How To Make Boxed Cake Mix 10x Better, According to Dolly Parton

It's a well-known fact that  Dolly Parton can carry a tune all by herself. But that doesn't stop her from teaming up with legends in both country and pop music, including Miley Cyrus , Norah Jones,  Willie Nelson ,  Trisha Yearwood and  Brad Paisley . Her most recent collab with pop star  Sabrina Carpenter on the remix of "Please, Please, Please" made me swoon—but that's pretty much the reaction I have to every single Dolly song.

But as much as I love  Dolly , I recently realized that I had never tried any of  Dolly's baking  mixes, made in collaboration with  Duncan Hines . As a Dolly fan and a baking fan, this seemed like an oversight I needed to remedy ASAP.

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Fans of the line rave about how great the mixes are on their own, but they also love the smart tips and recipes  Dolly shares on the back of the gorgeous pink boxes. These fun remixes help you tap into your inner Dolly and get creative with your baking.

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One hack that comes up often is Dolly's  banana pudding layer cake. I enjoy baking, but even I get intimidated by the idea of making a  layer cake . Luckily for me, a wise woman (ahem, it's Dolly) once said, "You'll never do a whole lot unless you're brave enough to try." With that in mind, I grabbed a box of Dolly's cake mix and prepared to put on a show of my own in the kitchen. 

Get the recipe:  Dolly Parton's Banana Pudding Cake

Ingredients You Need for Dolly Parton's Banana Pudding Cake

To make Dolly's semi-homemade cake, you need a box of  banana flavored boxed cake mix , of course. You'll also need milk, eggs, vanilla or banana  instant pudding mix , melted butter, heavy cream, a can of vanilla or buttercream frosting, a banana and vanilla wafers. 

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How to Make Dolly Parton's Banana Pudding Cake

First, make the boxed cake mix according to the package directions and bake in two 8-inch cake pans at 350° for 24–28 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. While the cakes cool, make the pudding. 

For the pudding filling, whisk instant pudding mix and milk, then let it thicken. Crush vanilla wafers into coarse crumbs. To make the whipped cream topping, mix together  heavy cream with about two tablespoons of canned frosting. 

To assemble the cake, spread some pudding on one cake layer, top with banana slices and crushed cookies, then place the second cake layer on top. Frost the cake with the remaining canned frosting and decorate with whipped cream, more crushed cookies, and banana slices. 

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What I Thought of Dolly Parton's Banana Pudding Cake

Dolly's cake is a semi-homemade masterpiece that's totally worth the hype. The banana-flavored cake was light and plush but still delightfully rich, thanks to the combo of milk, eggs and melted butter. As someone who LOVES texture, my favorite bites were the ones that included big chunks of vanilla wafers. Overall, the cake had a good kiss of sweetness without being cloying. My only note would be to skip the canned frosting and stick to the whipped cream frosting instead. 

If you're a fan of Southern-style banana pudding or banana candies, this cake is right up your alley. Dolly's boxed cake recipe won't replace my favorite matcha-infused boxed cake hack , but if someone offered me a slice I would gobble it up in record speed.

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