The holidays can be a stressful time of year for anyone, but for those living with MS, it can be even more stressful. Things that may seem like a simple and even fun task, like baking, may be a daunting and time-consuming one for us with MS. When you’re dealing with a chronic illness, you must learn to take it easy on yourself. Give yourself some grace, even during the holiday season.

I’ve made some changes in my life to lessen my holiday anxiety and lighten the load a bit. For example, not putting so much pressure on myself to make dozens of homemade cookies or desserts. I use easy recipes that do not involve a lot, like this one I share with you below. It is one of my favorites and a crowd pleaser to boot! Spoiler alert: no one is going to care, or even know you made a boxed cake, I promise. 😉

Christmas Dump Cake is an simple dessert with spice cake and cranberry sauce. It’s topped with pecans for a great recipe full of delicious, stress-free holiday cheer!

Why I love this recipe:

• 4 ingredients. With so few ingredients, this cake is effortless.
• It’s delicious. The results are moist and flavorful.
• Scoop and serve. This dump cake is effortless to serve and doesn’t require any cutting or slicing. This is critical for those with hand mobility issues.
• Easily serves a crowd. You can feed a crowd on a budget with this easy dessert recipe.

Ingredients: 

• Spice Cake Mix . You can also use yellow or white cake mix.
• Cranberry Sauce. I use the whole berry sauce variety.
• Chopped Pecans. Walnuts also taste great! You can buy pre-chopped in the grocery store.
• Butter, 1 stick, melted.

Instructions:

Step 1 – Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Step 2 – Prepare the baking dish. Spray a 9X13 baking pan with a non-stick cooking spray. 

Step 3 – Add cranberry sauce. Spread out the cranberry sauce evenly on the bottom of the pan. 

Step 4 – Top with the cake mix. Sprinkle the cake mix on top and sprinkle the chopped pecans evenly on top of the cake mix. 

Step 5 – Melt the butter. Then, slowly pour the melted butter evenly on top of the cake. 

Step 6 – Bake the cake. It will need to cook for 40-45 minutes until the top of the cake is golden brown. 

Step 7 – Allow to cool. Let the cake cool slightly and then serve the cake warm topped with whipped topping or ice cream.  Enjoy! 

Don’t forget to take time to slow down and enjoy your loved ones and magic of this season! Sending you well wishes for a very happy holiday!