By Thanksgiving at Amber's apartment. We drove over Thursday morning — me, Dave, Gayle, Josie. Tyler spent Thanksgiving with his girlfriend's family (he has been dating a nice girl named Sierra since October; Sierra's parents invited him). Justin had a team thing — a Thanksgiving community dinner the team was serving at a church — and came to Amber's for dessert in the evening.
Amber's apartment was warm. She had cooked the turkey, the mashed potatoes, the green beans, and apple pie. Lindsay had made a cornbread stuffing. Eli had made cranberry relish. I brought rolls and the chocolate sheet cake. Gayle sat on the couch with her oxygen (we had brought it; she needed it for the evening). Josie helped Amber plate food.
The table sat seven: me, Dave, Gayle, Josie, Amber, Lindsay, Eli. Justin came for dessert at 7. Eight for pie.
Amber said grace. Her grace was short and perfect: "For the people at this table, and those we hold in memory tonight. Amen." Gayle cried. Nobody else did visibly. Everyone felt it.
The food was wonderful. Amber's turkey was perfect. Her pie crust was better than Gayle's — I said so, Gayle nodded and said, "I agree."
Friday we drove home. Gayle slept in the truck. I held Dave's hand on the console.
Book two at 85,000.
Every year I say I’ll make something elaborate, and every year I land on the thing that travels well, feeds a crowd, and disappears fast — this Oreo Dump Cake is exactly that. I made it the morning we drove to Amber’s, tucked it into the truck next to the rolls, and by the time Justin arrived for dessert at seven, there was barely a corner piece left. After a day that full — Gayle on the couch with her oxygen, Amber’s grace that made the whole room go quiet — you want a dessert that asks nothing of you, and gives everything back.
Oreo Dump Cake
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 55 minutes | Servings: 12
Ingredients
- 1 package (15.25 oz) chocolate fudge cake mix
- 1 package (3.9 oz) instant chocolate pudding mix
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 cups coarsely crushed Oreo cookies (about 20 cookies), divided
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar or whipped cream, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven. Heat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan with butter or nonstick spray.
- Mix the pudding base. In a large bowl, whisk together the instant pudding mix and milk until smooth and slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes.
- Add wet ingredients. Whisk the sour cream, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract into the pudding mixture until fully combined.
- Fold in cake mix. Add the dry chocolate cake mix to the bowl and stir until a thick, uniform batter forms. Do not overmix — a few small lumps are fine.
- Layer the Oreos. Scatter 1 1/2 cups of the crushed Oreos evenly across the bottom of the prepared pan. Pour the batter over the top and spread it gently to the edges.
- Top and bake. Sprinkle the chocolate chips and remaining 1/2 cup of crushed Oreos evenly over the surface. Bake for 40—45 minutes, until the center is set and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with moist crumbs (not wet batter).
- Cool and serve. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before cutting. Dust with powdered sugar or serve with whipped cream if desired. Cuts cleanly into 12 generous squares.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 420 | Protein: 5g | Fat: 19g | Carbs: 58g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 480mg