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Mountain pies – also known as campfire pies, pudgy pies and, in South Africa, jaffles – are an easy, affordable and delicious campfire treat. And they're pretty easy to make: Sweet or savory fillings are placed between a slice of bread, which is then baked over the fire in a pie iron until the bread is browned and the filling is heated through.
Frank Foley, founder of The Roving Foley's, explains that “mountain pies date back to the 1920s, when a man named Charles Champion invented pie irons.” Even before mountain pies were trending on TikTok.
To make a mountain cake you will need bread, butter and a filling of your choice. “Put a piece of it [buttered] Place bread on each side of the pie iron and spoon each type of pie filling onto one side,” says Foley. You can let your creativity run wild with the filling. “Fill with your choice of cheese, veggies, and charcuterie, or marshmallows and chocolate chips for a s'mores style,” says Marlene Croukamp, marketing director at Kitty Grubs.
After assembling your ingredients in the pie iron, close the iron so that it clamps down and seals the filling between the bread slices. This ensures even cooking. Therefore, make sure it is nice and comfortable. Bake both sides evenly over the fire until the bread is brown and crispy and the filling is nice and hot. “Think of it like a Hot Pocket, a campfire pie, or a fireside panini press,” says Foley.
The spruce eats / Diana Rattray
What are the best fillings for mountain pie?
While the S'mores Mountain Pie is a classic, you can get creative and think outside the box with variations like ham and cheese, eggs and bacon, pizza and PB&J – the sky is the limit, so use your imagination Freerunning.
Sweet mountain cakes
- For Apple mountain cake, cut apples into thin slices and use butter, cinnamon and sugar for the filling. Substitute cinnamon for regular bread to give it a little more flavor, suggests Foley.
- For S'mores Mountain PieUse classics like marshmallows, chocolate chips, and crushed graham crackers.
- Or try it once PB&Jsays Croukamp, with peanut butter, banana slices and cinnamon. To really indulge, add whipped cream, ice cream, and chocolate chips, notes Croukamp.
Hearty mountain cakes
- For a savory pie, take some corned or roast beef that resembles one Reuben or Philly cheesesteak sandwich. For the former, stuff it with rye bread, corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and Thousand Island dressing; and for the latter, fill with thin roast beef, cheese, peppers, and onions, suggests Foley.
- You can do it a breakfast mountain cake by combining scrambled eggs, bacon (swap bacon for sausage or turkey bacon if desired), and cheese.
- Croukamp enjoys doing it Mountain cake pizza by combining tomato sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni and pepper strips.
- A BBQ mountain cake The bread is also excellent, which you can prepare by filling the bread with pulled pork, barbecue sauce and sharp cheddar cheese. This is an especially nice option for potlucks and barbecues in the summer.
What “special tool” is required to make mountain pies?
To make a mountain cake, you need a cake iron. “The iron itself is always made of metal, cast iron or aluminum, and the handles are metal and long and often have wooden or plastic ends for safe handling,” says Croukamp.
In addition, the shape can vary depending on the region, ranging from square to rectangular to round. The cake iron works in the same way as a sandwich press: it heats and toasts the bread slices and mountain cake fillings.
Croukamp recommends using a round stainless steel handheld cake iron, which you can even use at home in the kitchen and directly over the stove. If you're cooking for a large group or entertaining a lot of guests, consider a cake iron set, like this cast iron set of 4 that Croukamp recommends. (It will take a month or two to arrive, so buy in advance or look online for kits available at other retailers that will be available more quickly.) Then everyone can make mountain cake masterpieces all at once, all together.
