Alright, so the other evening, I got a hankering for something sweet after we finished up grilling. Didn’t want anything too fussy, you know? Just something simple and comforting. I remembered hearing about these easy desserts, sometimes called cowboy style I guess, ’cause they’re straightforward. Figured I’d give one a whirl with whatever I had lying around.
Digging Through the Cupboard
So, I started by rummaging through the pantry. Wasn’t exactly stocked for a fancy bakery situation. Found a big can of sliced peaches in syrup, looked like it had been there a while but still good. Then I spotted a box of yellow cake mix. Simple enough. And of course, needed some butter. Had a stick in the fridge. That was literally my ingredient list. Peaches, cake mix, butter. Doesn’t get much simpler than that.
Putting It Together
I grabbed my trusty cast iron skillet. It’s heavy, holds heat well, perfect for this kind of thing. If I was outside, maybe I’d use a Dutch oven over coals, but for the kitchen oven, the skillet is my go-to.
First thing, I just dumped the entire can of peaches right into the skillet. Didn’t drain ’em or anything, just poured the whole sticky mess in there, juice and all. Kind of spread them out evenly-ish across the bottom. No need for perfection here.
Next, I tore open that box of yellow cake mix. And here’s the easy part: I just sprinkled the dry cake mix directly over the top of the peaches. Didn’t stir it, didn’t mix it with anything. Just made sure it covered the fruit evenly.
Then came the butter. I took that cold stick of butter and sliced it into thin pats. Probably about a dozen or so slices. I laid these butter pats all over the top of the dry cake mix. Tried to get decent coverage, figuring it would melt down and make things tasty.
Baking and Waiting
Okay, assembly done. That took all of, what, five minutes? I’d already preheated the oven to about 350 degrees Fahrenheit (around 175 Celsius). Carefully, ’cause that skillet’s heavy, I slid the whole thing onto the middle rack.
Then, I just walked away. Let it bake. I checked on it after about 40 minutes. The top was starting to get golden, and the juices were bubbling up around the sides like crazy. The whole place smelled amazing, like warm peaches and cake. I decided to give it maybe another 10-15 minutes just to make sure the top was nicely browned and cooked through. So, maybe an hour total bake time, give or take.
The Final Verdict
Pulled it out of the oven, and man, it looked pretty good. Bubbly, golden-brown crust, syrupy peaches underneath. Had to let it sit and cool down for a good 15 minutes, though. That stuff is like lava when it first comes out.
We just scooped big spoonfuls into bowls. Some folks added a scoop of vanilla ice cream, which looked real good melting into the warm cake and peaches. I just had mine plain. It was sweet, gooey, a little crunchy on top, super satisfying. Nothing fancy, but definitely hit the spot. Felt like real comfort food.
It kind of reminded me of stuff we used to make camping when I was a kid. Throw things together, hope for the best, usually turns out great. There’s something nice about not overthinking it, you know? Just making something simple and good to eat. This was definitely one of those times.
