellent. Having a quick and easy dessert you can bake from memory after you’ve baked it once makes life a little easier.

The best part was having two granddaughters over for a sleepover. While the cake was cooking, we sang and danced to the Beach Boys. They wanted to know if I had heard of ‘The Little Old Lady from Pasadena.’ They were impressed that I knew all the words.

Baking a fun, easy cake and dancing to the Beach Boys. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Do you bake with your grandchildren? Let me know.