How to Make a Campfire Cake

Photo: Levi Brown

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Tell friends to gather round the campfire for dessert: These burning logs are actually pound cake! We covered store-bought cakes with chocolate frosting to look like wood and arranged them in a fire pit of cookie crumbs. To light the fire, we made flames out of melted red and yellow candies — no kindling required. Read on for the how-to.

Photographs by Levi Brown

Photo: Levi Brown

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Step 1

Pulse the cookies in a food processor to make coarse crumbs. Transfer all but 1/2 cup crumbs to a bowl. Pulse the remaining crumbs until fine; add the 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar and pulse. Transfer the fine crumbs to a separate bowl.

Photo: Levi Brown

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Step 2

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Sprinkle the red and butterscotch candies into a 7-by-10-inch rectangle, alternating colors as shown.

Photo: Levi Brown

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Step 3

Bake the candies until completely melted, 10 to 15 minutes. Immediately run a knife through the yellow candy to swirl it into the red (be careful — the candy will be very hot). Let cool completely on the baking sheet.

Photo: Levi Brown

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Step 4

Meanwhile, make the frosting: Wipe out the food processor (no need to wash it). Add the butter, confectioners' sugar, melted chocolate, cocoa powder, milk and vanilla and pulse until smooth.

Photo: Levi Brown

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Step 5

Trim the long top and bottom edges of the pound cakes with a paring knife to make them rounded.

Photo: Levi Brown

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Step 6

Spread the frosting over the pound cakes, making sure to cover the rounded undersides (leave the ends exposed to resemble cut logs).

Photo: Levi Brown

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Step 7

Sprinkle the coarse cookie crumbs on a platter. Place 1 cake on the crumbs, then run a fork through the frosting to create the texture of bark. Rest the second cake at an angle on top; repeat with the fork.

Photo: Levi Brown

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Step 8

Sift the fine cookie crumb mixture over the logs to look like ash.

Photo: Levi Brown

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Step 9

Snap the candy sheet into different-size shards; press the shards into the lower cake to create the flames.

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